Gaffing strategies

[Carla Dee]

I know that many of you use a harpoon... and now I understand why. We lost a nice fish (approx 100lbs) last weekend on the gaff. Gaffed the fish, he thrashed off, gaffed him again, he thrashed off again, and then the hook pulled. I would love to hear your strategies on bringing fish on the boat.

[Captain Ollie]

BUY A HARPOON!!!! OR TWO!!!! THROW THE GAFFS OVER THE SIDE!!!! I have two harpoons an 8 foot and a 12 foot they are both loaded and ready to kill before a bait even touches the water. I'd also get one of those "meathook" style handgaffs. That's about the only gaff I ever use, and only to help pull them over the side. In case they are to big I use a boat trailer winch to crank them over the side. Then again the water line is three feet from the tops of my gunnels. No transom door either. Anything over 150 gets to be a bit much for me and the other guy I fish with to get over the side without risking a hernia.

[Boboe]

Step 1: Stick the gaff in his eye.
Step 2: Second gaff shot hits him in the head as well.
Step 3: Man up and haul his fishy ass into the boat.
Step 4: Know that gaffing takes more skill than harpooning and realize your superiority to pooners.

[catching]

If you are trying to release fish get a tail rope gaff

All gaff shots in the head or right under the dorsal fin, never in the body gaffs will rip out on green fish.

I agree you do not need a winch for 300 and under if you have a three man crew

[LHPfish]

To the dome.

[greg1]

CD, I wish we had video of the struggle. I'd like to see again in slow motion what really went wrong.

Maybe next time I/we just gaff with an attitude. I was a little afraid of a green fish in the boat. I could see the 30's down in the holders getting snapped in half.

I still think the first shot was decent. Just wasn't expecting the reaction.

[GENERALturtle.]

Harpoon is the WTG. Anything over 150# gets the dart.

Anything under 100 in my opinion should be leadered to the boat and billed.

[Broadbill]

Exactly, those size fish are usually easy to bill. Bigger ones hit with a flyer or a harpoon. That way they are on their last legs and not in your boat tearing s#%t up, they are on a rope where you can control them. I think a harpoon is truly the way to go for these fish.

[Relentless33]

:stup AGREED The best visual I have in my mind of anything ever is from Friday night when we sunk the poon in 'em. The puncture and the blood cloud in the water. GOTTA LOVE IT !!!!!!!! hb

[Boboe]

Gaffing is more fun. You stick it in his head and turn his direction. "Come here!" That's a lot better than pretending to be Quequeg and then having to haul him in on a rope

I've got a great VHS of us commercial rod-and-reel fishing for yellowfins in the north Gulf from about 3 years ago. The gaff shots are probably the best part.

[LIGHTINING STRYKER]

tunas don"t have a 6ft sword on there head.up to 125 we bill after that it"s the dart or a flyer.when gaffing the point of the gaff should be pointed away from the boat.

[Broadbill]

Good luck with that Boboe. One night your going to stick that gaff in the wrong fish and it's going to turn you and your little hook into a big circus pretzel, then you really will be a clown!!!!!

[greg1]

Thanks for all the tips so far. This is good stuff.

I've gaffed over a half dozen 100+ lb yellowfin and even one that was about 140lb and never had one go nuts like that sword did. I did gaff an 80lb YF in the tail one time and that was a mistake.

Our sword looked tired when he came to the boat and I was expecting it to be like a tuna. Stick and lift. Not so. This sword leveraged it's bill against the gaff handle and rolled off the point while it was thrashing (don't think it did it on purpose, but that's what ended up happening).

Maybe we need to look into a dart. How much do harpoon set-ups run these days?

We do have a flyer, but it's pretty massive.

[Relentless33]

Harpoon is perfect out there, any quality tackle shop near you should have one. Try to get the nicest one you can

[Sword Hunter]

Ushaly I remove the weight light and hold the leader while george sticks the fish in the head with the 8 ft aftco. Then I hop on the bill and gill holding on for dear life and pull the fish in. Once in the boat they ushaly get stuck in the cockpit or between the gunnel wall and the consil the small ones can be paralized by holding the bill and bending the fish as much as possable like a full nelson. The big ones are to strong for that and they seem to get crammed into the boat if all else fails everyone jump on it one on bill, body and tail. If its smaller than 100lbs i ushaly bill the fish. Anything over 70" is a big one. George got a big one the last night 71".

[catching]

SH,

Great way to describe a fish coming in kicking, we do the same thing after that one went nuts on us. It shattered it's bill on the chair post and that was a small fish. Could just imagine what that could have done to your leg :shock:

Still need to get a big girl to the boat.

[quack quack]

On a big fish that you can not hold the bill on put on a tail rope and drag it around a little. Much safer for all involved

[Tuna Devil]

I prefer the 4 inch slap gaff with the wrist rope around my neck. :cyclops: :roflmao:

[catching]

still need to get a poon, but if the fish is big enough to keep, leadered up gaffed in the head, second guy gets rope on tail, flopped on the deck, wait for it to stop twitching, then Hi fives and

[quack quack]

Catching; on a big fish be careful about putting it on deck to soon