Ballistic Fishing

[OneLastCast]

I am going beach fishing next weekend with a few friends. One of them is not very good at casting, and also little crazy. What do you think of his idea of using a spud gun to fire his bait out:

Potato Cannon Fishing

Anyone ever tried it?

I will be taking photos - I might post them.

Edited September 5, 2005 by OneLastCast

[Tim]

Ooohhh yeah, post some pics!

Sounds like a lot of fun even if it doesn't work. I don't think I'd be putting my hand up to hold the rod though. If the line wraps around the tip or something you may find a ball of lead flying back at you at a ridiculous speed. That'd spoil the fun a bit I think.

Good luck.

[Bashir]

It would work. However you would need huge line capacity. My orange canon fires an orange 400m easily. I wouldn't want to get caught but, those things are classed as a firearm and the penalties for being in possesion of one is far greater than having an unlicenced pistol on you believe it or not! I only use mine on the family's orange farm, also if made incorrectly they can cause a lot of pain and a trip to the hospital no doubt.

[Cameron]

Some years ago there was an article in one of the fishing magazines about such a device that used compressed air to hurl a lead and bait out off the beach. It was reputed to have a range of some 400 metres. You would need to be using a pretty solid bait, otherwise it would be torn off in the first few metres by the rapid acceleration generated. From memory a fellow of Chinese origin designed and built it.

[appoooh]

Sounds like a lot of fun, but even if you could get it to work it's counter-productive. Many times you won't need to cast more than 15 metres to get at the fish. You'd probably do better on the sand than to plonk a fixed bait 400 metres wide of a beach - you're into serious desert territory that far out.

[OneLastCast]

Sounds like a lot of fun, but even if you could get it to work it's counter-productive.  Many times you won't need to cast more than 15 metres to get at the fish.  You'd probably do better on the sand than to plonk a fixed bait 400 metres wide of a beach - you're into serious desert territory that far out.

65521[/snapback]

Very true appoooh. I thought the same myself. But just think of the number of time that school of salmon or tailor have been just out of casting range...

Hmmmm, I might study some marine charts for any good reefs a few hundred meters off the coast

[paggles]

sounds like fun

[Weiry]

Reminds me of around cracker night when we used to put a thunder followed by a tombola down a one inch water pipe stick it n the ground and BOOM....... sounds like a good experiment... maybe you could use a humungous sling shot..... shaaaarwiiiiiing...

Edited September 5, 2005 by Weiry

[OWZAT]

G`day Fellas ,

I dunno about a Cannon , But quite a few years Back , I bumped into a bloke who used a specially modified slingshot to get his bait and sinker out into the drink.

It worked well too I might add , but I seem to remember that the best he could get out was about 60 metres if that , but he caught his share though.

But I reckon this casting great distances thing is largely over rated .

Most good fish are taken less than 20 ft from the shore , and when you are casting out a long way , you are probably going past them actually.

But being able to get out a fair distance is handy when fishing for Salmon and Tailor though at times.

With home made slugs and overheads , we had to cast a country Mile at Whale Beach , and Bondi , but bringing them to the Gaff was where the Skill came in