Review of the Danielson halibut harpoon

I like do-it yourself projects, and was thinking of making a halibut harpoon. However, I was discouraged by the expense of spearfishing slip tips, which cost $70-$120 without the shaft.  Then I heard about the Danielson halibut harpoon, which was available from Amazon for $35 with free shipping.  It was difficult to see the details and dimensions of the harpoon in the pictures on the internet, but the price was right, so I ordered one.

When the harpoon arrived and I pulled it out of its box, I though “Holy cow, this isn’t a halibut harpoon, it’s a whale harpoon!  Or an elephant harpoon!”  Here are pictures of the head and shaft of the harpoon:





The slip tip is 7.75” (19.5 cm) long and .5” (12 mm) in diameter. It was manufactured pretty dull.  It fits on a metal shaft which is 3/8” in diameter.  A rubber “O” ring on the tip of the shaft does a good job of holding the slip tip on the shaft.  There is 10.75” (27.5 cm) of metal shaft behind the slip tip.  The wooden shaft is 1 1/8” (27mm) in diameter and 4.5’ long.  My harpoon is 6’ long overall, but Danielson also makes a 5’ harpoon.  If you drop the harpoon in the water it’ll sink, whether or not the tip is on the shaft.

The good news is that with relatively little work you could have an inexpensive and adequate halibut harpoon.  You’d need to sharpen the tip, tie on a rope and a buoy, saw about a foot off the shaft, and add some kind of flotation to the shaft so the harpoon won’t sink if you drop it.  The rubber O-ring does a good job of gently retaining the slip tip, so you won’t need to worry about the slip tip falling off the shaft at an inconvenient moment.  And the shaft is sufficiently thick that a fish is unlikely to bend it before you can pull it back out.

The bad news is as follows:

1.   The slip-tip is half an inch thick, which means that it’ll take a lot of force to jam the tip through a fish.  The slip tip is retained by a loop of cable connected with two ferules.  This is a fairly high-drag arrangement which adds to the force which will be required to stuff the tip through a fish.  Spearfishing slip tips have retention cables or spectra retention lines which are attached to the slip tip in much sleeker and lower-resistance ways.

2.   The slip tip is 7.75” long.  This is way longer than spearfishing slip tips, which are typically around 4.5” long.  In order to ensure that the slip tip will toggle sideways, you need to stick it all of the way through the fish.  This means that you should try to thrust the shaft of the harpoon into the fish all of the way to the wooden shaft. 

3.   The slip tip doesn’t have a tab on its butt end to help slide the tip off the shaft as you withdraw the shaft from the fish, and to encourage the slip tip to tip over in the correct direction to toggle at right angles to the spear hole.  Take a look at pictures of slip tips on the internet to see what I’m talking about.  If you have access to welding or silver soldering equipment, it would be easy to make a stainless steel tab and weld it to the butt end of the slip tip.

4.   The harpoon will sink like a rock unless you add flotation to it.

The bottom line is that this harpoon is probably better suited to stabbing really big halibut from a motor boat than it is to poking 40-100 pound halibut from a kayak, but it provides an inexpensive and easy way to develop an adequate harpoon set-up for use in a kayak.

However, the harpoon has enough shortcomings that I’m considering making an entire harpoon from scratch, including the slip tip.  If I do it, I’ll post the details.

I use the same one that I chopped down the handle on.  Many of the problems you mention aren't problems. 

It is uber easy to poke a fish with it...no problems with entry or tip release.

You don't have to be a Roman soldier to stick it in a but.....it takes a lot less force than you think it will to harpoon the fish.

Mine came with o-ring.  Make sure you put some crisco or silicon grease on it to keep from sticking.

Hold your arm with harpoon like you are getting ready to deploy it.....mark the spot where the tip is....now, thrust the harpoon like you are stabbing the fish....how far did the tip move?  probably much farther than the tip is long. if not, get a hacksaw after it

You can wrap part of a pool noodle around it or tie a float to it to keep it from sinking.

Had mine for several seasons with no issues

I use the same one that I chopped down the handle on.  Many of the problems you mention aren't problems. 

It is uber easy to poke a fish with it...no problems with entry or tip release.

You don't have to be a Roman soldier to stick it in a but.....it takes a lot less force than you think it will to harpoon the fish.

Mine came with o-ring.  Make sure you put some crisco or silicon grease on it to keep from sticking.

Hold your arm with harpoon like you are getting ready to deploy it.....mark the spot where the tip is....now, thrust the harpoon like you are stabbing the fish....how far did the tip move?  probably much farther than the tip is long. if not, get a hacksaw after it

You can wrap part of a pool noodle around it or tie a float to it to keep it from sinking.

Had mine for several seasons with no issues

+1  I purchased the same harpoon.  6 feet is nowhere near too long, just choke up on the handle.  Halibut Bellies are soft and easy to penetrate. The ONLY work that harpoon needs is a pool noodle or other float around the handle.

If you're going to list off things as facts, where other inexperienced people may read them and act on them, please make sure they know you haven't actually harpooned or gaffed a halibut from your kayak before, and that what you've written, is just your opinion.

I'm a spearfisherman.  I haven't harpooned a halibut yet, but am looking forward to harpooning some.  It's great to hear from Kenai_Guy and Lee that the Danielson halibut harpoon works fine with minimal additions and improvements, such as sharpening the tip, because it offers a really inexpensive way to get a harpoon setup.

However, based on my spearfishing experience, it appears to me that a harpoon which has a slip tip which is lower diameter, shorter, and has a more streamlined cable system would work better than the Danielson harpoon.  So I'm considering making a harpoon from scratch, rather than using my Danielson harpoon.  But this is partly because I like do-it-yourself projects, and making a halibut harpoon looks like a project with high entertainment value.

Along the lines of Pmpete. I took an old driver from my golf bag and cut the graphite shaft out.  A few layers of clear coat and epoxy and I think its ready.  I will say it seems awful light.  But I am always amazed how easily the harpoon goes through the fish...if you miss the bones.  I'll try it out this year. 

Even my commercially bought harpoon on closer inspection is a painters pole with a modified tip.

I am sure you can get just the tips online.  They sell them here in the stores.
http://www.amazon.com/Danielson-Harpoon-Halibut-Bullet-Tip/dp/B006L12ASM 

The Danielson is $30, and works.  DIY projects can turn out to be pretty fun though.

The Danielson is $30, and works.  DIY projects can turn out to be pretty fun though.

The pole AND tip both are $30???  I pay that much for just the tip.  Sounds like a steal to me. 

Yep, the whole thing.  All you need is a bouy and some 550 cord.

Just curious do you guys leave the safety tip on when punching through the surf (coming in and out)?

Just curious do you guys leave the safety tip on when punching through the surf (coming in and out)?

I don't recall the danielson coming with one.  I made a safety cover for my shark hook last year.  If you keep the harpoon in a vertical rod tube, probably no need for a safety tip.

An uncovered spear tip can make nasty holes in vehicle upholstery, body parts, and anything else in the area.  Here’s the kind of tip protector I use on my speargun spears when transporting them.  The piece of cord is just to make the tip protector more visible, so I don’t lose it. 

I got a Danielson harpoon a couple of years ago "just in case" for GS6. Unfortunately it is still a virgin to poke a hali.

I took a crab float, and it fits perfectly over the end of the spear and the inside of the styrafoam seats snugly on the handle until deployed. There is just enough tension it holds well, then it just pulls right off by the cord. It works good as a buoyancy float too (until it is deployed and youjust have the handle in hand). I just keep it bungeed on the side of the kayak with the paddle keeper.

Mine came with the piece of vinyl tubing just as pmmpete is showing minus the (parachord)

The Danielson is $30, and works.  DIY projects can turn out to be pretty fun though.

The pole AND tip both are $30???  I pay that much for just the tip.  Sounds like a steal to me.

I got mine at Sportsmans Warehouse for $24.95

Don't over think it people!!!  It's just a sharp stick with a breakaway tip and some string. 

Spearfishing gear is setup differently because as soon as you pull the trigger everything starts slowing down.  Harpoon stays in your hand the whole time until you pull it out to release the tip.