Gaff a Tuna

In any fishing trip where you’re catching large fish (such as grouper, marlin, tuna, or swordfish), gaffing is the final step which allows you to bring the fish on board. When gaffing a large fish, you’ll impale the fish with a large stick tipped with a substantial hook (the gaff) and swing the fish onboard. Gaff placement is important: an improperly performed gaff job could result in the tuna escaping from the hook you’ve caught it with.

Steps

Timing the Gaff

1. Keep the boat heading straight, at a low speed. Once a member of your fishing party has caught a tuna on the line, slow the speed of the fishing boat and don’t make any unnecessary turns. This will make it easier for the angler to reel in the tuna. If the boat accelerates or makes sharp turns, the tuna may break the line or slip the hook.
   • Under these conditions, the tuna should swim up alongside the boat and present itself for gaffing.
2. Wait for the tuna to come alongside the boat. If you feel impatient and strike too early, you’ll likely miss the fish altogether and have to start the gaffing process over again. Stay patient: allow the person holding the fishing rod to work the fish in close to the boat. Don’t strike with the gaff until the tuna is alongside the boat.
   • If you’re standing in the stern of a fishing boat, wait to gaff at least until the tuna is flush with the back wall of the boat.
   • New gaffers make a common mistake by attempting to gaff a tuna too early, when it’s still trailing behind the boat.
3. Reach the gaff over the tuna. Since the gaff hook is curved, you can’t drive it straight into the tuna. Do not gaff a tuna from its near side (close to the wall of the boat). Instead, reach the gaff over the tuna’s head and body, and point the hook back towards yourself to impale the fish.
   • This will also benefit you by decreasing the chance that you’ll cut the fishing line. If you reach in front of the fish’s head and over the fishing line, you risk slicing the line with the sharp point of the gaff.

Gaffing the Tuna

1. Gaff the tuna behind the fish’s gill plate. The gill plate holds a fish’s gills and comprises the firm, bone-like sections on the front left and right sides of a tuna’s body. Aim the point of your gaff for just behind the gill plate. The skin here will be thick enough to not tear when gaffed, and you won’t risk damaging the tuna’s edible meat.
   • If you miss your target and gaff a tuna through its midsection, it will likely escape. The thin skin on the belly of a fish is weak, and will tear through if you try to lift the fish on the gaff.
   • Similarly, if you miss the tuna’s head and stab the gaff through its back or side, you’ll likely damage one of the tuna steaks and render it inedible.
2. Lift the tuna onboard. In the same motion that you gaff the fish, smoothly lift the tuna up towards the edge of the boat and over onto the deck. Lift the fish smoothly, without any jerking or twisting movements on the handle of the gaff. Do not pause between gaffing the fish and lifting it onboard. Instead, let the momentum of gaffing the fish continue as you lift the fish onboard.
   • Think of this in terms of “follow-through,” much like when playing tennis or golf.
3. Remove the gaff from the tuna’s body. Once you have the fish on the deck of your boat, you can remove the gaff from the tuna’s gill plate (or wherever you successfully gaffed the fish). Gaffs do not have a barb at the tip of the hook, so you should be able to slide the gaff out of the fish’s body with ease.
   • Do not gaff a fish—tuna or otherwise—if you’re not planning to bring it back to the dock. You cannot release a gaffed fish back to the ocean, as the gaff wound will prove in nearly all cases.

Selecting a Gaff for Tuna

1. Purchase either a 4-foot or 6-foot gaff with a 4-inch hook. Since tuna are on the larger size of the spectrum of fish that are commonly caught by gaff, you’ll need to use an appropriately large gaff. Either a 4-ft (1.2 m) or 6-ft (1.8 m) gaff will give you enough length to hook a large tuna. The 4-inch (10 cm) hook will sink into the tuna’s flesh deeply enough that the fish won’t be able to wiggle away.
   • If you know the boat you’ll be fishing from, take its height into consideration. If you’ll be fishing from a large, high boat, choose the longer of the two gaff options.
   • To purchase a gaff, visit a fishing supply store. Try to find a store that specializes in selling equipment used on larger fish and fishing from a boat.
2. Attach a wrist cord to a straight gaff. If your gaff only has a textured handle at the base, a wriggling gaffed tuna could easily pull it out of your hand. To add a measure of security when gaffing, attach a wrist cord: this device will attach to the base of your gaff handle and loop around your wrist. Then, when fishing, even if the gaff is ripped from your hand, you will still have a hold of it via the wrist strap.
   • If you need help finding a wrist cord for your gaff, speak with the sales staff at the fishing supply store.
3. Consider purchasing a flying gaff for tuna. A flying gaff is a specialized type of gaff typically used for heavy fish, large tuna (over 250 pounds [113 kg]) included. This type of gaff has a rope attached to the base of the gaff inside of the attached gaff pole. When a fish has been gaffed, the hook detaches from the base of the gaff, so that the fish is still hooked on the gaff but no longer
   • A flying gaff advantageously allows you to wear down a large fish before bringing it onboard. A flying gaff is also less likely to be torn from your grasp by a powerful, large tuna.

Tips

• Don’t try to handle both the fishing pole in one hand and the gaff in the other. This is an impractical means of fishing. One person should man the fishing pole, and a second person can gaff the fish.

Warnings

• For obvious safety reasons, keep all gaffs safely stored on the boat until you need them.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Tuna Helper
• Cook Tuna Steak
• Make Ahi Poke
• Make a Tuna Casserole
• Cook Ahi Tuna
• Sear Tuna
• Make a Tuna Melt