By the time it’s ready to boat, the fish is pretty much done, and everyone on board is a lot safer because of it.” With a harpoon, the dart hits the fish away from the boat. The gaff and the guy holding it were flailing, and the end of the gaff whacked me hard in the head. Prior to using the harpoon, I recall wiring a swordfish that went crazy when it was gaffed. “They jump a lot and beat the hell out of a boat. “These fish are powerful and wild and, by the boat, pose a big danger,” Daffin says. He swears by the safety factor harpoons provide. Tom Daffin has daytime swordfishing off South Jersey dialed in, with a 445-pounder his largest to date. There’s also potential for boat damage.Ĭapt. The sheer power of a swordfish, coupled with its long bill, poses serious risk to crewmembers wiring and gaffing the fish, particularly those with little big-game experience. While such aggressive darting may raise some eyebrows, a harpoon provides a huge safety advantage. If a well-honed crew gets within darting distance, it has pretty much eliminated the risk of a prolonged fight and pulled hook, which are common in this fishery. With swordfish, that moment usually transpires as it reaches the surface after swimming up the weight. There’s often an opportunity to reach a hooked fish early in the fight. One method relies on using the boat to stop, tire and subdue a fish another enables the fish to tire itself, under measured pressure. Whereas the end of a 30-foot flying-gaff rope (IGFA max length) is cleated off, the end of a harpoon dart line-as long as 300 feet, based on specific applications-is typically secured to a buoy, which is rigged to facilitate the quick attachment of a second fishing outfit, should a fish run out all the dart line. But that’s pretty much it for similarities. Similar to a flying gaff, a harpoon dart detaches from its shank. But what’s the consensus on using harpoons when seeking big fish for table fare and not tournament or record consideration?Ī harpoon dart is an alternative to a straight or flying gaff when subduing large offshore gamefish. Harpoons, however, are not IGFA-legal landing aids. George PoveromoĪccording to the IGFA rulebook, gaffs (including flying gaffs) are acceptable, provided overall length doesn’t exceed 8 feet. Darting food fish, such as this swordfish, gets the job done efficiently.
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