To Gaff or not to Gaff.

[walleye express]

Firstly, this topic is not intended to commend or chastise anybody who does or does not practice gaffing fish when ice fishing. As sometimes subjects like this as well as others like Catch and Release, can really raise the hairs on certain peoples necks. This is not my intention here and hope to keep this topic civil. :p

I see gaffing correlated directly with ones own historic success rate and just how much importance each person puts on icing some fish. That is, how each person own ice fishing prowess has progressed, and how he himself rates a successful trip afield. I do certainly see nothing wrong with it when that "Shiver on the River" winner is hanging poised at the hole, or if it's your full intention to keep all legal fish caught anyway. But some things morally, ethically and esthetically relative to this practice have always personally rubbed me the wrong way, when gaffing a fish for some reason. Call it disrespect for the fish, call it undo inflicted pain or simply unnecessary. This is just my own opinion and the (in my gut) way I feel about it. :SHOCKED:

Don't get me wrong, I carry a gaff as part of my equipment on all my personal and ice fishing charter trips. But make sure if I do gaff one, that it's in the mouth area of the fish, so there won't be a bloody mess to act as a magnet to every fisherman out there looking for a good spot. Or so the fish can be released if need be. But few things stop my 4 wheeler faster while moving along on the ice, than a big circle of blood near used or new cut ice holes. Then there's the mishaps that gaffing can cause, both to the fish and sometimes to yourself. These are caused most often by trying to gaff the fish to early in the fight anyway. I'd truly have to say, that I've lost very few fish these last few years because I decided not to gaff them. How about you? :chillin:

[Sib]

I've have a gaff, but haven't used it. Most the eyes I catch under the ice run under 24", so I usually just stick my hand in the water and gill them with my index finger. I tend to throw back more than the average bear, too and putting more hole in the fish doesn't seem to be the right thing to do. Of course, if I've got a 10 pounder at the hole, I'll use the gaff, but for most of my fishing the gaff just sits in the bucket.

[patcheroo]

I've always said that the best gaff ever invented was the hand. I wear light weight gloves and carry several pairs with me when one pair gets wet I put on a dry pair. When I get an 'eye to the top of the ice I either gill them or lip them the gloves help give me a good grip and I don't miss with the hand!...............Patch

[tommy-n]

I agree with patch, I personally perfer to pin the walleye head against the ice and lift it out if it's to large to just grab. Alot of walleye are lost at the ice due to attempts to gaff before the fish are ready, alot of times by people we don't even know

[The Whale]

I carry a gaff every time out. Yet to bring it into play. Of course, I've not had the winning fish in the hole yet either. Just may sway the outcome if/when it happens ! :rolleyes: :fish2: $1,000.00 fish, yeah, stick that sucker !!! :lol:

[flyrod4steelhead]

Me and my brother carry gaff's, but they hardly come outa the bucket's. Most 'eyes that I catch outa the river really don't warrant a gaff anyways lol. Last year I caught a 3-4# eye outa the river, but never used my gaff, just used my hand.

I'm sure that sooner or later it will come out for a "hog"

[jeremy L]

i use mine all the time, but thats mostly on browns and lake trout where they are legal during the winter.

[Fishfoote]

I carry one out - have only used it a few times. Depends on the size of the fish..

[MichiganMike5]

I Have a gaff and am ready to use it for anything that puts a healthy bend in the rod, however, I only gaff a fish in or under the mouth. I've been stuck pretty good by a hook popping out of the fish and into my hand more than once. Lesson learned.

[snakebit67]

guess i fall pretty much in line with everyone here. Two years ago I lost a beautiful eye because, I believe, I forgot my gaff. My buddy got excited, missed a clean grab, ended up knocking the fish off and a hook in his glove. Still and all, i have a hard time calling for it.

[salmonboy86]

I dont even own1. Personally if I get a walleye over 4 or 5 pounds not gonna keep it anyway. Only way I would gaffe is in the shiver.

[Splitshot]

I have a 12" stick with a #6 treble hook on the end and take it with me because I don't like to get my hand cold. I have been thinking how bocas would work? The blood, well I'm not squeamish so that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I am more worried about fish in the Saginaw River system having high levels of toxins. I have fished there a couple of times but just can't force myself to eat one from there.

[Tom22]

I never gaff a fish, always use bare hands..Last year during the shiver I caught the 12.885 # Eye..and a guy came in an hour later with one that weighed 12.75#, it also had a big gaff mark on its side with some blood running down the fish...Man was I glad he gaffed his fish......Tom

[ybone]

i carry a gaff with me to the hole. if the gator looks large enough, i'll gaff it but usually i don't. had to gaff a 34" last year only because he got foul hooked from being tangled in an old rig.

[JJ Mac]

The question to gaff or not gaff certainly is a catch 22. Usually the size fish you need to gaff is also the size you want to release. I have no desire to keep a 35 inch northern for example. If he gets off at the hole, oh well. I probably wouldn't feel the need to stick a walleye unless I was in a tournament or I thought I had the state record. A lot depends on the species. I always take a gaff and have it ready to go, but really only use it for tournaments or if I ever get a wall hanger nothern. I use them everytime for burbot since they still freak me out, and have a tendancy to wrap around your arm when you grab them. Also, the burbot all go home for a delicious dinner.

[William H Bonney]

I've carried a gaff for YEARS, primarily as an emergency tool, in case I fall through. Although last year I used it on a perch on LSC, he got wrapped up in every line within 10 feet of me, including my decoy line. If you watch alot of the old timers on the river,, they flip 'em out with their ice scoop half the time. I've used the other end of the scoop, more than a few times on bass and pike, I think it works great.

[Molson]

I fish Saginaw Bay often enough... but don't carry a gaff there. Only once since '85 have I wished I had one on the bay. I have fished for whitefish in locations where its very deep water (read this as... anything you catch isn't going back anyway) and a gaff comes in very handy with those paper lipped buggers.

BUT... I believe and have witnessed, many people knock as many off as they land with one of those tools.

[tubejig]

I am with Jeremy, I gaff trout and trout only.

[eyeskater]

I've carried a gaff for 10+ years on Saginaw Bay/River...have used it about 3 times, never to body gaff. I was taught by Don L how to correctly use my ice scoop to beach even 10 pound and heavier walleyes. Yeah, I flub one now and then...just like shots at whitetails. Sometimes out there I hear a yell and then see a couple guys with gaffs running toward a fisherman. These guys are banging their heads together trying to look down the hole. That's when I start giggling because I know what's about to happen: somebody's gonna lunge too soon (and desperately) with the gaff. This guy looks like he's trying to start a lawnmower instead of doing a clean gaff job. Often the fish is lost followed instantly by groans, cursing, and dejection. Think about this: gaff a 10 pound walleye in the side....he's 30" long and coming thru a 10" hole sideways. That math doesn't work for me.

"Eye-Skater

[Zofchak]

I NEVER go ice fishing without a gaff. When those plate sized crappie start hitting and turning on their sides right at the hole they always get the big treble. :evil:

I also use it on most larger pike and walleye (even if I plan on releasing them). If used carefully(in the mouth) a barbless gaff will barely even leave a mark.

[walleye express]

Guys.

I am proud of all of you. Because about 1 hour after I posted this thread, I was kinda wishing I had not. I thought, In essence the subject itself doesn't really accomplish anything except maybe to start some bickering or give the "Anti's" yet more ammo to hit us over the head with. But I see some positive comments and even some helpful tips came out of it.

And not only that, but it got me to thinking. And you all know by now, that's not always good for Capt: Dan. Anyway, I started thinking about this little gadget I saw on one of those Bass shows. It's called a "Fish Grabber". It's made of good durable plastic, it floats and grabs fish up to 6 1/4 inches wide at the back. They're cheaper than a gaff ($5.99) and more handy, so I just ordered two of them from Bass Pro Shops. One for each side of my Otter Skin shanty. This little gadget could solves many of the problem mentioned in the thread. Picture of same below.

http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/43000/43012.jpg

[jeremy L]

anyone ever try to make a "slide" on the side of there hole? i read somewhere that you drill your hole like you normally would, then drill on an angle pointing toward the hole you just drillied, that leaves you with a slide to drag fish up onto and into your hands or onto the ice.

[Burksee]

anyone ever try to make a "slide" on the side of there hole? i read somewhere that you drill your hole like you normally would, then drill on an angle pointing toward the hole you just drillied, that leaves you with a slide to drag fish up onto and into your hands or onto the ice.Used that technique for catching cisco (white fish) many years ago (*before augers) with my spud. Used to make my hole then chip one side out into a "slide". Thats were having a really good spud sharpened like a wood chisel really paid off. ;) It was still kind'ava two man operation, you'd back up holding your rod tip up and one guy at the hole to guide/keep the line off the edge of the hole. It really helped up your landing percentages! :)

[ESOX]

I am with Jeremy, I gaff trout and trout only.
:yeahthat: Also, when I am in areas when I anticipate hooking trout, I will bell out the bottom of the hole in thicker ice.(The only kind that will hold my fat butt) Widenening the bottom of the hole amakes it a lot easier to guide a fish into the hole, and also minimizes the risk of the fish cutting the line on the sides of the hole when he takes off on the initial run, before I can stick the rod down into the water.

[eyeskater]

How it's done (one way):

Fight the fish until he's tired....don't bring him up and bang his head on the ice unless you like a panicked walleye. When he calms a bit, guide his head into the hole using just your ice rod. Pick up your scoop and slide it below/behind the fish. Keep constant moderate pressure with the rod and use the scoop to lift/pull the fish onto the ice. Keep in mind that a fish in the hole can't swim backward, they may thrash a bit though which just tends to force them farther up the hole. If the hook pops out before the fish is on top, use the scoop to pin the fish in the hole....lay your rod down and use a hand to grab the fish. It takes some practice (fun part!) but works as well as gaffing on a percentage basis. After all, many fish are lost due to sloppy gaff technique. On a huge fish I may elect to pick up the gaff instead of the scoop. I wait until the fish is in the hole and then slip the gaff under his chin. No need to jerk; just lift firmly and steadily to bring the fish out. Barbs are a bad thing on a gaff...no barb will hold the weight of even a 6 pound 'eye but they do a lot of unnecessary damage to the fish. Remember: this isn't like gaffing wahoo in ESPN...totally different methodology.

BTW: I tried the gripper unit pictured above 2 years ago. I found it was tough to handle a rod and maneuver the gripper into the right position on a (usually) thrashing walleye. You often wind up with your hand right at the water line. Maybe a lot of practice (fun again!) would make this easier, but I decided my on-ice percentage wouldn't improve vs the scoop.

Thanks for a great discussion.......'Eye-Skater

[wruebs]

I let the size of fish dictate wether I use graff or not. I don't get into the walleye often so I tend to keep all +18" fish. (have yet to limit out on the hard water) If it's 4# or over I stick that bad boy. I lost many more fish before I started using a gaff, (maybe I'm uncordinated)

[mikenyo]

What do you guys think of these: http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=58161&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=11&hvarSubCode=5&hvarTarget=browse

[eyeskater]

I don't think that would ever be very useful. Those type grippers require the fish be fairly still and with its mouth open. Great for picking up a fish, not so good for trying to get a quick hold on a thrashing walleye with it's nose out of the water. Just can't beat the scoop method for overall percentage.

'Eye-Skater

[Houghton laker]

I have been icefishing for eyes for about 30yrs. now.....I own 2 gaffs...I have yet to use one!! I have lost my fair share of eyes in the hole....I just haven't been meat hungry enough to feel the need to gaff it! Half the fun to me is the catching of the fish! but the amount of eyes missed have gone down a good bit since I switched to a 10" auger!

[mkroulik]

Just a little FYI, the otehr day I was watching an ice fishing show on OLN and they used one of those lip lock grips to land some monster pike. Seemed like it worked out OK, you just have to play the fish until it's tired.

Mike

[gomer]

i dont even own a gaff. I do however, have cabela's version of the boga, which works great, plus it has a scale on it so you can see how much that hog really weighs ;)