GAFFS 301 



fish. More fish are lost by neglect of this very 

 simple precaution than from any other cause. 

 If he is too careless to observe it, and he loses a 

 fish thereby, it will be his own fault ; but it is a 

 dreadful sell to lose a good fish by reason of such 

 indolence. An old hand will take very good 

 care to run no risks of this description. A salmon 

 is a powerful fish, and the tackle must needs be 

 sound and strong to hold it. 



A gaff is a necessity, for without it a fish can- 

 not be landed without running extreme risks, not 

 only of losing it, but also of breaking the tackle, 

 especially if the fisherman is single-handed. It 

 is, I am well aware, possible to * tail ' a fish, i.e., 

 to seize it by what is called the 'wrist,' viz., that 

 part of the body just above the tail, and so pull it 

 out, a salmon being the only fish which can thus 

 be held without the tail slipping through the 

 hand. This plan may be adopted as a dernier 

 ressort when no gaff is available or assistant 

 at hand to perform the feat ; but even then it 

 can only be managed under very exceptional and 

 favourable conditions. 



Therefore, a gaff cannot well be dispensed 

 with. There are two kinds of gaffs, viz., those 

 which fold or shut up, and those which do not. 

 The latter are, of course, the stronger and better, 

 the shank of the gaff-hook being lashed with wire, 

 or water-cord varnished, to a long stout staff of 



