I lost a big halibut last summer at the end of Zuniga jetty. When I tried to gaff him he went berserk. Those suckers have some strength when they decide not to cooperate. I was frustrated, to say the least, so I came home and built this whatchamacallit with a slip tip:
The matching hook gaff to make a set was for fun, and to use up some leftover materials. I like fiddling in my garage for relaxation.
In retrospect, I should have stained the wood with a dark oak penetrating oil stain, added some gnarly teeth marks or teeth, and given it the patina of age and experience. It still has the "new car smell" which just isn't right.
I haven't hooked another halibut big enough to use it since then, but it fits nicely on the right side paddle holder of my Outback as backup. Maybe when halibut see it on the side of my kayak ready to deploy they become more docile?
As my endurance for peddling my Hobie continues to build, maybe I'll pedal up to Alaska. Once we cross the border, I think it's not uncommon to shoot 'em in the head to subdue them.
The spray bottle with vodka sounds interesting. I haven't tried that yet.