Pike Gags

[poledark]

I used Gags and Gaffs as a young man, hand on heart I never damaged any fish.

 

The gags were pretty useless on any decent sized fish, they just shut their mouths on them!

 

they also had an adjustable loop of metal which could limit the amount they opened for small pike.

 

Gaffs......we used to reshape ours so they were V shaped instesd of the U shape which was only useful for body gaffing salmon etc.

 

The trick was to get the pikes chin out of the water and insert the point into one of the slits under the chin, a quick lift and the fish was on the bank unharmed.

 

 

I have told you all this to let the younger elements know that we were not all "butchers" and efforts were made to care for the fish.

 

Of course things have changed and it is quite right that gaffs and gags are outlawed, after all we have large nets available to do the job......I had to weave my own 28" net back in the early 1950's!

 

Anyway that's enough history for today pupils, class dismissed,

 

Den

[Apache]

If there is no other way of landing a fish (IE: Nile Perch) then a gaff has to be used, and usually the fish is put back undamaged.

[chip]

this topic came up at the agm of the syndicate i belong to,one bloke waffled on for about 1/2 an hour all fore using gags on society waters saying that they do no harm , a vote was asked for wether or not to allow them - 1 vote for, 85 votes against.At the end of the day if you don't now how to handle a fish properly you don't fish for it!

[Apache]

Hear Hear CHip, the fishes safety comes before the lust to catch that first lunker!

[Andy Macfarlane]

Gags are included in the P.A.A.S. Code of Conduct.

I think I can speak for the club when I say that gags are dangerous, unweildy, stupid by design and out of date by 15 years.

I have seen the fish friendly version but I fail to see the difference between that and the old versions. The pikes mouth is armoured so it doesn't really matter wether it is U-shaped, V-shaped, has spikes or has blunted ends with rubber. It's all rubbish. The Pike would never feel the contact points anyway.

The problem is the strength of the gags and the manner in which they are used.

Since we know that a Pike can easily be handled and unhooked without harm to the jaw parts, there is no need even to argue the good points of gags, if any.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Apache:

If there is no other way of landing a fish (IE: Nile Perch) then a gaff has to be used, and usually the fish is put back undamaged.

The simple answer to that is...If you cannot land a fish without a gaff, you shouldn't be fishing for it in the first place. If a gaff is the only option and you are willing to accept that, you can call yourself a trophy hunter who will stop at nothing in order to catch a fish beyond your own capabilities.

And saying "usually the fish goes goes back unharmed" is of no consequence. Usually gives the impression that there is an acceptable failure rate. There is a vast difference between "usually" and "always".

I "always" put my Pike back unharmed. If I though there was an acceptable harm level, I would have to think about the pursuits I am involved in.

I also fail to see how sticking a large hook into a fish leaves it "unharmed".

How about I gaff you through the chin and see if you can go about your business "unharmed". After all it only a little hole.

You then go on to applaud Chips comment.

Do you use gaffs or do you not? or maybe its a case of....its alright for Nile Perch though...they don't belong in this fish safety debate.

 

[ 12. June 2003, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: Andy Macfarlane ]

[ste the piker]

horrible things throw em away,a piece of equipment that is not neccessary,ive never used one in 40 years,if you handle the pike properly it will open up for you no problem..

[Ed Matysiak]

Apache:

If there is no other way of landing a fish (IE: Nile Perch) then a gaff has to be used, and usually the fish is put back undamaged.

They should make Nile perch landing nets. Come on Fox theres a new idea for you!

[Tim Kelly]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Andy Macfarlane:

I "always" put my Pike back unharmed. If I though there was an acceptable harm level, I would have to think about the pursuits I am involved in.

I also fail to see how sticking a large hook into a fish leaves it "unharmed".

How about I gaff you through the chin and see if you can go about your business "unharmed". After all it only a little hole.

---

Do the PAAS have a view on what the maximum hook size should be then? I can't imagine that a large fish like a nile perch is any more harmed by being lip gaffed than a UK perch is by being hooked by a size 14!

I'm sure gaffs are a very reasonable way to land fish if they are used correctly, but the chances of it being a better method than hand landing (my prefered method) or netted are slim, and the risk of it being carried out incorrectly are very high considering the appauling way many people treat pike when they profess to be fishing proficiently for them!

[Paul_D]

Well done Tim. It needed pointing out. Personally, I never deliberately fish for Perch as they seem to be the most fragile of fish. I just hate myself every time I unhook one and believe me I take as much care as I can.