Questions for Hatteras bluefin setup?

[MissSara]

This question is to guys like TAT-Tuna and Offshore Mark or whoever else would like to chime in. We fished up around the 400 on Tuesday and this was my first time going after the 100-200lb bluefins. Fished three rods, 2 50s and an 80 on the planer rod. Marked the fish on several passes deep and then began marking them higher up and got a hit on the right rigger on the 50w. 2.5 hours later got him in the boat, 67" 160lb. One for one and my crew was done. Two fairly inexperienced anglers traded off on the fish standup with just a basic gimbal belt. On the ride back south to bottom fish, all I could think about was what we could have done different to minimize the fight time with the gear that we had. To be honest, I just checked the drags on the 50s by hand and I borrowed one that was a single speed penn and that was the one that caught the fish. Thinking back, I know the drag was too loose, but I hated to push it up further during the fight since I was not angling and could not really feel what the fish was doing. What should the strike drag have been set at? The reel was spooled with 80lb mono and I had rigged a 30ft windon with 150lb. I am sure that we did many things wrong but the end result was good. Just wondering what I should have done different in the rigging. Also, what type of fighting harness would you recommend? And last question(feeling long winded here), boat handling during the fight? We tried to keep him off the starboard corner and kept circling to the starboard to keep him there(main reason because the motor is set so far back on the bracket)? Also would throttle up a little when he would go directly under the boat to keep from having to pass the rod around the motor (which we still had to do several times). All tips are much appreciated.

[N2theBlue]

for one thing....a good standup harness would make life a hell of a lot easier. Standard drag is 1/4-1/3 of the line strength. Try and be aggressive with the boat and get right on top of the fish, fighting close to straight down as much as possible.

[zar2754]

for one thing....a good standup harness would make life a hell of a lot easier. Standard drag is 1/4-1/3 of the line strength. Try and be aggressive with the boat and get right on top of the fish, fighting close to straight down as much as possible.

a bucket harness set up will get the fish to the boat fast with the right technique

with 80 mono and 150 windon, i would have had my drag at 20# and strike, and bumped it up to 24-26ish after the 1st 20 minutes or so.

i am a proponent of putting the heat to a fish but inexperienced anglers strapped in with heavy drag is a dangerous thing..

as far as keeping the fish in the corner, and keep circling is a good thing, you need to react quickly and so does the angler to changes in boat positions....

when the fish is straight up and down, bumping forward will help hydroplane the fish to the surface , but if your are too agressive you can pull hooks and start breaking shit.


the best tip i can give is to mark your entire drag curve with tape and a sharpie.

mark your what pound your drag is at strike, then make 2 or 3 marks above strike so you know exactly how much drag you have if you need to go past the button and put the heat on the fish

[offshore]

MissSara congrats on your fish!! Tough battle that's for sure. Zar has summed up what needs to be done. I like 50s for this size fish. A few years back I re-spooled everything with 130lb JB Hollowcore because you never know what you are going to hook up with in the waters you were fishing. Also I am a firm beleiver of putting the screws to the bigger fish. I dont want any of our crew to fight a fish any longer than they have too. Not only for the fishes sake but for the safety of the angler. The longer you fight a fish like that the more mistakes happen.
You have to have good gear that you trust your rods, reels, line terminal tackle, Etc. And the man at the wheel needs to really stay on top of things. He must ask and do what the angler needs.
My big thing is that anyone who fishes on the boat must have a good harness set ups as these fish can hurt you. I like everyone to have their own harness adjusted to them. I will not let anyone use a harness that is not set up for them. And I will not let anyone readjust my harness. I know it sounds rough when I say that but I learned a long time ago that it takes time to set up a harness right for a person. A properly set up harness is key to getting a big fish to the boat. Personally I don't like plastic rod plates. A few years ago I had one collapse while fighting a good size BFT and the next day I ordered a aluminum plate. It has been well worth the money.
With the right set up I am not afraid to lay the screws to a big fish. On the ones we caught Monday both were brought to the boat at right at 30lbs of drag. No doubt it takes practice and the first few times it will take much longer. Once you gain confidence in your equipment don't be afraid to use it that is why you invested the money in the gear. You can see my set up below. You will notice the aluminum plate and a few other things not mentioned above safety rope for bigger fish,a release blade,and not using the arms to fight the fish using the legs and gluts to fight the fish. If you use your arms its all over for the angler on a big fish...This might not be the way everyone does it but it works well for us on a small boat. I also like to keep the fish on the starboard corner as you can see.....Tight Lines Mark

[MissSara]

Thanks guys for the replys, just the info I was looking for. I believe the lack of confidence in my gear really was the contributing factor in the long fight and of course also my inexperience with a fish of that size. I am glad for my crew that it all worked out but it was a nerve racking 2.5 hours for sure. I will be more prepared next time thanks to you guys.

[Foul Hook'd]

If you still have that Shimano Triton filled with that yellow braid, it was 200lb. just add the 130-150 topshot and your ready, it'll definately put the heat on the fish. I'll second the bucket harness, takes the stress off of your back! Congrats on the BFT, alot of sushi there

Foul Hook'd

[netman9]

Great report, congrats on an awesome catch. Good read on replies, Thanks

[Sea Draggin]

Miss Sara,
At the end of the day, you got your fish. Doesn't matter if it was 20 minutes or 2 hours. At the end of the success is success. Now that you have one under your belt, I promise you the second will go faster and easier. Unless its a Demon Fish, but thats another story.

Congrats on the toro.

[MissSara]

If you still have that Shimano Triton filled with that yellow braid, it was 200lb. just add the 130-150 topshot and your ready, it'll definately put the heat on the fish. I'll second the bucket harness, takes the stress off of your back! Congrats on the BFT, alot of sushi there

Foul Hook'd

Yep, she was on the left rigger and was the one I was hoping would get the bite.

[gmoney]

Offshore that first picture you posted is excellent at laying out how the fight should look. Straight up and down, you can see that the boat is in somewhat of a slow circle, angler locked into the corner.

O yeah, kinda makes me wanna fish too