ChicaSierra
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Registered: 9-27-2014
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Any suggestions for alternative to gaff for inflatable boat
I know, I know. Stupid questions get stupid answers, but my self esteem is up today so I think I can handle it.
Other than whacking these large fish to death with a billy club or tire tester and pulling them into the boat, while I pray I don't lose the prize....
do I have any other options for a gaff for my inflatable boat set up??
I don't wanna be 'that guy (or in my case, that blond)' who's gaff got whacked by a fish tail and had to swim to shore, losing all my gear.
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woody with a view
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get a piece of rubber tubing (fuel line?) and keep it on the point until you need to use it. always recap with the tubing! don't worry about it, be
careful and know that 1000's of other inflatable users do the same thing each time.
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vandenberg
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Ever heard of a net?
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captkw
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Its Damn hard to beat a gaff !!
I used to use a "Tail wrap" for sturgeon..its a long pole with a braided steel cable that you lash over the tail and pull on the end towards yourself
and the "loop" at the fish end cinches up and "Bingo" you have the fish..or buy a "ReeL" bought and sell the "Deflate-able"
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Cappy
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The de hooker works pretty slick google it if link don't work
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcSE86...
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ChicaSierra
Newbie
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Thanks all for your input. Tubing on the gaff sounds like the way to go... we have pfd's handy and upgraded to the expedition version inflatable with
additional sections for this kind of scenario. (15' Kaboat Alaska series.) I thought about filing down the gaff tip a bit, as well.
I also looked into a rubber net because there are too many teeth for any other kind I have. I might get one to have one handy, but I can see this net
getting in the way on our 15' boat. And perhaps useless for anything over 15lbs? That tail wrap sounds fun, like a fish rodeo.....I can see me
getting into that! I was heading that route but thought it might just get a little too involved when the action is going down and the swells are super
swell. Those tailers are also kinda spendy. But, hey, that dehooker is only $12, what the heck, I like gadgets, especially if they keep my fingers
away from snapping needlefish teeth!
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hombre66
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Been an inflatable guy since 1984 and never had a puncture from gear(hooks,knives, sculpin spines)...BUT , I have never used a gaff. Luck is a factor.
Alternative is wearing a glove and skillfully getting into the gill. Much less damaging if for some reason you make an instant decision to release.
Basically a hand meets eye skill.Easier for me when I fish Lingcod (big gill opening!) here on the So Oregon coast. Works for me and is easier since
inflatables freeboard is so low. Landed a many a yellowtail from a 10' Achilles at SFO
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hombre66
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Chica,LOVE the kaboat concept! Just recently purchased a 12 1/2 ft Bris kaboat. Nixed the inflatable floor and built a 1 piece plywood one. Flies at
unsafe speeds with a 6 hp yamaha, since there's no longer any flex in the air chambers. They have a quad FIN system which is as good if not better
than an inflatable keel. Great roll up at 50 lbs specially for the Jeep or ultralight crowd. Sorry to be such a shameless shill for these things, but,
yes...I'm stoked.
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
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Nets, if they are big enough ,are unwieldy dang things. I have tried, for different reasons, several of the lip lock devices...Work fine, but I am not
strong enough to handle a big yellowtail with one...About broke my wrist a couple of times...Careful use of a gaff is the answer
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bajabuddha
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I have been running a 14' Achilles for the last 15+ years; some fishies just don't fit in a net, and can bend the scoop off the handle, unless you
have a big pro-one... plus the tangle-factor w/ fins, spines, etc. A short gaff is the answer; I believe mine is a 24", and has landed 60 lb. fish.
You can rig up a storing system across the inside of your transom under the motor diagonally; a little ingenuity helps. Hint: a section of PVC pipe
w/ a few strips of plumber's tape works, and the rubber tubing over the tip is a great gig; leave it long enough to grasp and remove easily, and also
makes it easier to find on the floor of the boat after the lunker is landed and the pandemonium dies down.
For catch-and-release, that's what waterpump pliers or needlenoses are for, and I always carry two sets of hemostats with. I only gaff the ones I
really love (to eat).
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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woody with a view
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get a 2 meter/vhf handheld radio. find out what channel the locals monitor. learn enough spanglish to let someone know your location in an emergency.
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
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Instead of a gaff? How would that work?
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motoged
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This gaff won't damage your inflatable as long as you keep an eye on your heels.....
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hiding-Gaff-For-Crossdressing/dp/B000KIJapanese
However, your fishnets could get tangled.... 
Don't believe everything you think....
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Pacifico
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Chica,
I fished for years out of an inflatable with great success and never once was the gaff a danger to my inflatable. Do like Woody suggests and put a
piece of fuel line over the tip when not in use, or put a hole in a tennis ball and use that. Even if you do get a puncture, it isn't a big deal as
long as you have a quality, multi-chamber, inflatable. If I remember right, mine was 5 chambers plus the inflatable keel.
The only time I ever got a puncture was from a yellowtail that had a Rapala in it's mouth and it ran (charged) into the boat, running one of the hooks
into the boat!
It's great fun getting dragged around in an inflatable by a 40 pound yellowtail! Enjoy!
"Plan your life as if you are going to live forever. Live your life as if you are going to die tomorrow." - Carlos Fiesta
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woody with a view
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radio for when all preventative actions were exhausted and she/he manages to pop it anyway!
[Edited on 9-14-2015 by woody with a view]
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mikeymarlin
Junior Nomad
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Registered: 3-17-2014
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used gaff all the time in my inflatable--- when you go to gaff a nice fish be sure and go under the fish with the gaff point POINTED UP !!
away from the side of the boat--- and if its a dorado then lift gaffed fish HIGH above the boat s they will twist around if given a chance--
HAVE FUN
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