i disagree i think the shots here were awful shots, big fish will rip right out form the belly, head shots are the toughest but there no better shot, you need to get the head out of water asap.
actually the head and gill gaff is the best place to gaff a fish, if you do it correctly. the shoulder is not preferred but is always better than a belly shot. if your gaff is sharp and you do it correctly, the skull and gill plates shouldnt be a problem, however the belly does have a tendency to not be the strongest holding point for a gaff, especially on big fish. also, if you know how to read a fish, you don have to wait for a "perfect" shot.
I know the "head is highly talked about, but the reality is that it is not the best spot due to things like the skull and gill plates. On bottom fish I prefer the belly area as the scales are generally smaller and there is no meat to damage. On trolling fish we aim for the "shoulder area" behind the head if the fish is laying that way. Sometimes he has his back too you and you take the shot. Nothing worse than waiting for that perfect shot only to have him come off at the boat. Capt. Scott
some people prefer different things i prefer gaffs in the neck close to the gills it kills them pretty quick.
2codylicious 2 months ago
i disagree i think the shots here were awful shots, big fish will rip right out form the belly, head shots are the toughest but there no better shot, you need to get the head out of water asap.
SLAYER2513 6 months ago
what gaff is that at 0:34 that you stuck the king with?
haddam4 10 months ago
actually the head and gill gaff is the best place to gaff a fish, if you do it correctly. the shoulder is not preferred but is always better than a belly shot. if your gaff is sharp and you do it correctly, the skull and gill plates shouldnt be a problem, however the belly does have a tendency to not be the strongest holding point for a gaff, especially on big fish. also, if you know how to read a fish, you don have to wait for a "perfect" shot.
ahi203 1 year ago
just because the fish is a keeper doesnt mean you have to keep it.....save some for the rest of us
tinytimme 1 year ago
nice king
XXsclausmanXX 1 year ago
I know the "head is highly talked about, but the reality is that it is not the best spot due to things like the skull and gill plates. On bottom fish I prefer the belly area as the scales are generally smaller and there is no meat to damage. On trolling fish we aim for the "shoulder area" behind the head if the fish is laying that way. Sometimes he has his back too you and you take the shot. Nothing worse than waiting for that perfect shot only to have him come off at the boat. Capt. Scott
offshoreacademy 2 years ago
im not an old salt but looks to me like you need to practice on the head and gill shots.
grouperdooper 2 years ago
They say if the fish is in the boat it's a good gaff. Looks like you guys damaged some meat.
whiteykauai 2 years ago