Gaffing Ettiquette
 

With so many new members on the board lately, I think it would be beneficial to go over the proper etiquette for gaffing a fish. Gaffing a fish is not just a way of securing your prize; it is an age-old tradition that has been going on for centuries. Every sport has its traditions that are included in each event. While not exactly necessary, the roots of these traditions are as important to the sports as any other aspect. Some examples of these traditions are: boxers touching gloves, the seventh inning stretch, and the pseudo-attempts at gaffing. The proper and most polite way to gaff a fish is to take three wild swings at it before actually gaffing it. The first three swings are mostly tradition, and they are mainly used to make the fish feel like it has a “sporting” chance. It is generally accepted that on the fourth attempt, you can actually gaff the fish, but some chose to take more attempts. Hopefully this bit of history provides some insight to new and old members, so that you can more fully enjoy this sport that we all love so much.
:farmer:

On a side note, I went out of Dana yesterday. Weather was lovely.:cool: I caught 3 fish in about 10 minutes, and did not get a bite for the next three hours. :doh: Thanks Steve (Forefrazier) for the OTW shot.

14 Lbs :cheers1:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...r/PC200018.jpg

5 lbs. Thick, But Too Short :(
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...r/PC200021.jpg

The Calico that though it was a Halibut
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...r/PC200027.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...r/PC200025.jpg

The video:biggrinjester:

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gaf shot
 

lmao.
great vid footage of gaf shot w/ overhead angle.
first time i gaffed a butt on a yak it was a little green and almost pulled me over the side.

Excellent work! Well deserved after all the time you have put in there lately.That video is fantastic!

I am surprised he didnt come unbuttoned after gaff attempt 2...

I am getting back out there soon :reel: I have to get a new battery for my BT first.mine only goes a few hours now and used to go 2 days.

Love the video
not often you will 4 chances at gaffing a butt :eek:
way to eventually pull it off !!

I was waiting for you to miss "braining" it and stab your leg...........good stuff:luxhello: Nice Fox news chopper footage

Ha! Its hard to tell, but I was using the butt end of the knife, but I do not doubt my ability to stab myself. It never really went nuts when I got it on board- Probably because it had bled out from being poked like a pin cushion so many times:rolleyes:

Awesome video Stevoooo. Thanks for the history lesson also :sifone:

:argh: MY FRICKIN' FOOT!! I was thinking the same thing Andy. I also thought that was a port-a-potty vent tube :D.. Until I saw the video.

Nice work brother! Show us how it's done. :you_rock:

Wow...the overhead angle really does your story more justice than the OTW angle I had at a distance. Brave man for posting the full version and not just the "Director's Cut" :D

Way to go on bringing home some Christmas Dinner :eating: and nice fishing with you.

love that camera angle...

as for the gaffing:doh::doh::doh::luxhello:

I was waiting for the narration to begin with Maxwell Smart saying...
"Missed it by that much"


good god man...the suspense was killing me....
glad you won in the end!!!!!:you_rock:

Awesome video!
 

I know what I'm getting you for Christmas, a sharpening file and steel-toe shoes :D.

Great story and sense of humor! Loved the vid...

Been there, done that! :)

Not to worry. The first couple of gaff shots are just to tenderize the meat.

Thanks for the great laugh, and awesome sense of humor Steve! I would never have admitted that sequence in public!:o And as before, I think you may have a bright future in Kayak fishing videography! We should get you hooked up (no pun intended) with Big Water Jon and get some cool video of you two on the BIG fish!:rolleyes:

Congrats Brother!:luxhello::you_rock:

That was a good idea putting the camera up high like that. Congrats on the hali!

I was waiting for the "Spear It" technique to show up. :)

Good Job on the Hali.
-------------------
Is that a New Adventure you are sporting ? It looks well equipped.

Meat!

Well you sure can't doubt your hook placement being awesome!!:D Nice job Steveooooo

In defense of my equipment, my gaff is still extremely sharp (probably from non-use).
Here is the gaff
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...r/P1010006.jpg

Here is the handle of the knife that I used to “gently” calm my fish. It is soft and comfy rubber. Maybe not the best tool for the job. I probably should invest in a little Louisville Slugger .
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...r/P1010007.jpg

How I ever land a fish is a mystery to me. Dumb luck is my biggest tool OTW. In my defense, this was only my second legal halibut, and the first I have ever gaffed. It turns out that they have very boney noggins, and an even harder gill plate. In my mind, I wanted a head-shot to save the meat. Next time I’ll just jump in the water and wrestle the damn thing. That’ll be the best video yet….

Nice Hali
 

Nice work. That video is sweet! I have sat out there 3 hours without a bite too ;).

Haha! Funny video, at least you didn't do the overhand tomahawk swing at that hali! :D

chris

Short tool
 

I never understood why they want to sell yakers such short gaffs. If you had a longer reach, your video might not have been so enjoyable! I heard for halibut, go for the gut. Is this good strategy? I just gut gaffed a 32 incher in SD bay and he was pretty subdued after that. One swing and it was over.

in the gut right behind the gill plate...
kinda paralizes 'em...
that has been my experience...

Nice video, it brings back memories of hitting big halibuts with the wrong side of the gaff and pissing them off before they break off. My first big one on a kayak was 42'' and I gaffed it by the eye socket on the under side and he went ape sh-t on me, I thought to myself on crap what did I just do? and as I was setting there with this monster on my gaff I remembered that I forgot my game clip and all I had was a game bag to try to stuff this thing into. Lucky for me I got help stuffing it into the bag from another guy that just finished landing his. Lesson Learned

That's got to be about the worlds most unlucky halibut.
Mike

Nice catch.
I'd like to see more of that video mount.

A great video.