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To Gaff or not to Gaff
- Thread starter Raggieman
- Start date
leonard williams
Senior Member
i never gaff fish when im fishing on the coast cos im too lazy to carry it.haha,but when i go transkei i take the gaff ,only use it when im going to land a big shark off a steep ledge.and off the ski i have a mini scope gaff which you have to use cos its difficult when you by yourself to boat that fish.but it doesnt hurt the fish cos its cold blooded and doesnt feel the pain.
leonard williams wrote:
Please explain cos it cold blooded it does not feel pain….
i never gaff fish when im fishing on the coast cos im too lazy to carry it.haha,but when i go transkei i take the gaff ,only use it when im going to land a big shark off a steep ledge.and off the ski i have a mini scope gaff which you have to use cos its difficult when you by yourself to boat that fish.but it doesnt hurt the fish cos its cold blooded and doesnt feel the pain.
Please explain cos it cold blooded it does not feel pain….
Guys there are two big problems with gaffing.
1. 90% of the people out there have no clue how to do it properly!
2. The guys bring frikken marlin gaffs onto the beach!!
The first point can only be changed through education, the second is choice. In the Cape we have been experimenting with 12/0 tuna hooks......they work like a charm. They are so small and sharp that they penetrate with no effort and because of their size they do very little damage. They are also incredibly strong and i've yet to see one fail, even on huge fish.
The bottom line is that there is a time and a place for everything. And its your responsibility as a conservation minded angler to decide what measures are necessary to land a specific fish in a specific spot!!
1. 90% of the people out there have no clue how to do it properly!
2. The guys bring frikken marlin gaffs onto the beach!!
The first point can only be changed through education, the second is choice. In the Cape we have been experimenting with 12/0 tuna hooks......they work like a charm. They are so small and sharp that they penetrate with no effort and because of their size they do very little damage. They are also incredibly strong and i've yet to see one fail, even on huge fish.
The bottom line is that there is a time and a place for everything. And its your responsibility as a conservation minded angler to decide what measures are necessary to land a specific fish in a specific spot!!
leonard williams
Senior Member
howsit ashen,im not to sure bru i did science not biology,but i know that cold blooded mammals dont feel pain.they have a nervous system ofcourse so thats whats bugging me cos then they have feelings.reef posted a nice topic check it out.
Hi Noweeds
Thanks for the info on Hamburg - very helpful if it wasn't for the weather - Wind rain and freezing conditions
I agree - a lot ppl that use gaffs don't know how to use them and end up causing the fish more harm or even death.
The problem in not using a gaff is that the person who goes to land the Raggie by its tail stands a greater chance of been bitten if he is not careful.
each one has its pro's and cons - but i am interested to hear in your experiments with a tuna hook
Thanks for the info on Hamburg - very helpful if it wasn't for the weather - Wind rain and freezing conditions
I agree - a lot ppl that use gaffs don't know how to use them and end up causing the fish more harm or even death.
The problem in not using a gaff is that the person who goes to land the Raggie by its tail stands a greater chance of been bitten if he is not careful.
each one has its pro's and cons - but i am interested to hear in your experiments with a tuna hook
I know all about what happens if you don't know what you are doing or loose conxentration when grabbing a shark. My boet got into serious shit and was badly bitten by a 180kilo + raggie a few years back, lucky he didn't go sleep with the fishes!!!!!! But all that aside i still believe that a gaff should be used correctly as a last resort.......