World Freshwater Spearfishing Champs
The journey to Las Vegas and the First World Spearfishing Champs started for the New Zealand team in 2014. Darren Shields and myself returned home from the CMAS World Spearfishing Champs in Peru, we were Co Managers for the NZ Team.
We have both competed in numerous World Champs and International Comps around the world for more years than we both want to remember.
Once home from Peru we discussed organizing a Competitive Spearfishing trip somewhere different to challenge us in a completely different environment. About this time we heard about the USA Freshwater Championships to be held in Wyoming 2015.
It only took us about two seconds to decide to put together a team and compete ,so six months later we where at Keyhole Reservoir with a eight member strong team. We competed very well at that comp and where hooked on the Lake diving as well as had a fantastic trip meeting plenty of great people. So the seed was planted and as soon as we where home planning was underway to organize a team for the next years Championships in Arkansas.
This time we turned up with a ten strong team to dive in the International Competition on Beaver Lake. We achieved what we had travel for with Scotty and John winning the comp and two more teams in the top five.
So bring on Las Vegas and the first Worlds, we selected a smaller team this time to compete in as many devisions as possible. We had learnt a lot of valuable information about competing in freshwater on the last two trips and this proved invaluable. Scotty Mackerth towed his boat 20 hours from Missouri so we had a great boat to compete out off.
We all dived from Scotts boat scouting the competition area, it did not take
to long to workout the couple of good areas we would target on the days of the comp givng us more time for site seeing and checking out the Las Vegas region.
Unfortunately Darren was having problems getting over dose of the flue so was unable to dive so Scott, myself and Gemma ended up with a very experienced boat driver. The three of us dived from Scotts boat while Paul and Jordie hired a boat. We always new that day one
Stripey day would be difficult, we had seen plenty of them during scouting days but when the guns start going off they get very scarce. At the end of the day Scott weighted in 5 fish and myself 4, while Gemma was very dejected with no fish after a hard days diving. I managed to land the biggest Striper for the day diving a very dirty area.
Day Two Carp day Scott and myself came up with a plan for the day, we where pretty sure most of the competitors would dive the area of the lake close to the boat ramp, we decided to start at the far end of the area. Five minutes into the boat race from the start we where very pleased with our plan as there where only three boats heading
to the far end of the lake.
This made Darrens job a lot easier as he was able to keep a eye on where the other boats were diving, so we could dive fresh ground all day.
The first spot that Scotty, Gemma and myself dived produced
very few Carp, we started thinking maybe the master plan was not so good after all. But after that every move we made that day produced fish, so we all managed to accumulate a decent total.
It is so much fun to be able to spear unlimited Carp knowing they are a pest and there numbers need to be reduced, this is so different from Saltwater Competitions where most fish species are under real pressure from over fishing.
After the weight in Scotty and myself had a combined
total of 96 Carp giving us the overall Team Title, and Gemma 36 Carp cleaning up the Women’s Title, and myself the 3rd Individual. It was great teaming up with Scott even if he is nearly half my age we worked really well together which made our
strategies for the two days very easy.
Thanks to Mike and his team who made the event possible and run like clockwork. The scoring system was simple meaning the person who shot the most fish won, and it made the weight in very quick.
To anyone who has not tried Freshwater Spearfishing give it a go it is so much fun and you get to dive places you would never imagine diving. So for the New Zealand team it was a great outcome with Two World Champion titles, Gemma Women’s Champ, Scott and myself Teams Champs, Jordie Wilson 3rd Junior, and myself 3rd Individual.
See you all in New Zealand 2019,
Ian Warnock
