# Heard an Idea for Retreiving Fish from Pier



## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

While in Florida this past week a fisherman from Costa Rica shared a method for retrieving fish when fishing from a pier. He said to use a large three way hook, not a hook per se, but a three way that was say 4 to 5 inches long. Tie the three way onto a line and then use a barrel slide to snap onto your line, let it ride down the line to a stop that's been placed in line, and then use the three way to hook into the fish and bring it up on the pier. Seems plausible but also seems like it may tend to unhook the catch. I've never heard of this, has anyone else? Has anyone ever used such a device with success?


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

Sounds to me like a "gaff hook" which is a large treble hook on the end of a rope. You can use it by itself or slide it down your line. Either way, it's not for catch and release. Only for bigger fish that won't fit in a "pier net". Rather use a pier net so that if I have to release, there is no problem.


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## rgking03 (Mar 20, 2005)

saltandsand said:


> While in Florida this past week a fisherman from Costa Rica shared a method for retrieving fish when fishing from a pier. He said to use a large three way hook, not a hook per se, but a three way that was say 4 to 5 inches long. Tie the three way onto a line and then use a barrel slide to snap onto your line, let it ride down the line to a stop that's been placed in line, and then use the three way to hook into the fish and bring it up on the pier. Seems plausible but also seems like it may tend to unhook the catch. I've never heard of this, has anyone else? Has anyone ever used such a device with success?



I personnally use a pier net but I have friend that uses the same thing a big treble hook on a rope and clips it to his line and slides it down to the fish and hooks it under the mouth and then hauls up.

Rich


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

That's a bridge gaff. It's a big heavy multi pronged (I've seen as many as 6 hooks welded together) hook that tied to a rope. It works wonders to land big cobes and kings on a pier...the two species of fish that don't land well with a net


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

*So How to Rig One*

Thanks. I'm thinking one may be a good addition to my gear. Even though I don't do alot of high pier fishing and the compactness is a plus. Any suggestions on rigging one up are appreciated. 

No luck on the river tonite, sun set was great...there's always tomorrow.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

My pier gaff has a big castnet-type swivel at the top, and I just tie a length of diamond braid nylon rope to it, bimini twist, of course... J/K a regular uni works well. I like the diamond braid nylon in 3/8" diameter as it is smooth and easy to grasp, while being very strong. Just be sure to have enough rope...nothing screams googan like a pier gaff with a rope short by five feet!  And a big float on the other end works wonders in case you accidentally drop it. 

That said, unless you plan to fish for kings and cobes off piers a lot, I'd say forget about buying one. A good one can get pricey (like a full stainless steel one with forged hooks) and a cheap one may break at the worst moment. Most likely, most piers where they are commonly used would usually have regulars that have one they'd lend you if you hook up with a big king. For most of the pier fishing up here, gaffing fish is a no no and a net just works better on striper, drum, tog, flounder, blues and mondo croakers anyhow. I don't use mine here in the Delmarva area at all; that's why it's down at my father's house in GA.


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

are you going to gaff hook a fish that you're not sure if it's a keeper or not?

it's better to get a drop net.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

Well, lessee, the concrete pilings down at the Pensacola Pier are around 30" in diameter. The king mack that's ready to be landed looks twice as long as the diameter of the piling. Even with a 10% margin of error, the fish is still legal by over 32", so, I'ma gonna gaff him and take home the steaks! :fishing:

The iffy looking ones get netted. The really big mondo keepers that can't be netted get gaffed. Notice I said that a net works better for most species in my last post.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

HellRhaY said:


> it's better to get a drop net.


X2. I don't care much for drop gaffs at all. No sense punching holes in perfectly good meat.


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

saltandsand said:


> Thanks. I'm thinking one may be a good addition to my gear. Even though I don't do alot of high pier fishing and the compactness is a plus. Any suggestions on rigging one up are appreciated.
> 
> No luck on the river tonite, sun set was great...there's always tomorrow.


instead of a small clip to the line, maybe something bigger...

say a lure retrieval tool like i used for retreiving those pricy crank baits when bass fishing. slide the big loops over the line and drop it. this would allow the tool to drop over sinkers or what ever you may have on your line. and increase the lickly hood of getting a good gaf in the mouth or gill region, and not ruining perfectly good meat. just weld a few strong hooks on, attach a long enough rope, and youve got your tool...

as its been said, for keeping fish only.


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

if you are gonna keep it, gaff it if you need to...if a release, net it...and pull it up and put it back the same way, in the net...jmo


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

I use both a pier net and the gaf hooks. And ditto for what rattler said.


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## narfpoit (Jun 16, 2004)

That sounds more like a slide gaff

it is light weight and clips on the line slides down to the fish and will hook it in the face so that it does not mess up your meat. But again should only be used for fish you plan to eat.

There is also a divice called a barrel gaff that will slide down the line and clip on to your leader so you can hoist your fish up by the hook that is already in the fish. This just gives you a stronger rope to be able to hand line the fish up to the pier.


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

narfpoit... Thank you for the link. A little pricey but definately nifty and worthwhile. You wouldn't happen to have a link for the barrel that locks onto leader? Any other ideas welcome. Thanks again.


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

narfpoit... Thank you for the link. A little pricey but definately nifty and worthwhile. You wouldn't happen to have a link for the barrel that locks onto leader? Any other ideas welcome. Thanks again.

Emanuel... gotta put a few holes in the meat if your using injection marinades... just kidding


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## JFord56 (Feb 5, 2008)

Sounds like a slide gaff to me too. It is lite to try to avoid knocking the real hook out of the fish on the way down. I have a pier/bridge gaff I bought years ago at Springmaid pier at MB. Both are for keeper fish. Just a jumbo large treble hook with about 8 oz of lead molded around the hook shafts. Got it tied to 50' of 3/8" rope. We use to pull kings up with it if no net was available. Most piers have a net you can use down at the king section.


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## fyremanjef (Feb 17, 2005)

those collapaseable bridge nets are pretty cool. they sort of float, so I added a 2oz sinker to the bottom of the net to get it just about neutral boyancy. Nice thing is as the fish is in the net it collapse in, keeping the fish from rolling out. (sometimes its a challenge unless the fish is all they way in) but having it collapse up to less than 11" x 11" is a nice feature.


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## narfpoit (Jun 16, 2004)

saltandsand said:


> narfpoit... Thank you for the link. A little pricey but definately nifty and worthwhile. You wouldn't happen to have a link for the barrel that locks onto leader? Any other ideas welcome. Thanks again.



Here is some more info for you, a great thread from a while back.

Just scroll down a little bit to see what you are looking for and then go back and read the rest cause it is pretty cool.


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

I tried a "pop net" and it flew like a kite in 10 knot winds...add weight to the bottom and it just folded back up...gave that away and got a 30" 2 ring net from Dicks for $15...works for me...


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## steve grossman (Feb 1, 2008)

The sliding treble, or 3-way hook was used by me, in the Mid and Late 1970s, at the OLD WOODEN Matapeake pier, when 12-18 pound bluefish invaded the bay in early, mid, and late April, upto about June 1. No One had a net, no one had a gaff, there were 2 options during this time period. Either walk your fish down the pier and beach it, or use a sliding 3 way hook or gaff.

Yes, at one time, there was NO BULKHEAD at Matapeake. It was sooo funny watching everyone take about 30 minutes and longer, walking that fish down that pier, and trying to beach it. But that is how it was done, for years.

The Ocean pier in Ocean City Md, in the 1970s, same technique with sliding monster treble hook, to get that fish up. That pier used to go out a little farther out, with a BIG T on the end.

In the Fall, monster bluefish were hooked and brought up with this technique.

Fossil Hunter thoughts from the Past


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