Aye Jim your right i did get a bit stick when i first posted the pic of the cliff gaff on the board, Barbaric was mentioned a few times as it is now.
the guys that use these are fishing from cliffs and fishing for the pot,not sport fishing that most of the lads on the board do.
if anyone is going to fish cliff marks there is no way any fish are going to be returned unharmed,so what better way to make sure the fish are actually landed and not falling off half way up only to drop to a ultimate death to the rocks below.
and as for drop nets,they only have uses at specific marks, most victorian harbour walls are splayed out at the bottom making it impossible for the net to work properly.i tried unsucessfully to net my pb cod of 17lb+ with a drop net.only way i got the cod into the net was a lad climbing down the ladder and guiding the fish into the net
and it would have went back if my ex fishing partner hadnt whipped it away and dispatched it.
Bottom line is if you are going to fish cliff marks get 1 it might well get you your pb fish up the cliff and chances are when fishing these marks the weather will be shite so there shouldnt be to many antis walking the cliffs