Anglers that enjoy eating fish will not be Catching and Releasing their catch. Fish on the line will become dinner. A gaff can guarantee that the fish will end up in the cooler. The C and R Fly Guys will never need to make a Gaff.
Using a gaff can help you catch the fish. How many fish have you lost at the Ice hole. Usually, it’s because you are trying to land the fish solo. The rod may be too long/short.
Ice men hate when a fish goes back down the hole. Catch and Release is not what anglers that are freezing their butts off do. When you get a fish coming through a 6–10-inch ice hole, the fish will be coming headfirst. This means that you can easily slip the Gaff Hook under the exposed gills or into the mouth. In the past I have used barbed hooks, large treble hooks, and wide bent wire hooks. Each has its own problems.
Barbs and super sharp gaffs will cut your line, and the fish will be lost. The fish sides will still be under the ice so stabbing the fish with a gaff is not possible. The gill and mouth are your targets. Make the Gaff long enough so you don’t have to kneel or get onto the ice. Now you can handle the fish and rod at the same time. Gaff /hook the fish and pull onto the ice. I usually make a slide ramp from the hole, so the fish has no obstacles.
Big Ling, large trout, walleyes and pike can be easily gaffed. The more you use a gaff, the better you will get. Practice on fish that are already caught.
Gaffs can also cause injury to anglers. Make sure that you include a rubber hose cover so you do not gaff your leg or buddy.
I have been experimenting with various tools to bring a fish through the ice hole without losing them. The best and most reliable method is to get on your knees and grab the fish with both hands and pull them out. This works great if you have a buddy along.
What if you are fishing alone? A long handled net works great if you are alone in open water. When ice fishing, you need something else.
A long handle is important. Now you can deal with your rod and gaff the fish while standing up. I also considered using the Grabber that we use after back surgery. This allows you to pick up your socks off the floor without bending over. This tool just doesn’t have enough grab to pull a big fish out of the hole. The boat, lip grabbers are fine for bigger fish, but not for what comes out of an 8-inch ice hole.
Gaffs take on a new meaning for Hooking Up!
Montana Grant
