Outfit The Gaff. 71 



spur projects at a right angle from the flattened portion in 

 a direction away from the point, and should be about half 

 an inch long. The gaff should be of steel and brought 

 to a spring temper, and be of sufficient stiffness to resist 

 a pretty strong effort to open the curve. It is important 

 that the depth of the hook should exceed its greatest 

 width by at least one quarter of an inch. Next to over- 

 thin or clumsily thick wire, this lack of depth on the 

 point-side of the gaff is one of the most common, as it is 

 one of the most serious, of faults. 



The measurements of the " veteran" gaff, of which the 

 preceding figure is a portrait, are as follows : From bot- 

 tom of hook to spur on end of shank, measured on a 

 straight line and not around the curve, twelve inches. 

 Width of hook opposite point, two and three quarter 

 inches; width of hook at widest portion, three and one 

 quarter inches; depth of hook, measured from a line 

 drawn straight across from the point to the shank, three 

 and nine sixteenths inches. All these measurements relate 

 to the inner, not to the outer margin of the curve of the 

 hook. The point-side is perfectly straight, the increased 

 width of the hook resulting from an outward curve of 

 the shank-side. Were I to change this gaff in any way, it 

 would be by adding a quarter of an inch to the length 

 of the point-side, thus making the depth of the hook 

 three and thirteen sixteenths inches. 



A gaff of these dimensions I recommend to the reader 

 as equally adapted to secure a grilse of six, or a salmon of 

 forty pounds. A smaller gaff may be found inadequate, 

 a larger one is unnecessary. Thus armed, the angler can- 

 not go amiss. 



That there may be no mistake in reference to this es- 



