When it comes to choosing the best gaff for kayak fishing, it can take one of two forms. One being a traditional hook style gaff, as frequently used on larger boats. The other option is what is called a kage gaff, or otherwise known as a Hawaiian spear gaff. There are also other alternatives that can serve in place of a gaff. Read on to find out more about all your options.
- Traditional Hook-Style Gaff
- Hawaiian Spear Gaff (Kage Gaff)
- Other Options (Nets and Lip Grippers)
Traditional Hook-Style Gaff
A traditional hook style gaff consists of a handle of varying lengths, with a 2-3 inch hook on the end. My hook gaff below has a 2.5″ gap which about perfect for kayak use. To use this sort of gaff, you have to reach beyond the fish and, in a quick motion, hook the fish and drag him aboard.
Spear Gaff
Alternatively, the spear gaff is basically what the name implies, a spear. It is a handle of some sort, with a sharpened steel rod at the end. To use one, you quickly thrust the tip into the fish to dispatch him. Then you can use the spear tip to lift the fish into the boat. However, if the fish is really large, it is helpful to also have a hook gaff to aid in pulling the fish aboard.
Spear gaffs are well suited for kayak fishermen for several reasons. When fishing from a kayak, you do not have the proper leverage, room or footing to safely handle a large fish using a traditional gaff. This is where the spear gaff shines, as it allows you to use a more efficient thrusting motion to fully dispatch a large fish before even attempting to bring it into your boat.
This is not to say a traditional hook-style gaff doesn’t serve a purpose aboard a kayak. Keep reading to find out more about each option, as well as what other options might be better suited for your situation.
Using A Spear Gaff for Kayak Fishing
In my opinion, a spear gaff for kayak fishing is the better option, over a hook gaff, if you are only going to take one gaff with you. Being able to thrust at a fish, as opposed to pulling at it, is a better fit for kayak use as discussed above. Besides using a spear gaff to subdue a keeper fish, there is another added benefit to having one aboard. They can also provide you extra comfort in knowing you have a weapon aboard, in case an overly ambitious shark decides to overstay his welcome. A spear, as opposed to a flimsy paddle, just might help you get the “point” across better.
Using A Traditional Hook-Style Gaff For Kayak Fishing
if you can spare the extra room for a 2nd option, a hook gaff can certainly come in handy, and makes a great companion to the spear gaff, especially for very large fish. Let’s say you spear a giant cobia. A hook gaff can give you that extra amount of leverage needed to pull him over the side of your kayak. You don’t want a giant bleeding fish sitting in the water any longer than necessary.
A good pair of lip grippers can also serve in place of a 2nd hook style gaff. I prefer the original “Fish Grip” as they are cheap, work well, can’t corrode and they float.
Best Sizes Of Gaffs For Kayak Fishing
Gaff length is mainly a personal preference so you will need to go with what’s best for you. With that said, I think a shorter hook gaff is the better option in a kayak – something like 16″, whereas a little longer handle is better for the spear gaff – 24-30″. If you can’t get the fish within reach of a 16″ hook gaff, then it’s probably not the best idea to bring that fish into your kayak just yet.
For a spear gaff, the extra length is helpful since you are thrusting it away from your body. The added length helps you to better reach the fish without leaning too much and throwing off your center of gravity.
You might also consider a telescoping gaff and just keep it in the shortened position most of the time. That way, if you decide you want a little longer gaff, you do have the option to extend it.
When Do You Actually Need A Gaff For Kayak Fishing?
Generally speaking, you really only need a gaff for kayak fishing when traveling offshore or “beyond the breakers”. Here is where you might encounter larger fish, such as huge king mackerel or cobia, that might warrant using a gaff.
If you are only going to be fishing protected inshore waters, where your largest fish is likely to be a bull red, then a pair of lip grippers would be more appropriate. You should be able to handle pretty much any inshore scenario with a rubber net and a pair of lip grippers.
There are certainly some large species you might encounter inshore, but most of the time you shouldn’t be gaffing those fish (i.e. sharks, tarpon). Gaffing a fish should be reserved only for those that you intend to keep. There are some exceptions, as some people will use a traditional hook gaff to control certain large species by hooking the fish under the jaw. When done properly, this can sometimes result in less injury to the fish than a lip gripper when controlling the fish for hook removal.
Safety Concerns With Having A Gaff Aboard A Kayak
As you might imagine, there are dangers that come along with having a stabbing mechanism aboard the tight confines of a kayak. To remediate these concerns, it’s best to cover the tip of your gaff with a protective device when not in use. Not everyone does this, but I think it’s a good idea. You can use something like a tennis ball, or in the case of a spear gaff, I have seen people use a large cork or a piece of pvc attached with a bungee cord. As you will see below, I opted to use a piece of wood with a hole drilled exactly the same size as the spear point. You may have to get creative here.
Another safety practice you may want to consider is to not attach the gaff to your kayak. That way, in the case of a spill, the gaff can fall and float freely away from you. This is my preference, as I don’t want a sharpened point affixed to my kayak while it’s rolling around in the waves. If you go this route, you will want to make sure your gaff floats. If it has a wooden handle, then this shouldn’t be a problem. If not, you may have to either attach a float to the gaff, or depending on the handle design, you might be able to inject some expanding foam into the handle.
Making Your Own Traditional Hook-Style Gaff
There are quite a few homemade hook gaff designs available online, if you are so inclined to make your own. It’s really not that hard to do.
Below is an image of a Mustad gaff hook. If you buy something like this, you have a couple ways you can use it. One way is to wrap and epoxy it to the side of a wooden handle. That is what the tiny hook end is for. You drill a small hole into the side of your handle and insert the small hook into that hole. Then tape or wrap and epoxy the hook to the side of the wooden handle.
Another option is to cut off the smaller hook end and epoxy the straight metal spike end into something like an old graphite golf club shaft. Simply cut the head of the golf club off down to a spot where the hole is big enough to accept the hook. I have an old golf club in my garage that I plan to do this with eventually. I got mine for free from the side of the road on garbage day!
A Few Tips For Making Your Own Hook-Style Gaff
- A smaller 2.5" hook is better for a kayak than a 3" or 4" hook
- An old broken graphite fishing rod makes a great handle. It floats and already has a nice grip built in! Just cut it down to size and epoxy a hook into it
- An old graphite golf club also makes a great handle. Just cut the club head off and epoxy a hook into the shaft
- Find old fishing rods and golf clubs at your local Goodwill for super cheap and use those as your gaff handle
- You can sometimes even find FREE graphite fishing rods and golf clubs on the side of the road on trash day. I have!
- You can purchase gaff hooks cheaply in local tackle shops
Affordable Hook-Style Gaff Options
Unlike spear gaffs, when it comes to traditional hook style gaffs, there are many cheap options available online. So, I’m not sure it’s really worth your time to try to build a hook style gaff. Below is just a sampling of the affordable options available for this style of gaff. These are all highly rated (on Amazon) and very CHEAP! That’s why I find it hard to justify building my own gaff of this design. I plan to build one out of an old golf club really more for fun than for practicality. You will have to decide what your preference is.
Making Your Own Spear Gaff
Spear gaffs, on the other hand, are definitely worth the effort to build yourself. Just as with traditional gaffs, there are many designs available online. I have a good article, linked from the image below, that will show you how to build your own spear gaff. For a quick and easy spear gaff, you can simply get some type of wooden handle, a stainless threaded rod and securely attach the two.
Spear Gaff Option
My Own Gaffs For Kayak Fishing
When I started kayak fishing, I already had a traditional style gaff that I had purchased years before. I purchased it after struggling to land some large stingrays on the beach for shark bait. At the time, a fellow angler just down the beach noticed the commotion and came over to help me with a gaff from his beach cart. After seeing him make such quick work of my future shark bait, I decided I needed a gaff as well. I think I purchased it from the local Wally World. In the end, I never really used it that much for beach fishing. But, now that I’m gearing up to do more BTB kayak fishing, I included it in my arsenal. I also went about making myself a spear-gaff as discussed in the linked article above. In addition to these two gaffs, I always carry a Fish Grip in my kayak as well.
Alternatives To Gaffs
There are some other good alternatives to using a gaff for kayak fishing, as described below.
Rubber Nets
Nets can work OK for fish that aren’t too large, but nets take up a lot of room, can be cumbersome and they can hang on things in a kayak. For these reasons, they are not my preference for offshore, but are a great option when kayak fishing inshore. If you do go with a net, the rubber ones are much better as they don’t tangle and snag on things as bad.
Boga Grip
Another great alternative to a gaff is a quality lip gripper designed for the salt. A couple good options are the “Fish Grip” and the “Boga Grip”. I would steer away from some of the grippers that are designed for freshwater use, as they will likely be seized up on you when you need them most.
The Boga grip, pictured below, is going to be pricey (over $100), but they are nice in that they are extremely high quality and they have a built in scale to weigh your fish.
Fish Grip
My favorite option is the original Fish Grip, which is a perfect fit for kayak fishing in the salt. These things are lightweight, float and work great. They are also cheap! Fish grips are easy to operate with one hand and allow for great control of large fish such a bull reds. And, they help to keep your hands away from the teeth on the business end of some other species.
Bare Hands
Another good alternative to a gaff is a good pair of bare hands. With toothy and/or over sized critters you obviously will need to be careful. However, most fish can be handled with your bare hands in a pinch. Even large king mackerel can be pulled aboard by grabbing their tails. You will just need to make sure you give them plenty of time to tire themselves out first. This certainly won’t work that well with all species (i.e Cobia).
Conclusion
If you have some hesitation with adding additional equipment because you already feel you have too much stuff in your kayak, get over it! The accumulation of equipment and loading it into our kayak, boat or cart is one of the many joys of being a fisherman. So get yourself a milk crate, add some rod holders and stick a gaff in it. You will be glad you did when you have a huge cobia alongside your yak.
Happy Fishing!
Augustus
