WHERE DO YOU GAFF FISH?

[SoCalAngler]

Like most I like head shots but those smaller Dorado are a PITA to gaff so anywhere works for me. All Dorado are spiked before being removed from the gaff, tuna and yellowtail are gill slit and tail hung overboard to bleed out.

[Tightlines667]

One handy trick for dealing w/Mahi once in the cockpit or cooler, is to grab them by the tail, bend their body over back towards their head (against the floor), to get them under control immediately, then spike them in the brian (just above and behind the eye, or through the eye socket angled up and back at 45 deg ang).  I've also seen Mexican deckhands use the pour a cervesa in the mouth/over the gills trick to calm em down. 

[Dominick]

I've also seen Mexican deckhands use the pour a cervesa in the mouth/over the gills trick to calm em down. 

This is downright sacrilegious.  Why waste a perfectly good cerveza when a baseball bat will do.    Dominick

[Magilla]

Small fish like that Dorado I would just lift on board with the leader. I only gaff fish that I am going to eat and I always try for under the head.

[fishtaco]

A dorado is not easy to gaff
They move like a stripper that sees a $100 Bill in your hand
They jump and spit the hook, and leave you with the gaff in your hands
Looking dumb, normally I let the fish tire
dig the tip of the rod in the water when they are about to jump
And give them tequila with a spray bottle before boating it
They go limp and you can gaff them wherever you please.
My 2 pesos hehe

[Shark Hunter]

 

[saltydog]

From all my years of charter fishing it depends on the fish. Most you gaff in the head yeah I know it takes practice but gaff placement with some dictates your tip so go figure. On sharks the only place to gaff is in the gills unless you want to get a rude surprise. Now one fish I know all too well is the Ling or Cobia as it's called in the Gulf, there is only one way to gaff them and that is right between the pectoral fins in the belly. This move stuns them for just long enough to get them in the kill box. If you gaff one in the head or body you are asking to get your arms twisted painfully and beaten with the gaff, actually a .22 to the head first is preferable. But with gaffing getting in a hurry wastes more good fillets than anything.

[Nicko_Cairns]

It depends on the fish and how the hook is looking when it comes up, ideally under the gills and out the mouth, but if sharks are chasing it, or the hook looks like it may come out, then just anywhere will do, you don't lose much flesh putting a gaff through the shoulder. Try to avoid the stomach as the gaff may rip through and you'll probably make a mess.

[Reel 224]

I gaffed more fish then I could ever count......This by no means makes me an expert, Two things that are foremost and utmost important. A needle sharp gaff, and a calm but deliberate approach. Then it is the anglers job to tire the fish and hold steady so you can find the right gaffing point.

To me the Ideal point is head or jaw if it presents itself. To many rushed attempts cause miss gaff or lost fish. Using a net for a lot of species is better then a gaff any day. 

[Nicko_Cairns]

I gaffed more fish then I could ever count......This by no means makes me an expert, Two things that are foremost and utmost important. A needle sharp gaff, and a calm but deliberate approach. Then it is the anglers job to tire the fish and hold steady so you can find the right gaffing point.

To me the Ideal point is head or jaw if it presents itself. To many rushed attempts cause miss gaff or lost fish. Using a net for a lot of species is better then a gaff any day. 

Completely agree on the net.

[wallacewt]

dollies are a head shot for sure,haha!safer with a net,sometimes.
i watched a bloke trying to gaff a dolly with one of those
funny shaped power gaffs.what a giggle.