Fishermen use gaffs to spear, hold and land large fish. This is dangerous when done from a boat and always kills the fish. A gaff consists of a u-shaped steel bar (“shank”) with one end attached to a pole and the opposite end containing a sharp point. The invention, similar to existing gaffs, but designed to hold a fish without harming it, has a blunt end, rather than a point. Instead of spearing fish, it uses two steel, spring activated, one-way gates, that span the opening between the sides of the shank. They open and then close when pulled or pushed across the part of the fish's body to which the tail attaches, making it impossible for the fish to pull its tail free from the space between the closed gates and the curve in the bend of the shank. The fish is then held without harm.
