fighting tuna

[niko]

there are a couple of ways to go at it. tons of drag, put the heat on him and get it to the boat as quick as possible, if you pull the hook so be it. shorter but intense fight. option 2 - moderate drag. it will be a longer fight and the longer it is the more chance you have of something going wrong

[JackK]

If you stop a tuna, you stop it breathing. That's why most of the old timers used 400 lb handlines. They do their first run, then had the screws put to them. Takes very large fish out of the fight.

Like Niko said, the longer the fight, the more chance of something (hook wearing a bigger hole, knot failing, etc etc) going wrong. Best to put the heat on ASAP and keep it there. Better for the fish, too, if you're going C&R at all.

[puppet]

Originally Posted by JackK

If you stop a tuna, you stop it breathing. That's why most of the old timers used 400 lb handlines. They do their first run, then had the screws put to them. Takes very large fish out of the fight.

Like Niko said, the longer the fight, the more chance of something (hook wearing a bigger hole, knot failing, etc etc) going wrong. Best to put the heat on ASAP and keep it there. Better for the fish, too, if you're going C&R at all.

thanks.

What are the pitfalls of the heavy pressure strategy for someone new to targeting them? Should it only be attempted with those who have experience?

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by JackK

If you stop a tuna, you stop it breathing. That's why most of the old timers used 400 lb handlines. They do their first run, then had the screws put to them. Takes very large fish out of the fight..

With multiple stran twisted wire leaders and cast iron sash weights for sinkers.
Sometimes stay anchored if we could gain line on m,,,
A whopping $2 - $3.00 / lb.

O to be young again, Gup

[puppet]

Originally Posted by niko

if that fish is 275 pounds, i'll quit fishing.

Just to be clear, there are two videos.. the first one is a link to a
yellowfin taken via bamboo. The author stated the size. Its seemed
like a reasonable estimate, but I do not have the eye to dispute.
either way....I have always been confused with this video. Like, I
just don't understand how they disable such a big fish so fast.

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

editing! Do you think they really show the entire fight?

Not sure. I have watched it a couple of times. I do not see an edit. I
am really impress on how quickly he gets over that fish. Like he is
up and down on it in under 60 seconds.

I have watched some of the other videos in that collection. It seems
to be somewhat commercial as they appear to be advertising rods.
Its totally possible that I am being tricked by some fancy editing.

Originally Posted by niko

there are a couple of ways to go at it. tons of drag, put the heat on him and get it to the boat as quick as possible, if you pull the hook so be it. shorter but intense fight. option 2 - moderate drag. it will be a longer fight and the longer it is the more chance you have of something going wrong

When you say tons of drag, I am curious about how much drag
pressure.

Thanks for the info. Most of my experience has been with short
fighting fish. The only exceptions have been with some bigger
critters from the kayak....but even those were done in under 15
minutes. I am trying to get a full picture of what I am in for.

Can you recommend any resources or articles on light tackle
bluefin fishing?

I did a search on the www , but couldn't find anything but
charter ads.

Thanks!