Chaps - thought I'd ask for advice,
I made a gaff some time ago, from a broom handle, with a hook bolted through and wire siezed onto the end...
Mainly to avoid the problem I had a few years ago with a conger which was larger than my net - there ensued a struggle with half a netted fish, a mono trace wrapped round my hand, and plenty of grunting.
There's not been much conversation on this subject, but are these items considered necessary, as I know some skippers prefer to carry a long net ?
Whats the best place to gaff a Conger? Ray? - and is this a reasonable thing to do for a fish you plan to weigh and release.
No doubt, I'll be told...
Thanks
Paul F
Hi Paul
I don't know about congers but I have been out with Davy Holt a couple of times catching common skate in Scotland and he often uses a gaff to bring in the fish onto the boat.
Now Davy is an expert in his field and he gaffs his rays in the wing near the leading edge (front part of the wing). Apparently these heal very quickly and has no lasting effect on the fish.
Most of his fish, however are 150lb+!!
Common skate were once common around this area and it would not surprise me if there were a very few still about as many people seem to get smashed up on fairly heavy tackle. I am sure if someone made a concentrated effort they might just get one of these beautiful creatures.
I too have a gaff on my boat but have yet to ever use it.
Coddy
Simple answer is no need for a gaff get a large net, congers, rays, tope and all fish we are likely to encounter can be accomodated in a net
Martin
Simple answer is no need for a gaff get a large net, congers, rays, tope and all fish we are likely to encounter can be accomodated in a net
Martin
Totally agree with Martin.
For the type of fishing we do, we do not encounter fish requiring a gaff.
If you do plan do gaff conger then in the mouth and out of the lower jaw is, I believe the suggested method. However, in practise, trying to do that to 60lb of spinning angry eel is not easy.
Get a big net, or simply get good at judging the weight by the side of the boat. They make an awful mess when brought inboard and even for me an estimate of 45lb is close enough. I would hope I'll be within a few pounds.
I have a large net. As could be seen in the photos of the conger I recently caught. I made the net from stuff that Wedger had procured and works a treat.
It is long enough for the largest eels no problem. ( Have a gaff somewhere onboard but it is quietly corroding away as I always use the net ).
As other have said the net is thankfully now the prefered choice on nearly all occasions
Congers can be chin gaffed but they need to be well played out so that the aim and gaffing can be done as accuratly as possible so the fish can survive.
Out of interest Dan caught a good fish when he was eleven that we netted to land it, but I put the gaff through its chin so he could hold it for a photo. None of the angling magazines would publish the pictures because of the gaff.
I am sure a junior with a 55lb eel would have won something without it.
Charlie
Ok, thanks chaps. The net I inherited with the boat is pretty large - anything bigger, and its not coming aboard - I wish 
Hi Paul
I remember getting a 40lb fish into that net OK for Dan. 
"anything bigger, and its not coming aboard - I wish " just how big are you wishing for mate 
It will soon be time when the divers pack up for the winter [Well most of them] and the inshore wrecks can be fished.
Tight lines
Charlie
An interesting topic, and one warranting a careful response.
We use a large net for 99% of all of our sizeable fish, but do have a gaff for emergencies. Have had to use it three times this year:
- 13lb thornback would NOT go into the net in strong tides, needed gaffing in the wing, and this was quickly despatched for the pot;
- 24lb tope didn't want to come anywhere near the boat, and a gaff in the chin was the only way to get it onboard. It was returned and swam off strongly;
- 30lb+ conger, backing away from the boat at 6' plus, was much too long to control or net, tried to gaff it in the chin from underneath, but snagged and snapped the trace.
In general, the big net approach is the one I would advocate, but we carry the largest net we can store onboard. I'm think about changing the netting to something much deeper, to produce a net with a volume (not mouth size) capable of handling conger (chandlers sell suitable netting, I noted recently).
On charter boats wrecking in 200'+ most fish with swim bladders are dead or dying when brought to the surface, and I have used the gaff on these to get on board.
I have also had nice fish on other boats in shallow water that have been too big for the net on board, and had to be gaffed. I find this a little a bit distressing, and I prefer to despatch the fish quickly if at all possible, as returning them then is not always viable.
I'd recommend all boats to net rather than gaff wherever possible, and to carry the biggest net practical to help with this.
Mike
I fished a wreck with Gordon on Enticer earlier in the year and we had congers of 35lb and 55lb which were both netted without problem in a net smaller than the one I carry. I think, on a 16
I've got one in case that Giant Cod i keep dreaming about comes along.
the Gaff will probably rust out before that happens
PJ
Have never used a gaff and have never had much of a problem getting what I (or Dean) catch into the net....and we catch a few 
Martin
.......That's because Martin's got a big net.......on a long pole.......and you have to be pretty strong to wield it [empty!!].
But ........it works a treat!!!........Thanks Martin!
got a decent net set up and chucked the gaff away.
hoop by stainless steve via AdamF
net from the states via Coddy
handle from B&Q (yellow fibreglass with 2 handle areas) came with a hoe attached which had to be cut off...........
it will handle anything outwith sharks and skate swiming in UK waters - including Dave if he falls overboard.............. 
got a decent net set up and chucked the gaff away.
hoop by stainless steve via AdamF
net from the states via Coddy
handle from B&Q (yellow fibreglass with 2 handle areas) came with a hoe attached which had to be cut off...........
it will handle anything outwith sharks and skate swiming in UK waters - including Dave if he falls overboard..............
Ditch the Gaff
Even chin gaffing takes a lot of skill and will leave a much bigger hole in a fish you plan to return than the hook does.
Get a decent net and anything yuo want to bring aboard will go in easily.
Totally agree with Duncan.
In addition, I know some of you yearn to win the fish of the month comps, but apart from for that reason, why bring 60lb+ of really pee'd off Conger into the boat? It thrashing around will end up in either you or it being hurt. Most of us are experienced anough to be a reasonably accurate judge of weight and with competition aside, I'd take your word for the weight you said it was....
Tom