GAFFING. 



421 



liberties. If it is heading towards the bank the back of the gaffer's hand 

 is sharply turned towards the head of the fish ; if heading from the bank, 

 the back of the hand is as sharply turned towards its tail and then the gaff 



holds hard and fast. And, 

 with the remark that the 

 fish should be immediately 

 dragged in the water and not 

 lifted out of it, but little 

 more need be said on the 

 subject. 



We have, however, yet to 

 consider the modus operandi 

 of the unattended Angler. 

 To this particular class, I 

 myself belong, when lumbago 

 (which offers considerable 

 impediment to free action) 

 does not trouble ine. 



My two-foot-two gaff is 

 all I require, though some- 

 times, but not often, I find 

 occasion for the other joints 

 belonging to it. The ring 

 (seen in the illustration) is 

 hooked on to a swivel, which 

 is sewn on to the top of the 

 waders under the left elbow. 



In my opinion, this is by 

 far the best contrivance for 

 carrying the gaff. Here we 

 have a double piece of thick 

 leather, forming a sheath 6J 



THK GAFF. 



inches long, 4i broad at the 

 head, the two sides of which 

 are closely and firmly sewn 

 together. The face is a hollow 

 tube (for the point of the 

 gaff) about the size of a two- 

 shilling piece, into which is 

 fitted a champagne cork en- 

 larged in bulk, by previous 

 soaking in water. A tack is 

 fixed through the leather and 

 into the cork on each side of 

 the tube, out of the line of 

 the gaff-point, to keep the 

 cork firmly in place. There is 

 the gaff and the 6i in. leather 

 socket through which the 

 handle passes. At bottom is 

 a button with a slot across 

 its head. This button is 

 made of steel or brass to fit 

 into steel or brass sockets 

 which are fixed at each end 

 of the thin malacca handle. 

 Steel is decidedly the most 

 reliable and the most durable. 

 For the sake of balance it is 

 necessary to attach the little 



" dee " (a sort of half hoop, 

 as used in dog collars, and in shape like the letter D), so as to measure 

 2$ inches from the top of its round head to the bottom of the leather 

 sheath. A piece of leather is passed through the white metal "dee," 



