Reels vs. Floatlines
Article by Kevin Glen, Owner of Mantis Spearfishing, LLC
Reels vs. Floatlines
Should I use a reel or a floatline? If online spearfishing forums were English pubs, this is undoubtedly the question that would lead to the most bar fights. Every diver has their own preference based on their experiences and many feel strongly that their opinion is best. Unfortunately, I am not here to tell you which one is better. In this article I’ll attempt to explain advantages and disadvantages to both, and the situations in which I would recommend using each.
Let’s start with the basics… (if you already understand what reels and floatlines are and how they work you may want to skip ahead, I won’t tell your 11th grade English teacher and there’s no quiz at the end).
What is a Floatline?
A floatline is exactly as the name suggests—a line that floats. Everything from a hunk of rope purchased from home depot to a several hundred dollar plastic tube cored with spectra strong enough to winch your truck out of a ravine can be a floatline. Some floatlines are stretchy (bungees) and others are stiff, but we’ll get more into that later.
Whatever you choose to use as your floatline, the concept is still the same. The floatline is connected to your spear shaft, either directly (break-away) or indirectly (in-line), and then trails along the surface behind the diver, sometimes up to 150ft in length. The line may or may not be connected to one, or multiple floats on the other end.
What is a Reel?
This question may seem especially silly, since you’d probably be hard pressed to find anyone who is not familiar with the basic concept of winding in line on a spool with a crank. However, (and this is a big one) speargun reels are designed to be used very differently than the ones you find on fishing poles. While fishing with a pole you are typically winding the line in while fighting the fish. However, on a speargun you typically only wind the line in after the fish is secured. Although, one of my favorite spearfishing memories involves watching a rookie diver attempt to reel in a big white sea bass like he was sitting in the fighting chair. We laugh about it now, but he was very lucky to go home with the fish, and the situation could have turned dangerous quickly.
So which is better?
Unfortunately this is not something I can easily answer, as it depends largely on the location and experience of the diver. Any diver who has been at this a long time is likely to have at least one of each in their arsenal (or have had them at some point), but let’s break this down a little further.
What are the advantages to Floatlines?
Safety! Ding, ding ding. For this reason, and this reason alone, Floatlines are what I recommend to all new divers. Of course, keep in mind that spearfishing is unpredictable, and reels or floatlines can turn deadly quick. Line management is a skill you absolutely must master early on before you even consider shooting a large fish. I’ve seen yellowtail as small as 25lbs wrap up a divers legs and drag them under. Always, always be aware of where your line is and where a fish is taking it.
So why is a floatline safer? A few reasons. For one, they make you visible on the surface, especially when used with a float. This makes them ideal for areas with high boat traffic. Not that boats will automatically avoid you just because it is glaringly obvious that you’re there, I have had a floatline chewed up in a boat prop, and got yelled at for not “getting the f*ck out of the way.”
The second reason floatlines are safer is that they allow you to easily get to the surface and fight the fish from there. Don’t get me wrong, you can do this with reels as well, which is exactly what they are designed for. If, however, your reel jams on the way up, or you run out of line, you’re in a pickle. A floatline removes any worry about how the line is playing out; you just make sure you don’t get tangled (line management!!!) and kick to the surface.
Another reason floatlines are safer is the ability to take your precious speargun, that you just spent every last penny you had on, out of the equation. When you set your floatline up break- away, the line is connected directly to the spearshaft. Once the gun is fired the whole line/shaft combination separates from the gun, leaving you free to throw your arm through the bands and forget about your teak baby while you battle your prize catch.
Why does having your gun disconnected put you in a safer position? Think about the last example: You’re kicking your way to the surface having just shot a big fish and you’ve already pushed your breath hold to the limit just to get a shot. In scenario one your favorite gun has a reel on it and the line is zipping out. Despite you riding the drag hard, you run out of line and you’re still not at the surface. Scenario two is the same, but your gun is set up break away with a floatline, and you see the end of the line running through your hand. Arguably the safe decision in either scenario is to sacrifice the equipment and get that gulp of air you desperately need at the surface. Nobody likes losing a fish, especially when it’s taking your gear with it, but that decision is going to be even harder to make when you have to kiss your $1500 custom carbon fiber shaft slinger goodbye as well. At least if you are set up with a floatline and it is properly connected to a float, at some point that float will (theoretically) re-surface and give you an opportunity to retrieve your gear, and hopefully your prized catch.
So are there other advantages to floatlines? After all, who cares about living if I can maximize performance elsewhere, right? Well yes, yes there are. For truly big fish, reels are really (pun intended) just not an option. We’re talking your 200lb tuna or billfish (not that “super big” hogfish you shot last summer). For fish in this class we simply don’t have the power to fight them ourselves, and this is where floats come in. With a floatline you can string a whole series of floats behind you, shoot that monster tuna and then let it try to drag the floats to Davey Jones’ locker until it wears itself out and you can wrangle it to the surface.
For serious blue water diving, the vote goes to floatlines. Reels have their place for blue water hunting with large fish as well, but if you’re someone who thinks any fish in the world can be taken with a reel and is going to prove it by shooting a bluefin with one, you’re probably already in a place where you don’t need to be reading my article. Also, buy a few extra reels so you have them when the first one gets ripped off your gun (again, seen this happen, it’s not cool and it’s disrespectful to the fish, but that’s just my opinion).
When hole hunting reefs and structure, a floatline allows you to drop your gun to mark a hole, return to the surface to breathe before your next drop to continue exploring. Say you found a huge scallop and you just can’t pry it off on your first try - leave your gun, and come back again. Chances are, you’ll need several drops to get that delicious morsel chiseled off the rock and out of the crack you found it in. For more information on hole hunting technique, take a look at this article.
What are the advantages to reels?
“But you already convinced me to use a floatline!” Hold the phone, reels are great too. All you really need to do to switch to team reel is spend a day diving on a boat with four other guys all using floatlines. Tangles anyone? If that doesn’t do it, try dragging that float you hooked up to your line through some kelp. Either of those situations is easier with a reel.
Not only do you avoid possible tangles in the kelp (at least before you take a shot), but it also saves you time getting in and out of the boat. The gun is ready to get in the water as soon as you pull it out of your truck in the morning. No unwinding your floatline before you get in or winding it back up each time you get out.
Convenience isn’t the only place reels shine. A lot of divers feel like they have more control of the fish and the fight with a reel. The ability to adjust the drag (how difficult it is to take out line) certainly adds a component of control to any fight.
A reel can also be less limiting than a floatline, especially at extreme depths. If you’re diving at 100+ ft a floatline is often just not practical as the entire line will be taken up by the depth. If you were to use a float in this scenario you’ll be fighting just to get down. Without one your line will be under the surface within seconds of shooting a fish. A reel however is unlimited in length the way a floatline is, with some reels holding over 100m of line. That’s about triple the length of your longest floatline.
But is the tangle situation really better with reels?
It is, right up until you pull the trigger. If you think your reel line isn’t prone to tangles go shoot a big white sea bass in some heavy kelp, or a cobia too close to a rig. Oopsies! Time to test how sharp that dive knife is! Then again, a lot of this really comes down to line management. Not only do you want to put effort into not getting yourself dragged to the ocean bottom, you also need to learn how to work the line, and the fish, to maximize your chances of landing your catch. This might mean putting more pressure on a fish close to structure, or letting one take line easily when your shot placement was not ideal.
“You’re not helping at all! Which one should I use?”
If you’re reading this article in a hunt for information, get a floatline. There it is, I’m team floatline. If I could only use one or the other I would choose the versatility of floatlines. I think the safety factors of floatlines far outweigh the hassles, and if I had my way everyone would start there and move into reels when they’re ready. Keep in mind, I live in California, and this may not be the right choice for a diver learning to hunt in a different location. At the end of the day you have to decide what is best for the scenarios in which you’re diving. The best thing you can do is try both and develop your own preferences. Just be sure to do so safely, try to get out with experienced divers using the gear you’re interested in, and ask for their help.
A few questions to ask yourself that may help you make the decision:
What are you hunting, and with what gear can it be ethically hunted?
Can I legally dive without a float in my area? (Many areas require any divers in the water to have a float/flag even when shorediving. This doesn’t necessarily mean your choice is made, you can still take a float with an anchor to drop at your dive location and use a reelgun all day).
Am I diving in an area with obstructions (kelp, rigs, wrecks, reef) that will impede use of a floatline or reel?
Will you ever have the need to drop your gun while diving? (Are there shellfish in your area you may want to harvest?)