The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

The arguments regarding trebles - barbed or not - goes on and on! Just like barbed and barbless normal hooks!!

Just like anti-angling - "stop fishing - it is cruel!!"

We put a gaff to good use once by pulling a number of gas meters out of the Eagle pond in Snaresbrook in Essex!

Tony.J.Newman wrote: ↑Fri Mar 26, 2021 10:15 pm We put a gaff to good use once by pulling a number of gas meters out of the Eagle pond in Snaresbrook in Essex!

We were never sure if it was really Gas Board pulling up, throwing them in and screeching off

Not the last strange thing we saw from the pavement of the Eagle

The nice thing about piking in the winter is that in the cold, any punctures to your hands as you unhook gaff and contraption free is not noticed. I remember catching the same 11 lb fish from a Gerry Savage syndicate 3 times so being gentle is even more important

I remember the cash drawers were all missing from the meters!

I'm never quite sure which is the correct etiquette, resurrecting an old thread or starting a new one on a previously covered topic?

Here are a couple from my 'Chamber of Horrors' collection.

A nineteenth century brass 'eel gag' (or 'pinces a anguille') by Wyers Frères of Redditch.


A 'scissor pike gag' of similar vintage, also sold by Wyers Frères and Charles Farlow.

Its chilling to think we used to use Pike gags, I never used a gaff but were quite popular in my youth.

When I was a Sea Trout fisher my favourite pool had a high bank over the deep end with lots of overhanging bushes. I used an old gaff, depointed, to pull up branches for cutting back, enabling me to cast the fly/lure tight in to the bank. One fine Sunday afternoon in May, walking home after one such operation, a van screeched to a halt alongside me and out jumped two Water Bailiffs who had spotted the gaff and thought they had caught themselves a real live poacher!. I showed them the blunt end of the hook and explained it's purpose. Their disappointment was palpable!

Santiago wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:34 pm The gaff is still useful. Used mine in the autumn to pull walnuts off a couple of trees on the Thames path.

I've used mine to retrieve hooks from trees on many occasions...

A Gaff is extremely useful for chasing inconsiderate oafs from your swim.....should the need arise!

Or indeed any personage(s) who attempt to purloin one of my pies. No mercy is granted in this instance.

As ever,......

Moley

When I was at school I made a gaf as a metalwork project, never used it though.