That this silly term has been used before.

What is that? you might ask.

I'm referring to the way a trout, or any other fish you want to kill and eat, is dispatched. In a recent DVD supplied with a popular fly fishing magazine, the hero of the story talks about "tapping" the fish on the head in order to kill it. Gentlemen, we do not tap the fish on the head.

What we do do is give the fish an almighty crunching blow with a suitable weighty bludgeon - called a priest - right on the top of its head and between the eyes! Actually I often give it two blows, just to make sure.

This namby pamby business of tapping a fish on the head not only gives the wrong impression to newcomers to our sport, it is downright cruel on the fish.

Don't you agree?

I prefer the anecdote method.

Have to agree with you ron! two solid blows, nice and quick, ian

Tap is nice pleasant politically correct word Ron. In this day and age we mustn't use terminology that offends people's precious sensitivities

Hell, I've hit 'em so hard their eyeballs pop out. I've had to pop 'em back in before I serve 'em up to the missus

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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

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*****©(

Sounds like another load of ballocks to me!

Last time I was out, a more experienced angler than I suggested I kill the fish by hitting it at a point in line with the top of the gill slits. I'd always favoured hitting it slightly further forward - just behind the line of the eyes. Am I wrong?

When i say "more experienced", he has 40 years fishing to my 10, so we both must have killed a fair few fish in our day.

There are a lot of "experienced" idiots out there.
As you say, level with a touch behind the eye-line. 2 Firm strikes with a heavy priest, e.g; Superb priest packs a punch! & I like to hold the fish upright against the ground in the mesh of the net so that it feels the full force of the blows & your hand can't slip. Not stood above the fish, tapping it whilst it lies unheld on it's side, poor b@st@rd!

Spot on advice there Steve.

As anglers we all need be able to kill a fish humanely and cleanly. A suitable priest should be in all our tackle bags or waistcoats.

The suggestion that all we need to do is to "tap" the fish on the head is wrong and anyone who uses that sort of language needs a severe reprimand.

Priest my a... er derrière, I use a Knobkierrie my boy gave me in South Africa

__________________
*
How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

~~*~~~~~
*****©(

To take a 'knock'... to 'tap' a fish... to 'stick' a pig... slang at best.
A novice pig hunter hardly tries to dispatch a wild boar with a toothpick sized twig because of the use of local slang... pointless thread.