Shopper Could it be used for small (compared to ocean sized fish) fish in lakes? and is it noisy compared to other models?
MICHAEL L I would buy the JBL 38 special for lake fish (and you can use it in the ocean). The xhd gun is heavy, loud, and akward. I love my 38, but the xhd was not the best buy. It is like buying a desert eagle 50 caliber handgun. In retrospect I would rather use a 9mm and just aim better!! I really like Andre guns, but they are more expensive. If you are dead set on the xhd, I will sell you mine for $200 with some extra bands. It is a powerful gun... firefighterlamure@yahoo.com Good luck spearing, it is a blast!
DANIEL H I have used it to shoot smaller fish. It is not very noisy and because of its size it's very easy to reload.
RICHARD H My opinion is it would be to large for small fish.
JAMES G I have worn out three of these JBL guns in 35 years of Gulf rig diving. It makes about a 1in hole in the fish so I would not shoot anything below 10 pounds. This gun is very powerful and requires a lot of maintenance like broken shafts, slides and cables. It also requires a lot of personnel energy loading all three bans, is more suited for 25 pound and above fish.
DON D "I have used it on a spring fed lake in Texas shooting tilapia - really though it is kinda overkill for freshwater fish. Tilapia have very hard scales and thats why i gave it a try with them - worked great, little cumbersome in fresh water compared to open ocean. And i don't detect a noticeable difference in sound from this gun to the many other brands i own."
DON D I have used it on a spring fed lake in Texas shooting tilapia - really though it is kinda overkill for freshwater fish. Tilapia have very hard scales and thats why i gave it a try with them - worked great, little cumbersome in fresh water compared to open ocean. And i don't detect a noticeable difference in sound from this gun to the many other brands i own.
KATHRYN E This is a rather powerful speargun and makes a decent sized hole in the fish so I would not suggest it for lake fish. Strictly for larger ocean fish. I upgraded to this one from a smaller one because it is better for larger fish.