landing snapper and larger.

[Seahorse]

as u can see i am gearing up to do some more serious fishing. when landing snapper or larger fish how do u go about it. Landing net, gaff. What types and sizes.
Sorry for all question just keen to get all the hints i can and make sure got all the right gear.


cheers
greg

[longtail]

Hi Greg , i have both net and gaff onboard and what i use really depends on the size of fish and whether or i'm keeping it.

if i intend to release i will use the net otherwise it gets the hook


hope this helps


Jason.

[Scalem]

Mostly landing net. Agree with gaff only if keeping the fish. There's also the comfort lift, but not worth the risk if you really want to land the fish. Besides, they never hold still for me if I try that, but my name is not Steve Starling or Rex.

The one fish I can't imagine using anything else but a gaff is the Cobia. They roll like a crocodile but have fins!! Once gaffed, I loosen the grip on the gaff handle enough for the gaff to spin with the fish or they manage to cork screw right off!!

Scalem

[Seahorse]

thanks for the help. with the net what type and size is suggested. and also gaff. where is best place to buy.

greg

[Jeremy]

I have netted (or at least my deckies have ) all my large snapper. I have a pretty big and strong net tho. Never had a problem with a cobia playing up on the gaff - that might be because of the generally lighter tackle I use so they are pretty well spent by the time they are gaffed. I did also have my last cobia netted - around 15 kg - and we got it in second go. That is because this fish was for release.

Get the biggest, strongest landing net you can find for offshore. I don't like the commercially available small gaffs I have seen so I make my own by buying the hook and whipping it onto some hardwood dowel. I use a gaff with a gape of about 8-10 cm (from memory)

Jeremy

[Az]

big landing net, the new rubber ones look pretty good but the ones made out of the shadecloth type material are great too, i find the traditional net types are a pain in the arse to untangle

[Lone_Wolf]

Greg,

For Snapper, if they have come from any depth (50-100m), the fight is generally over by the time they are beside the boat. The quickest way then is to grab your heavy mono trace and lift them in. I have lifted fish up to 6 kg this way. My trace is a 120lb jinkai.

If you are fishing padernosker, always grab the bottom fish first as this gets both fish out of the water as there may be a shark following.

Easiest way to handle them is fingers straight into the gills removing the hook with the other, straight into the box.

Any pelagics such a Spaniards, spotties are on the end of the gaff and handled with extreme care due to their toothy nature. Generally these fish fight hard out wide and when getting close to the boat they always find a second wind when they see the bottom of the boat. Be ready for that, lots of good fish are lost rushing the gaff shot!

How is the new boat coming along?

LW

[Az]

pretty big trace there LW, i would rarely fish that strong a leader and have seen fish lost by trying to do this method resulting in the deckie diving overboard trying to tackle a big snapper .. each to their own but I know with a solid snapper I feel more comfortable with a net under him.. just get something strong anything substantial will make short work of a flimsy frame

[Lone_Wolf]

Re: landing snapper and larger.
« Reply #7 - on: Today at 11:25:19 » pretty big trace there LW, i would rarely fish that strong a leader and have seen fish lost by trying to do this method resulting in the deckie diving overboard trying to tackle a big snapper .. each to their own but I know with a solid snapper I feel more comfortable with a net under him.. just get something strong anything substantial will make short work of a flimsy frame

Each to their own Az. The way we fish is heavy. It seems to work and I have not dropped many using this method. As mentioned, the fish are out of deep water and have no juice in the tank once they have come from 80m.

[Seahorse]

hows my tinnie going? my new boat is due either next week or the week after. thanks for the advice.

cheers
greg

[ratherbefishin]

Seahorse,
I agree with above, both net and gaff are useful in different situations. Only ever use the net if your going to release.
Releasing a fish with a gaff wound is just feeding the sharks, you might as well keep it for bait, or better still think ahead and use the net.
For pelagics I tend to use the gaff for two reasons, firstly the spook easily so its hard to net them (they spook just seeing the bottom of the boat, let along an object approaching them head on), Secondly their speed, even when tired and cruising they are still moving pretty quick through the water, so the gaff is the go.Put it in the water in the general vicinity and hold it still, get the fisher to swim the fish past and bring the gaff point up under the fish and lift the fish into the boat in one smooth movement.
I use the net for everything else (even upto a 46lb jewie). Again hold the net still in the water and swim the fish toward/into it then lift up in one smooth movement. Obviously the bigger (Stronger) the net the better for big fish. I use the knotted mesh type but I do find untangling fins & tackle a pain. When it wears out I might go for an environet (is that a trade name or just a style??)
If its a big fish and your not confident in the net/handle strength do the same but have a spare hand free to grab the far side of the net ring as the weight comes on. That'll stop the handle breaking where it joins the ring.

As to where to buy one, just shop around, look for one that you think can hold up to the weight your going to put in it, collapsible handles stow easily but they're rarely as stong (again the most stress is on the joint between the net ring and the handle, thats where to look). I got mine from a big discount department store but only after a few weeks of looking all over to get a feel for what was available at what price.

Good Luck.

[Lone_Wolf]

Re: landing snapper and larger.
« Reply #9 - on: Yesterday at 20:19:28 » hows my tinnie going? my new boat is due either next week or the week after. thanks for the advice.

cheers
greg

Hi Greg,

Tinny is great thank you. My friend Stu(Fish to Eat) suggested we call her "I.T." which has stuck following the great thread on internet transfers. I.T has done several trips to South Straddie already. Stu's hand held GPS has clocked us at an amazing 42 km ph with the two of us travelling the calm sheltered waters between Jacobs Well and the islands.
I hope you enjoy your new boat as much as you did this one!

[Murks]

never had a problem using the environet on the latest fish coming into my boat..this biggest problem i have is finding them in the net they are that bloody small

[T1]

never had a problem using the environet on the latest fish coming into my boat..this biggest problem i have is finding them in the net they are that bloody small

[smiley=lolk.gif] Funny man!

[Murks]

unfortunately T1 its a fact ...my brand new environet has never seen a scale, oops a pillie fell in it one day ..does that count???
Brett
By the way T1 I really envy your fishing exploits of late