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Top Shot Tackle Australia Unit 1 / 42 Bacon Street, Hindmarsh South Australia 5007 Phone: +61 (8) 8346 8088, Fax: +61 (8) 8346 8166 E-mail: info@topshottackle.com |
Proud Corporate Members of the IGFA |
Major Sponsors of Annual Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic |
Types of Gaff & Their Features More often than not the majority of gaffs that are available on the market today are relatively cheap (in terms of price) compared to other tackle equipment such as rods and reels. Despite gaffs being one of the most frequently used items on a boat it is the most neglected and overlooked piece of equipment in a fisho's repertoire. Despite this fact just about every boat carries at least one or more somewhere. The first thing you need to handle the fish of the day or even the fish of a life time is the gaff; but it is the last thing you think about when your getting ready to go fishing The origins of the gaff reach back as far as fishing itself; man soon realised that fish do not come ready made with handles on them and they are also quite slippery! To overcome this problem man first bound a "C" or "J" Type shaped meat hook to a pole as a means to an end i.e. to be able to control a fish that were too big or were too dangerous to handle. Unlike other equipment such as rods, reels etc the gaff was never a purposely designed item. Lip Gaffs This type of gaff is a relatively new member to the gaff family. The lip gaff generally consists of an extra strong, small gaped hook that is affixed permanently to a personalized handle. This handle and shaft would only be between 12 and 18 inches in length. It's development has been largely due to the overhelming world push towards catch and release. As its name states it is generally utilized one handed to hook a fish in the mouth when handling or restraining fish that are too big to lift or have unfriendly sharp objects such as teeth, spines and bladed gill rakes. The lip gaff is easily stored and carried when travelling. It has become a tool used extensively by guides and charter operators when C&R'ing for clients. Fixed Gaffs (also known as stick gaffs) - Consist of a hooks made from various materials such as everything from bent wire, hybrid stainless steel and even titanium. These hooks are permanently attached to a shaft. These shafts are made from a variety of materials such as wood, Rangoon cane, aluminium, fiberglass and in some cases stainless steel tubing. The make up of these gaffs vary dramatically according to price, quality and application. Fixed gaffs are categorized by the length of their shaft and the hook attached e.g. a 6 foot 4 inch would denote a shaft length of six feet and a hook with a gape of 4inches (with the gape being the distanced measure between the point and the main saft.) The accepted length size of fixed gaffs varies from 4 foot in length and anything in between and upto 12 foot. They also come with a wider range hook size range - gape size can vary from anywhere between 2 and 8 inches. The fixed gaff is the most commonly known and used gaff worldwide. From freshwater land based to commercial and heavy game fishing the fixed gaff will always play an important role when landing or restraining fish. |
Calypso Star Charter Eyre Peninsula, SA * Dive with Great Whites * Long-Range Fishing |
Hand Gaff This type of gaff has been around a lot longer than the lip gaff. With its length being over 18 inches and less than 4 foot and with a smaller sized hook range this gaff is known as a hand gaff. It is too short to be termed as fixed gaff and too long to be a lipping gaff. It is predominately used for in shore or estuary fishing from a small boat. Flying Gaffs As the name indicates these gaffs are not attached to poles permanently. They are designed to fly/release from the pole when the gaff is set in a fish. Fly gaffs are normally referred to as gaff heads (rather than gaff hook). The accepted fly gaff head size range is from 4 - 14 inches. The gape measurement is obtained using the same method as fixed gaffs. These heads are attached to one end of a rope through the use of a D shackle while the other end is secured to a bollard or to a game chair post. Once the gaff head has been set in the fish (i.e gaffed) the head is released from the pole. Through the use of the rope the controlling and restraining of the fish is achieved. For both the crew and the fish itself this system is a safer method of handling large fish. Fly gaff heads come in three variations: 1) Standard Flyer ice pick point: the conventional C or J shaped hook 2) Standard Re-inforced flyer ice pick point: a C or J shaped hook with a reinforcing bar along the outside curve of the hook 3) Standard Flyer with barb: conventional C or J shaped hook with a sharpened barbed point similar in shape to an arrow head. 4) Standard re-inforced flyer with barb: a combined configuration of versions 2 and 3. 5) Heavy duty Hybrid with barb: These are the latest version to hit the market. These heads have been exteinsivley researched and field tested. Thay have been developed using the efficient attributes of previous versions combined with the use of technical results, modern materials and shaping. These heads are now safer for the angler and fish, have increased strength, are lighter and more efficient in their holding capability causing less damage to the fish. These hybrid versions are the ultimate addition to today's gaffing systems. Specialised Gaffs These versions are known as rock, rope or drop gaffs. They are mechanical in design and are not truly gaffs as defined by the Collins dictionary...."a large hook on a pole for landing fish" Their only similarity to the gaff family are the C or J shaped hooks used in their construction. These versions look more like a giant squid jag or large lure retrieving device. Although we view this design to be the black sheep of the gaff family we thought we better mention them to complete the overall gaff family tree. |