I use a shark hook on a short length of wood handle as my primary gaff. Works great for all fish.
I made myself a halibut harpoon, although I haven't actually used it yet. It's much like the commercial ones: a sharp spear that seperates from a shaft and handle. Attached to the tip is a steel cable, with a length of rope attached to a float. Once speared, the cable goes through the fish, with the tip lying flat against the opposite side of the fish so it can't fall out. The fish can then bleed out and tire or die while the float will bring it back up and mark the location, even if the fishing line breaks free or gets spit out etc.
Unfortunately, the two halibut I've caught were both from a 21.5" wide sea kayak so I had minimal room and didn't bother bringing a float, making the harpoon largely useless. I hauled the 12lb fish aboard and the 52lb fish I towed over a mile to shore and dealt with from solid footing! Looking forward to trying out the harpoon from the fishing kayak though...
I made myself a halibut harpoon, although I haven't actually used it yet. It's much like the commercial ones: a sharp spear that seperates from a shaft and handle. Attached to the tip is a steel cable, with a length of rope attached to a float. Once speared, the cable goes through the fish, with the tip lying flat against the opposite side of the fish so it can't fall out. The fish can then bleed out and tire or die while the float will bring it back up and mark the location, even if the fishing line breaks free or gets spit out etc.
Unfortunately, the two halibut I've caught were both from a 21.5" wide sea kayak so I had minimal room and didn't bother bringing a float, making the harpoon largely useless. I hauled the 12lb fish aboard and the 52lb fish I towed over a mile to shore and dealt with from solid footing! Looking forward to trying out the harpoon from the fishing kayak though...
