I'm making my first trip for halibut tomorrow and bought a gaff just in case. My problem now is that I've never had to gaff a fish before so I have a few stupid questions:

Is the head always the best place to gaff a 'but? If so, I'm imagining it is done behind the leader so the gaff and leader don't become tangled?

Once the gaff is in the fish, what should I expect? Is the fish going to go even more crazy? Do you just hold onto the gaff and get shaken until the fish settles down? Is there a good chance the fish can actually flop off of the gaff? Am I trying to keep the head out of the water until it settles down?

Do I attempt to cut its gills and bleed the fish while still on the gaff and in the water?

Any description of the general process would be helpful. I have a standard, hook-type of gaff and not a harpoon.

Thanks.

How to gaff a Halibut?

I've never done it, but I hear a .410 shotgun can help in the process.




Mike

Don't be timid.

I have never gaffed a halibut, but I have gaffed a lot of grouper, amberjack and king mackerel up to 40 pounds. The idea of a gaff is to bring the fish on the boat as quickly as possible. I usually have the point facing up and hit from below the fish to put weight on the gaff as quickly as possible. I aim for right behind the head. You usually miss short and aiming for behind the head usually put the hook in the head if I miss. Then I yank the fish into the boat. You then either wait for the fish to stop flopping or expedite the process by hitting it on the head until it stops moving. I assume you are using 50lb gear. If so, you will only need to gaff large fish (>20lbs) or fish barely hooked. Just swing the small ones right in the boat or cooler or use a net. One thing to remember is to have the person fighting the fish take tension off the line right after you gaff the fish. Sometime the hook can come loose or mono break which sets lead and hooks into motion. Very dangerous.

Also sage advice.

i wouldnt gaff anything over 25lbs, they will rip the gaff right out of you hand, you can successfully net anything up to 60, we netted a 67 last year, gaff's kinda are pointless. if you dont have a harpoon you are going to be in BIGGGGGG trouble if you get a nice one!

Under 40 pounds use a net and whack em in the narrow part of the tail. Any spinal injury will calm them down immensely.
The harpoon / flying gaff is my favorite for the occasional bigger butt. I try to hit near the spine about one third length back from the head. Poon tip tied to 20 foot of rope a good sized float attached and more line to tie off to cleat.
I`ve heard of a spot near the head that will cold cock them but haven`t found it yet.

I f you decide to shoot it, don't shoot it in the boat.

Shoot 1st, then gaff em. don't pull the head all the way out of the water, they go nuts. aim 2 inches behind the upper eye.

I gaff downwards and towards the side of the boat in a sort of circle motion and haul the fish on board. Keep the head of the fish in the water as they will go nuts if you take them out.
As mreyns said you can also use a net, lots of times when you get them worn out a bit if you keep the head in the water you can lead them right in the net without problems. A harpoon is a must if you get a bigun'. I would stay away from fire arms unless absolutly nessasary, hard to hit the right place without blowing the thing to pieces on a rocking boat without some practice.
Aunty has the right idea here, I would just add one thing, be carefull when pulling the rope through the gills and out the mouth, these buggers got some nasty teefff! I actually have a loop tied on one end of the rope and a lasso on the other. Lasso the tail and then I use a piece of 1/4" round bar that I bent a little hook one end and bent the other end in an "L" shape to use as a handle. Shove the hooked end in the mouth and out the gill, hook the loop on the rope and pull it through the gill out the mouth. Then hog tie him. Keeps my fingers away from those sharp teeth. Bleed the fish right away by cutting the gills or the tail (or both).
They get pretty fired up once on the boat no matter how you get them there so be ready for the fireworks!
One last thing, loosen the drag a bit on your reel and make sure rod is secure before you go to net/gaff/harpoon. You don't want them to pull out the hook if they get fired up when you miss with the gaff/net/harpoon. And also be aware of the hooks once on they are on the deck.

Thanks for all the advice everyone... although I have to say I'm even more nervous about the whole adventure after reading all of these things.

One thing it sounds like I certainly had wrong in my head was counting on holding the thrashing fish on the gaff in the water. It sounds like I'm better off just gaffing and pulling on board (if the gaff is even used at all). The process of then hog tying them seems scary though. Can a 50 pound 'but really kick your ass? Or could you actually lay on top of it while arranging the lasso? Is a 30 or 40 pound halibut more "dangerous" and powerful than the same weighted king or ling?

Feeling as how unprepared as I do, I'm actually likely to catch one. Isn't that how it usually works?

-Kaiser D.

I would say yes about them being more dangerous than a king or ling or the same weight, though big lings can do some damage too. I would suggest that instead of automatically tying them up, grab your bonkin stick and beat the shiat outta it. Then hogtie it. You will most likely kill the fish, but they have nerves that go forever! When we got out 156lb butt in the PA derby, it was dead laying across the floor of our 16ft boat for 25-30 mins and when it was on the scale it's nerves kicked in and it started flopping bending out the hook on the scale and almost taking out a reporter. They we flop up until you cut them up. Once you get them in the boat I would suggest letting them flop around until they settle themselves down, just stay clear because they have been known to break legs!!!!

Harpoon.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE


R.I.P. Blinky

I've had them bite through the net before. I gaff the smaller ones and in one motion pull them in and lay them upside down. They are much calmer that way.

I have gaffed Halibut up to 60 pounds, now I use my Harpoon. But it is relatively easy to gaff the smaller 40 and below. What you need is the right gaff, one that has a straight hook on it, not curved as you would use on a Tuna. A trick that I use is to take the gaff (wood) and file down the back side so you can lean it against the gunnel of the boat.

When you hook up, bring the halibut to the surface but don't break the water. With a swift motion, swing down and slightly towards the boat and gaff the halibut in the head. Continue the motion and turn the gaff so the back of the gaff comes to a rest on the gunnel of the boat. The halibut will have a bend in him and the white of his belly will be facing outward. Now have your buddy slit the gills and beat him once or twice or more, if you are into that kind of thing. Then haul him aboard, its amazing how the halibut will calm down when on the side of the boat with the arch in his back (Usually.......always be prepared for the wild and crazy butt.)

Steve Ng

We used to harpoon the big ones we wanted to keep, cleat them off, get them bleeding good, and then once they settled down we'd run a line around their tail like a noose and then shove it through the mouth with the hook release. Once you drag them aboard, pull the rope tight and tie it off it so bends their head back toward the tail so they can't flop around or do any damage. They just sit there like a big rocking chair.

Little chickens we'd gaff, rope off, and hang over the edge. No problemo.

We landed halibut well over 200 lbs and never used a gun. My employer's policy was not to allow guns in the boats. Smart policy if you ask me. I really don't think they are necessary, and the consequences of a screw up are obvious. I've seen lots of idiots shooting small halibut they could have handled easily without all of the drama.

I've gaffed them to 60 pounds but recommend the harpoon on anything much bigger than 40 or so. As previous mentioned, netting is also an option on fish to 50-60 pounds or so. If you're going to gaff them, get 'em BEHIND the head, not through the head. Too much chance of knocking them off with a poorly aimed head shot. I lay the gaff right behind the head, with the hook out of sight on the back side, and pull it to me. If possible, bring them in the boat with the same motion, but the bigger they are, the harder that is to do. As previously noted, they get a little excited when the gaff hits home, so hang on tight and get 'em in the boat as fast as possible. I usually smack 'em once when they hit the floor, then cut behind the gills and through the base of the tail as quickly as I can. Cutting, roping and all that stuff outside the boat can lead to lost fish, so get them in the boat first and worry about clean-up after they're under control. If you shoot 'em, the advice to shoot right behind the dorsal eye is sound; that's where their little brain is located. And it doesn't have to be with a .410 or big-bore handgun; a .22 works just fine if it's in the right place. Good luck, wish I was going tomorrow, too!

Ha, just reach down and stick them. Anything up to about 100 lbs usually isn't a big problem for one person.

Here's my drill:

Bring the fish up on the starboard side of the boat so that it's stomach is facing away from the boat. Put the person holding the rod towards the bow while the gaff-man stands toward the stern. When the fish gets about a foot below the surface, use your left hand to grab the leader/line and gently pull the fish up so that it's laying flat about an inch below the water. Use your right hand to slip the gaff into the water between the boat and the fish, tip of gaff should be pointing away from the boat. Aim for a spot about two inches back from the gill line on the shoulder/meaty side of the fish (this is the side facing the boat). Pick your spot, get a low grip on the gaff, and pull up fast with your right hand. Once the point hits the fish, you can let go of the leader and get both hands on the gaff. Lift as high as you can with your arms, then step back/ lean back and you can pivot the gaff on the edge of the boat. This way you never actually lift the full weight of the fish. Lean back, pull back, walk back, whatever until the fish hits the deck. If the gaff's in the right place, the fish usually freezes up fairly well, so don't pull the gaff out until it's in the fishbox or hog-tied.

If I have an empty fish box, I pull them up and drop them in, if there's not much room left, then I shoot(over 70 lbs), hog tie, cleat off to a corner.

Also, there's difference betwen clubbing/shooting them in the head, and clubbing/shooting them in the brain. Brain is an inch or two back from the top eye. You can wail on a fish's head for a long time without slowing it down if you're not hitting the right spot. Don't hammer on it while it lays flat, get your club around the top edge of the fish and try to crush that spot behind the eye. The fish will have a dent there if you do it right.

I'd take a pistol if you're in a skiff, but still wouldn't worry much about a harpoon. Just make sure your shot hits where it needs to.

good luck,
david

Get a harpoon. I used a 3 ft. "tuna" gaff too long- too many ugly battles with 80 - 100 Lbs. Quickest way to scar your boat is with the point of the gaff hook when you are trying to fight those big ones. Starting last year I got a harpoon with 2 heads from a friend. Much better for any size. Hit them behind the head and the point goes through like butter. They bleed out nicely. Two or more heads allows you to keep fishing while you have fish out on the tether.
I agree about not allowing the head to come above water- they are docile when below the surface- can even rub their backs, but let their heads come out of water, or miss a gaff stab, and they go crazy.
Get them in the fish box with a tight lid cause sometimes a "dead" butt seems to come back to life- might just be nerve reflex but big ones can really thump on the boat.

Here is my plan for the butts,

38 bang stick, not between the eyes just slightly behind them.

Depending on weather the current is ripping or not sometimes I would harpoon them first, using a harpoon with about 10 feet of rope attached and a float. Never cleat one off those big kid model butts can really pull. I have heard of them pulling the harpoon through the meat. Also if you buy a harpoon make sure the tip comes off easily. I had one the that the tip would stick on. It would go right through the fish and pull out with the harpoon. Then you would have to fight the fish back to the boat.

We fished them off the anchor, on Cook Inlet. The current really rips.

Also it would depend on how well it was hooked. Nothing like shooting a clients fish and having the hook pull put of the dead fish.(it only happened once)

Anyway I really like the bang stick, Halibut are great eating but any butt over 50 lbs can go ape [censored] once its in the boat. Most of my good fishing memories don't involve any broken rods, bruises or wrestling with halibut. I like to catch the and eat them not wrestle with them

As far as gaffing them, it depends on how high off the water you are. If you are close to the water I like a swing type gaff. Right behind the eyes.
JY