Thanks 208, we don't get a chance to target AJ's on they offshore springs but when we do, I really enjoy it. Best, Dan

RB, That sounds like a pretty cool job! That must be another boat you're thinking of, mines on a trailer at my house! Thanks for watching, Best, Dan

Thank Mo, I appreciate you watching! Best, Dan

Thanks Tanto, much appreciated. Best, Dan

Shoot More of the horse eye jacks

MM, I will def do that in the future, Thanks for watching and glad you're enjoying. Best, Dan

Super Cool video. I saw you in Advanced Diver Magazine all those yrs ago shooting that 450lb Warsaw Grouper in 425' on Tri-Mix. Most Bad-Ass thing ever! Glad I ran onto your KZfaq Channel! Is very cool! The one you used back then was a Sea Rhino I remember. What is this one? Thanks

Paul, lol, better to be lucky than good! Best, Dan

Thanks HB66....they def are a problem. We see them in vast quantities out past 300' and I'm sure they're thick in even deeper water. I've personally seen a few eaten by AmberJack and Red Grouper but not enough to matter. I think they're here forever. Best, Dan

MB, it really is. Man we've taken some monsters off that spot! Best, Dan

Thanks MR, glad you liked it! Best, Dan

TOD, lol, I just like steak! And Steak prices have really gone up recently...no good shooting equals no steak! Best, Dan

Randy, yes, I've been down in there twice. Bottoms around 360-380. An interesting dive was I was down in there around 260' or so and Kenny was hanging above the lip at around 190'. An 80 LB AJ came down into the Sink, flipped upside down and skimmed the bottom of an overhanging ledge while swimming extremely quickly. Probably did that for 50-60 feet and then straightened up normally and zoomed up out of the sink. Where Kenny PH him and we left. I helped string the AJ on the way up and watched in amazement as 2 big Red Octopus's crawled out of his mouth and shot towards the bottom. That AK was scarfing them down while swimming upside down underneath the overhang, using his lower jaw like a scoop. Pretty Wild! Best, Dan

Dan MacMahon wow! That’s really cool thanks Dan

TMF, those are Greater AmberJack's. Glad you're enjoying the videos. Best, Dan

The AJ's found in the Gulf of Mexico do not have the worm problems most people think all AJ's have . Those taken by a spear also do not have the lactic acid build-up that comes from a long fight with a big fish from deeper water . These are very tasty but to be legal to take for Commercial use they must be at least 3 feet long . The Commercial guidelines on AJ's is done by total weight for the trip ( 1,000 pounds ) and when they are in-season these fellas try to get their limit before they go back in from their 3 - 5 day trips . He has 3 large holding tanks he uses for the fish his team collects .

BP, sometimes from old loran numbers from 40 years ago, but mostly just lots and lots of time and effort scanning the bottom. Many times you don't find much but sometimes you find a real gem. Best, Dan

Thank you so much 😀

Harris, I don't reload them in the water (you could) but do reload them on the boat. Good question. Best, Dan

Monty, 3 definite times and another probable. (water was very dirty). Would love to get one on video but I'm more than fine if that never happens! Best, Dan

Thanks MrB, that is a great spot. There's another one in 300' a little farther out that I'm going to try and get to this summer! Best, Dan

Shooting fish on the way up is very tricky to do . The fish must be close enough so the spear will still stay in the gun , and the fish must be swimming upwards so you can catch its tail before it drops back past you as it is falling .

YB, I have the aluminum casings made by a local machine shop. I do the rest in my shop. I use a Russian 7.62/54R cartridge. That shell is a rimmed cartridge, like a revolver bullet, so it's easy to make a PH with it. Best, Dan

SS, it's a home made gun that we make ourselves. Roughly based on an older Sea Hornet but utilizing better quality parts and tighten tolerances. Best, Dan

BC, you're right, the deeper the quieter , all other things equal. The noise is never a factor unless you were really really shallow and set one off under a ledge or something. Best, Dan

I have but it was many many years ago. It's more common when hunting in shallower water under rocks or ledges and I hardly ever do that anymore! Good question. Best, Dan

MM, to my knowledge no offshore Spring in the GOM actually puts out Fresh Water. If one does, I've never seen it. Tidal Surge yes, fresh water no. Glad you're enjoying the videos. Best, Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 True 👍

There are a few, as Dan said mostly tidal flow, but there are four I know of between Sarasota and Weeki Wachee. There is on very close to shore (100 yds) at Crystal Beach/Palm Harbor that flows fresh water, but is also affected by tide. I (certified cave diver) have dove that one and one and one off of Hudson. There are a lot of dead sinks in the gulf also.

Charlie, you've got me laughing and I haven't even heard it yet, def going to check it out this evening! Thanks, Dan

Pesca, Thank You! Best, Dan

He has a local machine shop make his aluminum casings , and he adds the rest . His choice is a Russian military cartridge ( 7.62x54R ) which can be purchased on-line that already comes with sealed bullets and sealed primers so moisture is not a concern . That caliber of cartridge puts out a large explosive burst of pressure to help kill larger fish even in deeper water . Smaller caliber Powerheads that others make are best used by those with a snorkel below 100 feet down to be reliable .

HF, it's a home made design, uses a Russian 7.62/54R cartridge. Speargods.com (727-432-1967) has them for retail purchase. Best, Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 that's cool I got a 7.62/54R we use for hunting sometimes good round .I'm gonna go check that out thanks for the info .

I have the aluminum blanks made by a machine shop and then do the rest myself. Best, Dan

IBO, me too! I remember fondly the days of only worrying about Eels and spiny urchins! Best, Dan

Hey Shane, it's an Aluminum casing that's machined to hold a rifle cartridge. Uses the Spear point as a firing pin. Commonly called a "slip on" power head. Usually used for taking large fish in deep water or for personal protection. Best, Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 thankyou. Love your videos.

CF, it's an aluminum casing that holds a rifle cartridge, that the spear tip sets off when shot into a fishes head. Commonly called a Power Head and usually used for personal protection or for subduing really large fish in deep water. Best, Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 thank you friend !! I am Brazilian, practical apnea, and I had never seen it before, and I thought it was cool !! once again thank you for your attention! and good fishing.

@@danmacmahon3973 single use, or reusable? are you putting silicone or anything around the round/cartridge? I can see how nice it is to be able to slip that on when you need it.

@@mrbill1683 The PH itself is reloadable. Usually they put several coats of nail polish on the primers and where the cartridge and the bullet are joined together.

Dav8, it's an aluminum casing, machined to fit a rifle cartridge. Uses the spear point as a firing pin. Commonly called a "slip on" power head and is usually used for self protection or for taking large fish in deep water. Best, Dan

Thanks Malik! Best, Dan

Buen pesca dices eso es un asesinato sin defensa para el pez animales.

Yo soy pescador y acato las reglas. Así acabaremos pronto con todo animal.

He fishes in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida , and normally over 100 miles off-shore .

Also, is that a 35’ Scarab with a pilot house that you guys are diving off of? It’s been driving me crazy trying to figure out what kind of boat that is 🤣

Thanks Ben, appreciate it. Good suggestion about the PH's, I'll def do that when time allows. I made the PH mount as well, I'll try and include how to do that in the video. Thanks for watching, Best, Dan

The Boat is a Tempest 44' Hull that I bought and completely redid to make it into a spear boat. Was a center console in its former life with 3 volvo diesels in it. Took about a year for the build. There's still a thread on SpearBoard under the dive boats section about the build. Called "New HeadHunter boat", back in 2014 I think. Best, Dan

Dan MacMahon no kidding. I was looking at Contender 35 SC’s today and somehow came across the one you built a few years ago on Spearboard. Looks like you upgraded to something bigger, I’ll do a search and check that one out.

SSB, most of my stuff is either home made or custom made and not really available for retail purchase. I'd be glad to give you any tips or answer any questions about specific items that you might have. Best, Dan

It is called a slip-on Powerhead , and his holds a rifle cartridge that will put out a large burst of energy that is used to help kill larger fish , and also is used for protection .

Hey Hugo, no, they're a rifle cartridge. It's a Russian military round, a 7.62/54R (.30 Caliber). The revolver pistol bullets are fine in shallow water but don't have enough bang in 6-9 atm. Best, Dan

AJ shot with a Powerhead die instantly , and bleed out real fast . That makes them taste much much better than any other way of getting one . Grilled AJ shot that way is super great eating , and much in-demand for buyers who know this .

At that depth, one doesn't have much bottom time. Then you factor in having to fight a fish as big as the AJ he's getting, you're better off stoning them with PH shots.

Hey DA, it's a machined aluminum casing that holds a rifle cartridge, commonly called a "slip on" power head. It uses the spear point as a firing pin. Usually used for personal protection or for taking large fish in deep water. Best, Dan

Maxer, they bring around $1.50 per pound. They're closed 3 months of the year to protect the spawn. They also have a trip limit of 1000 pounds. We will usually target them when in season a few dives per trip. Of course, sometimes you'll take a few here and there during a trip. Best, Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 Thanks Dan

He works under a Commercial License so those AJ's must be at least 3 feet long to be legal for him . He normally get those in the 35 - 70 pound range and lets the bigger ones go as breeders . With a 1,000 pound limit for a Commercial trip they always try to get that limit before they go back in from one of their 3 - 5 day trips . He has 3 large holding tanks on his custom made dive boat so they need about 25 or so to get their limit . At $1.50 a pound x 1,000 that is $1500 or so just in that one species . Most other dives are for different types of Groupers at $5- $6.50 a pound or Hogfish but there are many others he will collect if there is time allowed .

Thanks CM, I wasn't too sure if the PH AJ video would be well liked but have gotten quite a few request to post another one so I'll do that in a few days. That Spring in the video is about 200' at the rim. I dove all those springs off Clearwater in the past (probably 10-12 of them I guess) but this one's deeper. Thanks for watching! Best, Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 Yeah if you don't stone that AJ on the first shot it's gone or if you have a line on the shaft you are going for a ride. haha. I only know of one spring and I haven't dove past a 100 foot. I guess I need to get a tri-mix certification and a bigger boat. I am so jealous of the size fish you get.

D&G, it's a "slip on" design. I have a machine shop make the casings and then I do the rest. Uses a Russian 7.62/54R cartridge. You can easily make them to fit any revolver bullet or any "rimmed" rifle cartridge. Best, Dan

SSB, yeah all PH's are not created equally. I'll try and do a video on do's and don't in the near future. As far as our PH's, I have a local machine shop make the aluminum casings and then I modify them and make the rubber inserts. Thanks for watching, Best, Dan

FL, it's a machined aluminum casing that holds a rifle cartridge. Uses the spear point as a firing pin. Commonly called a "slip on" power head. Usually used for taking large fish in deep water or for personal protection. Best, Dan

Conner, we def spear a lot of lions but it's just not practical in 220'. When in shallower water, we take them on a regular basis. All my diving is in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, off the West Coast of Florida. Best, Dan

JLF, not sure what a bulb is, sorry, tried to figure it out on google, but no luck! I appreciate you watching, Best, Dan

CW, they're legal in Federal waters, once you're past the "stressed Zone" which is either the 60' or 120' contour, depending on where you're at. They are not legal in state waters (9nm) or in the above mentioned stressed zone. Best, Dan

Dan MacMahon thanks for the reply, good to know

Thanks David, trying to show different stuff ! Best, Dan

AA, the other diver picked up and strung a few of them. Probably got us out of there 30 seconds sooner! Best, Dan

Nope. Fish dies instantly and is bled out quickly. Safer for the diver also. Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 not the speargishing, the use of scuba

Fishing*

TG, uh...you're missing the point, it's commercial fishing, you know, where the object is to catch fish? Maybe in your part of the world you prefer nets or traps or long lines? Maybe dynamite? Dan

@@danmacmahon3973 in my part of the world fishing with dynamit is forbiden, the size of mesh of the net is limited and fishing while scuba diving is not allowed. Both of that cases are severly punished because the sea resources are limited !

Noel Sub, el es pescador comercial pescando a 200pies peces grandes q tiene que desconectar rápido. Eso no se puede a pulmón. Yo pesco a pulmón y viendo lo que el hace lo respeto.

Anim, it's a government permitted commercial spear fishing boat, the whole point is catching fish for others to eat....Dan

isabel galvez I understand your concern but this could not be any more efficient or humane way of harvest. Fish is killed instantly. No struggle and no lactic acid build up in the meat from fighting. Best quality and quickest kill. There is no better way to harvest a fish.

Thanks Sean, you're spot on with your comments. Best, Dan

si, la realidad es que esta es la manera mas saludable para el ambiente para pescar. las pesca con ansuelo causa mucha contaminacion de liña de pesca, y de mayas, y tambien mata a muchos animales como tiburones y tortugas. Esta manera no.

Bob, I think 14 times but not in the last couple years. Trying to avoid doing that anymore! Best, Dan