Firstly, it’s dangerous, especially on bigger fish, and secondly if you have time to take wrap and pull, surely you have time to take the safer and more secure option of the corner cleat, or simply letting go, as its tied to the game chair base. Although being expensive, Kevlar has very low stretch but strong characteristics suitable for gaffing and has become more widely used. Again, the two ends are stitched together, and as the old wick is pulled out the new one is established. The easiest way to check this is by jamming your gaff in nearest cleat on the dock and seeing how easily it opens out. ).datepicker("getDate"); $("#caldata").submit(function(e){ It may sound silly but you’ll be surprised how difficult it is penetrate or how easily your gaff head will bounce off, especially if you hit a hard gill plate or the sinewy flesh by the anal fin and tail. This is partly because gaff rig evolved before halyard winches became common, so the power required to hoist … The rope should be gripped to the handles by the gaffer, and released as soon as the gaff hook is planted into the fish and breaks loose from the handle.

IGFA allows a maximum combined length of 25 feet of total rope and hook, but for most boats, the rope should only be as long as the farthest distance a crew member can reach with the gaff from its point of attachment to the boat. If your gaff ropes are secured to a central link such as the base of your game chair it’s impossible to get caught between boat and rope and a much safer option. ​PRODUCTS Therefore, minimizing the possibility of things going wrong and safety should be a priority on any boat. Flying gaff hooks should be tied in to the stainless attaching post on the aluminum handle using a single turn of 20 or 30lb line. Copyright Fishing.net.nz Ltd. All rights reserved. Strength of gaff heads is a topic that comes up quite often. dateFormat:"dd-M-yy",

Polyester, or even better Kevlar ropes are recommended. It’s a scary thought having a hunk of steel coming back at you in a hurry, I now dead set refuse to use flying gaffs with ‘stretchy’ ropes. The trick is to sew the ends of the two ropes together using light sailmaker’s twine, creating a smooth joint, which can easily be pulled through the blocks. Either way, it is of utmost importance that the luff lacing does not pull the sail closer to the mast than it was designed to be. Galvanised shackles are cheaper but stronger, but will obviously rust faster than stainless shackles. Size of the gaff head is also down to personal preference. Please enable JavaScript to use this form. IGFA allows a maximum combined length of 25 feet of total rope and hook, but for most boats, the rope should only be as long as the farthest distance a crew member can reach with the gaff from its point of attachment to the boat. var year=mydate.getYear(); Lacing advice for those of you who own gaff- or gunter-rigged boats. var date=(daym+"-"+montharray[month]+"-"+year); Most common poles are either wooden, aluminum or fibreglass. For several reasons, the running rigging on a gaff-rigged vessel tends to be a lot more complicated than that which is normally found on a bermudan yacht. © 2020 Chelsea Magazine Company | { type: "post",

It is for this reason that you should always have your safety as the priority, rather than the fish when setting up and using flying gaffs. Terms & Conditions | e.preventDefault(); As the old halyard is removed, by pulling on its free end, it will now automatically reeve the new one. But that’s totally up to you as I’m sure there are bigger/stronger crews around than me. Considering the detachable gaff pole is simply there as a tool to steer the gaff head and sinking the gaff is actually done by pulling on the rope, the gaff pole has a number of basic requirements. Example being; if you use 16mm you would reinforce it with an 8-10mm rod welded to the outside of the bend. Connecting the rope to the gaff pole is also down to personal preference. $.ajax({ Gamefishing Techniques - Using flying gaffs. This complexity can make replacing a worn or damaged halyard seem like a daunting process. Commonly I see crews securing flying gaffs to corner cleats or even bridle set ups, this is dangerous practice as crew and anglers can be trapped or caught between gaff ropes and covering boards if a fish decides to pull…. Can I return for warranty replace. With a topsail, he recommends easing the gaff to an angle of 42 degrees to the mast, and I would think allowances would have to be made to the leech to accommodate this.

Obviously the more you weld the reinforcing on the stronger the gaff, but its also a lot heavier. With the presence of slack ropes, detachable poles, steel gaff heads and thrashing fish it can add up to a rather nasty cocktail at times, especially when things are happening at 100mph. $("#date2").html("

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"); Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for releasing fish and I’m far from suggesting we should kill more just for the sake of using a flying gaff, but the simple fact is a flying gaff is an essential tool when landing large or record game fish and a lot of times crew can feel as if they’ve been ‘thrown in the deep end’, when after tagging fish for a couple of seasons they all of a sudden have to put a flying gaff into an aggressive game fish. All I can suggest is that if you do have barbs on your gaffs that they are not too far from the sharp point (3-4 inches), as it can be common to only get minimum penetration with your first shot on a hot fish.

$("form#caldata").submit(); The length of your rope should depend on the size of your cockpit and the reach of your gaff-man. Once the fish is cleanly gaffed and the pole has been detached this is when you should use the corner cleats. Mainsails like the Shrimper’s are high-peak gaffs, but trying to angle the yard closer to vertical, like a gunter rig, won’t help. AFTCO Flying Gaffs should be rigged with soft, 5/8" diameter, 3-strand nylon rope spliced directly to the hook eye. Personally I prefer smaller, lighter gaffs that can be easily and accurately used with minimal fuss. Updated 1 year ago That will require another gaff, as the gaff specified is a mere 74" long on my plans. Flying gaff hooks should be tied in to the stainless attaching post on … An original article written for The Fishing Website - Fishing.net.nz Ltd. This not only secures the fish on as short a tether as possible, but it also tidies up any lose gaff rope without risk of pinning people to covering boards. ​>​ $("#minor1").html(" " + data[0].minor1); minDate:new Date(2007, 1 - 1, 1), Due to the presence of out-boards, low clearances and factors mentioned earlier, using flying gaffs out of trailer boats can be even more dangerous. Cookie Policy, Core values – choosing the best classic yacht ropes, Traditional Tools – Stanley No66 hand beader. $('#tbodyid').html(''); // Clear #tbodyid div It may sound like a silly and unnecessary check, but even stainless shackles will rust and weaken, especially if left sitting in the salt conditions for a season or two. As far as barbs are concerned on gaffs, there are many differing points of view and opinions and to be quite honest there’s no real answer, it’s just a personal preference. Twist two or three No. var montharray=new Array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"); Commonly I see fishermen using nylon as there choice of gaff rope. var daym=mydate.getDate();

In my experience there are very few occasions when 30 feet of rope is required, more often than not too much rope can be a hindrance rather than a help. Marine grade stainless steel 316 is ideal for gaff heads as it’s strong and stands up to the salt-water environment well.