What size gaff hook?

[King Saba]

I'm thinking to make a gaff, and I'm going back and forth between the sizes. Is a 3" or a 4" better for most applications? Thanks.

[skrilla]

Depends what you're going after. 2 1/2" is my most requested size from yakers to the local sport boats. Will work for mostly everything that swims in our local waters. Anything bigger than 3" is usually requested from the long range boats going after cows and other bigger game.

[King Saba]

Thanks Skrilla. Yellowtail, WSB, Halibut. The usual local suspects really.

[skrilla]

For tanker WSB and big 'buts I go with at least 2 1/2" to 3".

[King Saba]

Greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

[taggermike]

Since I have a habit of losing, loaning, and giving away gaffs I've made quite a few. The 2.5 gets plenty of bite on the fish we get locally. I've used 3 and 4 inchers on friends boats and thought they were too big. Mike

[Mr. NiceGuy]

I bought another gaff hook today myself and I have some questions:


What is a 2", 2.5", 3" ... etc.? I assume you are measuring the opening?

Gaff hooks come as 1, 2, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 .... etc. They also come with longer or shorter shank lengths, and thinner or thicker diameter rod.

The hook I bought at Squidco today for $6 says 2/0. It has a 2 1/2" gap between the point of the hook and the shaft. I bought the longer shank for a total length of 8". It looks like the first photo below.

I would also like to know the importance of the bend at the beginning of the hook that determines the angle of the point relative to the wood shaft we are mounting the hook on.



The first hook looks like it's about 20-25 degrees out from the shaft. The second hook looks like it's about 45 degrees.

Anyone know if there is a functional difference?

---

A few more ideas I've learned from making a few gaffs:

If you want to wrap your handles, #550 paracord from Amazon Prime is $8.59 for 100'
http://www.amazon.com/Paracord-Plane...s=paracord+550

The starting wrap is easy to overlap the tag end. Here's a way to finish off the other tag end with a reverse wrap loop that gets the second tag end about 5 wraps deep:
http://www.ifish.net/board/showthrea...ht=gaff+bamboo

Wrap it tight, push the wraps together, then twist it in the direction of the wrap to cinch it down tight. Saturate the cord with Marine Varnish (better grip) or clear epoxy (stronger but loses texture and looks more like a gel coat)

Personally, I like a simple straight wrap at the hook end, and a half-hitch spiral wrap at the handling end. If the wood is old, gnarly, shapely and/or ornamental, it might look better without the paracord wrap.

Adapting your handle from an old hardwood shovel handle looks great. If it looks too bulky at the hook end, shave it down on a belt sander to a proportion you like. A strong hiking stick with a root ball knob on the end would look cool but it might not fit in a rod holder. I keep my gaff in the first rod holder behind me on my right, so that's a diameter limitation for the knob, club or butt cap end of your design. There are all kinds of strong wood poles from yesteryear available at yard sales that look great and have the patina of age.

Finish with several coats of Marine Varnish. I use McCloskey gloss.

[King Saba]

Originally Posted by taggermike

Since I have a habit of losing, loaning, and giving away gaffs I've made quite a few. The 2.5 gets plenty of bite on the fish we get locally. I've used 3 and 4 inchers on friends boats and thought they were too big. Mike

Hmmm... so maybe 3" max then. I can't catch big fish yet, YET!

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

I bought another gaff hook today myself and I have some questions:


What is a 2", 2.5", 3" ... etc.? I assume you are measuring the opening?

Gaff hooks come as 1, 2, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 .... etc. They also come with longer or shorter shank lengths, and thinner or thicker diameter rod.

The hook I bought at Squidco today for $6 says 2/0. It has a 2 1/2" gap between the point of the hook and the shaft. I bought the longer shank for a total length of 8". It looks like the first photo below.

I would also like to know the importance of the bend at the beginning of the hook that determines the angle of the point relative to the wood shaft we are mounting the hook on.



The first hook looks like it's about 20-25 degrees out from the shaft. The second hook looks like it's about 45 degrees.

Anyone know if there is a functional difference?

---

A few more ideas I've learned from making a few gaffs:

If you want to wrap your handles, #550 paracord from Amazon Prime is $8.59 for 100'
http://www.amazon.com/Paracord-Plane...s=paracord+550

The starting wrap is easy to overlap the tag end. Here's a way to finish off the other tag end with a reverse wrap loop that gets the second tag end about 5 wraps deep:
http://www.ifish.net/board/showthrea...ht=gaff+bamboo

Wrap it tight, push the wraps together, then twist it in the direction of the wrap to cinch it down tight. Saturate the cord with Marine Varnish (better grip) or clear epoxy (stronger but loses texture and looks more like a gel coat)

Personally, I like a simple straight wrap at the hook end, and a half-hitch spiral wrap at the handling end. If the wood is old, gnarly, shapely and/or ornamental, it might look better without the paracord wrap.

Adapting your handle from an old hardwood shovel handle looks great. If it looks too bulky at the hook end, shave it down on a belt sander to a proportion you like. A strong hiking stick with a root ball knob on the end would look cool but it might not fit in a rod holder. I keep my gaff in the first rod holder behind me on my right, so that's a diameter limitation for the knob, club or butt cap end of your design. There are all kinds of strong wood poles from yesteryear available at yard sales that look great and have the patina of age.

Finish with several coats of Marine Varnish. I use McCloskey gloss.

Geez. You're awesome dude thanks for all this. I figured making one that floats would be more worthwhile in the long run vs. buying a premade one with a all metal construction.

For the hook angle, I'd say a 20-25 degree one would be better considering that you'd probably have an easier time sweeping or pulling a gaff into the fish versus hacking it with the 45.

[skrilla]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

I bought another gaff hook today myself and I have some questions:

What is a 2", 2.5", 3" ... etc.? What are you measuring?

Gaff hooks come as 1, 2, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 .... etc. They also come with longer or shorter shank lengths, and thinner or thicker diameter rod.

Most guys can't translate aught sizing so I just say the gap distance in inches. Also it seems aught sizes are inconsistent between different brands.

The hook I bought at Squidco today for $6 says 2/0. It has a 2 1/2" gap between the point of the hook and the shaft. I bought the longer shank for a total length of 7". It looks like the first photo below.

I would also like to know the importance of the bend at the beginning of the hook that determines the angle of the point relative to the wood shaft we are mounting the hook on.



The first hook looks like it's about 20-25 degrees out from the shaft. The second hook looks like it's about 45 degrees.

Anyone know if there is a functional difference?

1st hook mounts outside the shaft and the 2nd one mounts inside. Angle might be bent in a way that it best penetrates the fish in relation to it's position. This is pure speculation of course.

---
A few more ideas I've learned from making a few gaffs:

If you want to wrap your handles, #550 paracord from Amazon Prime is $8.59 for 100'
http://www.amazon.com/Paracord-Plane...s=paracord+550

The starting wrap is easy to overlap the tag end. Here's a way to finish off the other tag end with a reverse wrap loop that gets the second tag end about 5 wraps deep:
http://www.ifish.net/board/showthrea...ht=gaff+bamboo

Wrap it tight, push the wraps together, then twist it in the direction of the wrap to cinch it down tight. Saturate the cord with Marine Varnish (better grip) or clear epoxy (stronger but loses texture and looks more like a gel coat)

Personally, I like a simple straight wrap at the hook end, and a half-hitch spiral wrap at the handling end. If the wood is old, gnarly, shapely and/or ornamental, it might look better without the paracord wrap.

Adapting your handle from an old hardwood shovel handle looks great. If it looks too bulky at the hook end, shave it down to a proportion you like. A strong hiking stick with a root ball knob on the end would look cool but it might not fit in a rod holder. I keep my gaff in the first rod holder behind me on my right, so that's a diameter limitation for the knob, club or butt cap end of your design. There are all kinds of strong wood poles from yesteryear available at yard sales that look great and have the patina of age.

Finish with several coats of Marine Varnish. I like McCloskey gloss.

Those are some good tips. Gaffs are pretty hard to screw up. At the same time it's pretty easy to draw first blood on yourself when building.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by King Saba

Hmmm... so maybe 3" max then. I can't catch big fish yet, YET!



I figured making one that floats would be more worthwhile in the long run vs. buying a premade one with a all metal construction.

That's why I like wood and paracord. The more things on a kayak that float, the better. Good wood is strong and it's a lot more beautiful. It can be art, as well as a gaff. Much more so than aluminum tubing from China.

If you plan to target large halibut, consider a shape that doubles as a club.

Last week I lost a large halibut by Zuniga Point because I tried to gaff it in the shoulders with my 2 1/2" gaff. I learned the hard way about halibut going berserk with a dangerous amount of strength. Since then I've learned that larger halibut should be gaffed in the stomach to stun them, then the game clip, some people club the snot out of their stone-like head to subdue them, then pop a gill until they bleed out and prepare to become table fare. Once they are dead, then it's safe to bring them on-board a kayak.

A stomach shot with the gaff might be an argument in favor of a larger hook. I can not speak from experience, so take that suggestion with a grain of salt.