Gaffing halibut

I'm newbie on gaffing.
You may be able to learn by referring my stupid gaff action.

I learned something and put on the video but any additional tips and comments for gaffing would be welcome.

Man, I miss the days of concise write-ups supported with a couple good pictures. This clickbait-y stuff really pales in comparison.

 

I was looking for gaffs in Amazon... now I get pop up ads for fake male cameltoes.  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gaff&ref=is_s
Now THAT is clickbait.   

I was looking for gaffs in Amazon... now I get pop up ads for fake male cameltoes.  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gaff&ref=is_s
Now THAT is clickbait.   

ah crap I clicked on the link so now my browser history will cannot unsee it 

Man, I miss the days of concise write-ups supported with a couple good pictures. This clickbait-y stuff really pales in comparison.

Thanks for the warning. I'm glad I scrolled ahead...

Man, I miss the days of concise write-ups supported with a couple good pictures. This clickbait-y stuff really pales in comparison.

Stay tuned, things'll get back on track and you will be one satisfied NCKA'r...

You are lucky my friend! I lost two good fish to gaff back to back. Neither fish gave me a second chance. 

There are a number of very experienced halibut anglers who are or were members of the Northwest Kayak Angler's Forum, such as kardinal_84, who use a harpoon with a buoy attached to it to secure large halibut.  They pull the halibut to the surface, harpoon it, let it wear itself out by dragging the buoy underwater, and when the halibut is tired, they stab or gill it when it's in the water. There are extensive discussions of halibut harpoon technique on the NWKA forum, such as at https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=7725.msg82500#msg82500.  And there are a lot of Youtube videos which show halibut harpoons in action. But I don't know whether it is legal to use a harpoon on halibut in California.

They are harpooning much larger halibut than are in the bay area. If you have a heavy thick gaff with a commercial type hook used to gaff salmon and you drive the point all the way through the head, not body, it stuns the fish for a moment and allows a lift into the yak followed by several sharp conks to the brain area. Gill cut and string or bag. They will have reflexive jumping action afterward but are now secured.

There are a number of very experienced halibut anglers who are or were members of the Northwest Kayak Angler's Forum, such as kardinal_84, who use a harpoon with a buoy attached to it to secure large halibut.  They pull the halibut to the surface, harpoon it, let it wear itself out by dragging the buoy underwater, and when the halibut is tired, they stab or gill it when it's in the water. There are extensive discussions of halibut harpoon technique on the NWKA forum, such as at https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=7725.msg82500#msg82500.  And there are a lot of Youtube videos which show halibut harpoons in action. But I don't know whether it is legal to use a harpoon on halibut in California.

They are different species.  And yes it’s legal to use that setup in California with a wiremans gaff or tarpon hook.  Whether or not you can use the slip tip gaff in California on anything other than pacific halibut, sharks, skates and rays is something of an open question.

Thanks for the lesson!. I used a gaff for the first time not too long ago too, and got it more in the upper middle of the body. I though it would require quite a bit of force, but it went in like butter. Glad I focused more on location than a lot of power. It got really stunned too, so bringing it into the boat was no drama.

Gaffing halibut in the belly tends to have a "stun" effect as well.  Just be sure to get a couple of bonks to the head done before setting the fish on the deck or chaos will ensue. 

Tight lines!

Norm

haha, "chaos will ensue". I experienced that first hand too as my fish played dead then decided to leave

Gaffing halibut in the belly tends to have a "stun" effect as well.  Just be sure to get a couple of bonks to the head done before setting the fish on the deck or chaos will ensue. 

Tight lines!

Norm

I find that the halibut wont move at all while the gaff is in the fish. I like to get the fish on the hoop stringer while the gaff is still in, slide the fish overboard when on the stringer then remove the gaff and cut the gills. If you can accomplish this the fish will rarely ever go wild and flop all over the place.

I find that the halibut wont move at all while the gaff is in the fish. I like to get the fish on the hoop stringer while the gaff is still in, slide the fish overboard when on the stringer then remove the gaff and cut the gills. If you can accomplish this the fish will rarely ever go wild and flop all over the place.

I agree, except for a very large fish, well over 20 lbs., that i lost last year when it was hanging on the gaff and i made the mistake of letting the tail bend on the deck of my PA-14 because i couldn't hold it high enough to keep it completely off the deck while i dispatched it.
 The fish then used the deck as a leverage point to push itself up quickly, freeing itself from the gaff, and going back into the drink.  I was very sad that i had stuck the fish before it got away, and probably later died, but i'm sure something ate it...just wish it had been me doing the eating.  Now i leave the tail in the water while the fish is hanging on the gaff, bonk them a few times, clip them, then bring them into the boat.  Lesson learned...