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African Pompano Hogfish Grouper Wahoo
Sheepshead
Spearsmiths
Spearfishermen have their own
preference when it comes to a type
of spear: pole, metal, mid-handle,
European-style, breakaway or
wooden.
Local spearfisherman and wood
craftsman Drew Salley took an interest
in wooden spearguns and decided to
create his own for personal use.
“Shaping them is really fun because
you’re trying to think about hydro-
dynamics and how the gun is going to
track through the water,” Salley says.
“When you see a fish, you’re going to
need to move the gun to the left or right
or up and down.”
One of the challenges in designing
wooden spearguns is making them
neutrally buoyant. The gun should slowly
sink when a spear is loaded, making it
easy to dive deep underwater. Because wood
floats, the guns often need to be balanced
with lead.
On the other hand, Salley says if you need
to ditch the gun, you want it to float back up
to the surface.
“It makes you think, and it’s a creative process,” Salley says, “and when it comes together
you have something you can provide for yourself. It’s the best feeling when you know you
made that gun. You went out and hunted with that gun, and brought home dinner.”
Drew Salley and Ed Ward
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM