# Gaffing Stripers



## Stripahunta (Dec 18, 2003)

Is it unlawful to gaff Stripers in N.C. ?
Va. it is illeagal...


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

If not, it should be! Personally, get 'em close enough and hand grab by lower lip, and if not keeping remove hook with fish in water. Just my 2 pennies worth.

Have Jeep will travel.


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## Stripahunta (Dec 18, 2003)

Shaggy,
I'm also against it . 
Half the sport of fishing is landing the fish on your own tackle.
The reason I bring this up is that the Oregon Inlet fishing report 
site 
shows a bunch of folks with their striper catches and some of these fish have gaping side wounds. Now if they were caught off 
Va, waters that would be illegal.
I don't know the gaffing law down in N.C.
I would assume it's legal, if not they posted the evidence.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

I've got a email into th NC DMF. I'll let ya know what they say.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I know for a fact it *IS ILLEGAL* to gaff a drummie,don't know about stripers.. When I catch one he's netted or picked up by the lower jaw as was said earlier.. I do use a gaff though,when I catch and release.. I take a six inch long T handled gaff,pull the fish along side and put the shank of the gaff against the shaft of my hook on the jig I'm using,great "dehooker"


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## roam (Dec 15, 2003)

*what is the...*

difference if you are putting him/her in the box! yeah, i agree if you are releasing the fish-dont gaff it. If you are eating it-who cares!


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## sharkbite (Jun 8, 2001)

roam: The way I see it is what's the point in gaffing a striper? IMHO there's no reason I can think of to gaf one. They don't have teeth, the bigger ones aren't hard to handle in the boat, They aren't hard to lip once you've gotten them to the boat. I can see gaffing a king or some other fish (as long as it is going to be kept) that has teeth and you take a chance on losing fingers and other appendages but a striper? Like I said, I just don't see the point in gaffing stripers and it also may be illegal. just my .02

Tight Lines


Tim


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## roam (Dec 15, 2003)

again...what the H#$$ is the difference if i gaff a fish i am going to eat...cobia dont have teeth either. go ahead and lip one of dem rascals

to me its some sort of striper elitist crap or something "dont gaff a bass they are too prescious" i am the FIRST guy to let a fish go...but aint nothin wrong with puttin a legal limit in the box!


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## sharkbite (Jun 8, 2001)

cobia and stripers and two different species. lip a cobia and you'll probably get your arm ripped off, haven't heard of anyone losing an arm with a striper


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## Anthony (Jul 3, 2002)

I feel as long as it's legal then there's no problem gaffing one as long as they plan on keeping it. I personally would never gaff one myself especially since I have never caught one big enough to gaff. I'm assuming that the ones that you are seeing gaffed are out of NC on the charter boats. The charters usually only care about puting meat in the box and don't practice C&R unless told by the customer or have already obtained their limit. I believe that it is legal in NC but not legal in MD and VA. If it wasn't legal, then that is another story.


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## Stripahunta (Dec 18, 2003)

Roam,
there is no "save the Stripers" mentality here, it more has to do with the facts of the law, and if those clowns running charters might be breaking the law. The reason there are gaffing laws is so that you either bring the fish in on your own or you don't catch it at all, also it prevents people who don't know how to gaff from needlessly killing fish. If they can't bring it in, they just wasted a fish. Then they go for their limit and take two more.
And the reason we are enjoying these recent great Striper 
seasons is because they put laws in place to protect the fish.


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## oldsalt (May 6, 2003)

I see no reason to GAFF any fish, If you can't get them in the boat or drag them ashore with out the gaff you shouldn't have hooked them in the first place!!!:jawdrop:


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I hate to say,but a little "offense" is taken by calling them clowns.. I know several of those "clowns",and if there are better fishermen,I don't know them. Furthermore,the "clowns" I know stay tight to the law! Also several of them,I have known since the mid 70's when we use to catch drummies together on the planks. You could keep one even two back then but what did they do? Released the fish..  Also a charter boat sits pretty high from the stern,I think you would have to hang by your feet to lip one.. 
PS Wasn't going to butt in until you called them clowns.. I think if you talked to one of them you'd find them very knowlegable about the fishery..


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## OBXdiver (Dec 4, 2003)

Well said DD. Thanks for steppin in


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

*Hypothetical Question*

Suppose you are fishing from a pier with no pier net only a pier gaff and you have a nice big schoolie whooped on his side....What then break him off trying to pull him/her up? I think I need to invest in a new pier net now that I'm thinking about it.

NOT stiring the sh, just wondering what most people would do.

Mitch


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## Stripahunta (Dec 18, 2003)

I guess I shouldn't call all of them clowns........my own family worked on fishing boats. 
It has nothing to do their knowlege of fishery, it's if they are abiding by the law.....and my point is that nobody has answered my question yet, is it illegal to gaff Stripers in N.C....that's what I wanted to know. Let's not offend anyone.
 That wouldn't be P.C.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I'll find out today for sure.If captians down there ARE using gaffs, I got my money saying that it IS legal in NC..


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

*Re: Hypothetical Question*



mitchmtm1 said:


> *Suppose you are fishing from a pier with no pier net only a pier gaff and you have a nice big schoolie whooped on his side....What then break him off trying to pull him/her up? I think I need to invest in a new pier net now that I'm thinking about it.
> 
> NOT stiring the sh, just wondering what most people would do.
> 
> Mitch *


 Mitch,back in the day,we never used a net on a king or a cobe.. It simply took too long! We could have one gaffed and on the deck in half the time,in most cases.. I've seen days when there were over 40 kings gaffed on the deck!! Not the first one netted. Never saw a cobe lost that way either we would put one in it,if it was a biggun we would put more,as many as 3 were put into one cobe I caught in 78!Still got my old stainless 4prong gaff. *Oh,to have those days back again.. * If it is legal,and we are catching stripers,with no net,gaff it is,as long as the fish is waaaaaaaaaaaay beyond the size limit,say 35 incher at least,you should be able to see that even from 20ft in the air.. Other than that,without a net,ya just pop them off,we've done that with drummies,when there is no net,it breaks right were your shock ties to swivel... In most cases where they are under 28in anyway,I could handline them,if there is no net,in that way,there is no swivel or hook for them to have to contend with..  Course with this new "popup net",I should be able to cart that thing out with my buggy,so they'll always be a net out there...


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## BaitWaster (Jan 8, 2004)

Just got off the phone with a NC Marine Enforcement Officer out of Morehead City. It is NOT currently illegal to gaff a striper. 

In fact the only regs that are remotely applicable are that it is illegal to gig a red drum and it is illegal to use a gaff, boat hook, spear, gig to remove a drum from any commercial net, e.g., a pound net. Section .0501 (b) of the Little Red Book.

If there is interest in making it illegal, I can float it by the next meeting of the Inland Advisory Committee of the Marine Fisheries Commission. I suspect there would be opposition from the charter fleet however. I would like to get some direction on the possession issue for beach fishermen who stay on the beach or fish past midnight and are technically allowed more than one day’s limits of stripers. 

Bernie McCants dba as Boomer over here.


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## roam (Dec 15, 2003)

i still dont understand?? what the [email protected]#$ does it matter if you are eating the fish????

again release is a different ballgame???

makes no sense to me that anyone would even care how i got the bass in the boat if i am going to eat it!!??


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## Anthony (Jul 3, 2002)

Thanks Boomer. You answered a lot of people's questions.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

I think it does seem kind of odd to not be able to gaff them if you are certain they are legal and are going to be eaten. It's sort of like the requirement that the needles used for lethal injections be sterile (?!?)

However, the law's the law. Even ones that seem a little odd. Thanks for clearing it up Boomer.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

for some reason, after the moratorium was lifted in the late 80's, Virginia included a no-gaff rule as part of their rockfish regs. Frankly, I really don't know why....but it's been on the books here for a while.

As BW(Boomer) confirmed it is perfectly legal in NC.

I'm kinda with roam, if it's going in the box what's the big deal?
Then again, the cobias I've caught have all been from a boat. And based on experience, I'd rather net a cobia than gaff it---less broken tackle and broken bones once that sucka's in the boat. I've noticed they're much nicer when they haven't been stuck.

Anyone notice this with other species?


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

Guess my no gaff statement may be premature, but I based it on my personal experience. See, I am the only one here at home that eats fish, so I keep very few, and also I fish from the surf where gaffing is not needed, yet some fish caught do have some marks from what may be "gaff and releases". If a known keeper for dinner, no problem, but if injured and short, the fish may just end up with a better chance to die then swim to be caought another day.

Just a bit more of my spare change.

Have Jepp will travel.


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## Stripahunta (Dec 18, 2003)

Finally, somebody answer my question, I really didn't give a [email protected]*
what other people do. 
Roam, the idea is so that you don't Gaff an illegal.
Thanks
BOOMER
Happy Gaffing Roam!
I wouldn't recommend it in VA though


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Boomer said:


> *Just got off the phone with a NC Marine Enforcement Officer out of Morehead City. It is NOT currently illegal to gaff a striper.
> 
> In fact the only regs that are remotely applicable are that it is illegal to gig a red drum and it is illegal to use a gaff, boat hook, spear, gig to remove a drum from any commercial net, e.g., a pound net. Section .0501 (b) of the Little Red Book.
> 
> ...


 Thanks Bern,glad ta seeya "hangin out" on here. 
PS Hope the weather holds for Saturday...


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