I entered Freshwater Nationals for my first time in Beaver Lake Arkansas, 2016. After that, I could hardly wait to participate in the “World Spearfishing Championships” in Lake Mead. We were told that spearfisher’s from 15 different countries would be participating, WOW!
I am the first to admit that I thought freshwater spearfishing was no big deal. No sharks, no eels, no sea urchins, no jellyfish…how hard could it be? However, with low visibility, cool water temps, and different species of fish it became very challenging. One day you scout and find fish and the next day they’re gone. Carp, or the freshwater version of the Roi, was the fish we were all tying to find. They are an invasive species the locals were more than happy to let us shoot them in abundance. There is something intoxicating about slamming 8-25 lbs. fish all day long. Its really fun “pulling the trigger.” The other fish we scouted for was striped bass. We did see several on scout days, but very few on the tournament day, challenging for sure.
The lake can be as temperamental as the Pacific ocean. 4 out of 5 days we spent scouting had strong winds. We just left our wetsuits on after diving, so the wet winds wouldn’t freeze us.
So tournament day 1 arrives. Everybody is hoping that they have a game plan that will succeed. The first day was all about the striped bass. My partner, Eli Lai, and I chose an island about 6 miles towards the north boundary. Other divers were on it and we only shot 2 bass. after that, we just went from point to point hoping to get lucky. At the end of the day we ended up with 7 pieces. I was thinking we are probably way behind, until we saw other divers with small catches as well. All the striped bass were MIA. And of course on the second day had much more action. In the morning we took a chance and pushed to the far end of the boundary. One thing I felt is to be competitive you should have 15-20 carp in the first 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Unfortunately, I only landed 4 Carp during that time. Eli was able to get about 12. After a quick chat with Courtney Esprecion, our boat helper, we decided to go back to the grass flats. It paid off. We both picked up 20 plus pieces over there. I actually wanted to start at the flats but we changed our minds at the last minute. And that’s tournament diving, sometimes the right call and sometimes not.
The weigh in was really close with top three in our mixed division. After the first day the Sergio & Svetlana team was in first place, our team second, and the McGuire’s team third. However, after the second day we managed to end up slipping onto first, McGuire’s second, and Peterson’s third. Justin Lee and his partner, Jandon, received 4th!
It was a terrific experience entering the mixed Division. I really enjoyed sharing knowledge and seeing that infectious smile of my young partner, Eli. 17 years old. They never get tired and their ability to keep up and go is amazing!
Our other team from Kona, Hannalei Adric and Clavin Lai, also did very well. They finished 3rd in the open Men’s Division. I am always cheering for my Hawaiian bruddahs. I owe them a lot for all their knowledge and support in the freshwater.
The 2017 Freshwater World Championships in Lake Mead were awesome! The fellow competitors were great to hang with, “Uncle Gary,” Wesley Ritchie, Shane, Courtney, Mike, McGuire’s, Harolof, and the list goes on and on. Mike McGuire deserves a huge applause for putting on such an enjoyable event. That undertaking is a huge task but he some how pulled all together to create a wonderful experience. I mean, we even had Jay Riffe, present us with awards and Terry Mass talk about safety. Insane!
A huge “mahalo” to “Pop” Lai for all of his support and organizing skills. And to Uncle Mike Matthews of “Nzkoa Kona” for his generous kokua 2nd never ending support. I really enjoyed this particular spearfishing competition. For all of the fun I had, the big stringers, but mostly seeing the family support from the McGuire’s, Life’s, Lai’s, etc., it reminded me of the times I spent with my dad.
If you have never competed in or dive in the Fresh waters, I highly recommend it! There are lots of fish and the people involved are truly some of the best!
Mahalo KeAkuu,
Bruce
