I Don't Get It?

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I like Wicked Tuna and other shows of big fish. Question is why is the fight so long? Sometimes over two hours. If the point is to tire it out, then why not just reel from hook set all the way to the boat and just avoid the long fight? I see the line strip off. Why not set the drag to 100%? If the issue is the line breaking then why not use (or invent) line that sustains over 1,000lbs. Then I see the guys pulling the line by hand while reeling. Does that mean the reel isn't strong enough? If that's the case then can they use a stronger reel?

[Penguino]

It's all for show. It makes the fight and the show seem much more interesting. What's the fun in the audience watch Jeremy Wade catch a 20LB fish on a heavy rod and reel.

[Bluebasser86]

Just because the line holds doesn't mean their mouths or the hook will. They use pretty small hooks because a lot of big fish are wary and smart, so a lot of pressure will easily bend a hook.

[Long Mike]

Now you know why I do not watch that show.  Lots of fluff and little substance.

[Catt]

Ever watch em on a Tuna boat?

It like a big ole cane pole, no reel, just swing em in the boat!

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Jeremy Wade could catch a tuna on a $10 Barbie pole. LOL

Sounds like that fight stuff on the tuna shows were Hollywood additions. :-/

[gardnerjigman]

Most of those shows are. Broke my heart when I found out most of swamp people was BS...

[Fisher-O-men]

 

Watch and believe!

[SirSnookalot]

The albacore that are swing onto a boat are not big, don't believe you could lift a 70 or 80# one.  Tuna and many other pelagic species have power and speed that is hard to comprehend.  You have to fish drag for these fish, I have had mishaps with too tight a drag even though fish were still pulling out line, hooks bent or broke, knots don't always hold under that pressure.  What is seldom seen is what the helmsman is doing, must keep that fish off the back of the boat.  The man on the rod has the rod in the rod holder, a rod designed to fish that way.  He is not wearing a fighting belt or strapped into a fighting chair.  Fishing off a cruiser and not a center console, a fish moving off the bow would be extremely difficult to handle.  An experienced helmsman is the key to landing those fish.

 

 

I ran across a guy a couple of weeks ago fishing shark in the ICW, had 2300 yards of 100# braid on his reel 14/0 senator.

[Lund Explorer]

I like Wicked Tuna and other shows of big fish. Question is why is the fight so long? Sometimes over two hours. If the point is to tire it out, then why not just reel from hook set all the way to the boat and just avoid the long fight? I see the line strip off. Why not set the drag to 100%? If the issue is the line breaking then why not use (or invent) line that sustains over 1,000lbs. Then I see the guys pulling the line by hand while reeling. Does that mean the reel isn't strong enough? If that's the case then can they use a stronger reel?

 

Should I venture a guess that you've never gone after any of the larger fish species?  There are many fish that fight a whole lot harder than your average 5lb LM that you can simply haul to the boat using 40lb braid.  Expanding your fishing experiences will give you a better understanding of what you are seeing.

 

When watching that show, the first thing you need to know is that they are using a circle hook which requires no hookset like you would with an EWG worm hook.  Secondly as has been said before, you cannot dink drag a fish that weighs over 200lbs without the hook pulling free or some other failure.  When you see the fisherman "pulling" the line by hand, what they are really doing is simply holding the line so the reel can retrieve a few feet of line while leaving the drag setting alone, and it has nothing to do with the strength of the reel.

 

My advice would be to set aside some vacation time and explore your chances at getting a charter trip with one of these crews.  Maybe head out to the NW and book a river trip for Sturgeon, or Wisconsin for Musky.  Heck, come on to Michigan and I'd try to get you in on a King Salmon off of my favorite west Michigan pier head.  I'll even spool up some 40lb braid for you and tighten the drag to 100%.  I'll even throw you the life ring once you're in the lake!

[shanksmare]

I like Wicked Tuna and other shows of big fish. Question is why is the fight so long? Sometimes over two hours. If the point is to tire it out, then why not just reel from hook set all the way to the boat and just avoid the long fight? I see the line strip off. Why not set the drag to 100%? If the issue is the line breaking then why not use (or invent) line that sustains over 1,000lbs. Then I see the guys pulling the line by hand while reeling. Does that mean the reel isn't strong enough? If that's the case then can they use a stronger reel?

Wow, I'm not sure where to begin. I guess the quickest lesson would be to charter a boat to fish for giant bluefin tuna and then judge for yourself.

 

Bluefin tuna are constructed so that most of their fins  retract into cavities or fit into recesses in their bodies. This makes them very streamlined and allows them to achieve tremendous speeds.

 

They also have great eyesite and are exceedingly difficult to fool. A typical commercial outfit would include an 80 or 100# class reel, It would be spooled with 200# dacron with a 100' topshot of 200# mono and a 20 or 30' leader of 180# flourocarbon. The flouro would be wiped down with alcohol to remove residue and make it more transparent.

 

You wear a glove and pull on the line to create more drag than the reel can provide (the reel will provide 45 or 50# or more depending on the size and model).

 

The bait which is commonly used for tuna (at least on Cape Cod) is a 6 to 10# bluefish rigged with a bridle arrangement thru the eye sockets. The hook which is huge by freshwater standards is rather small (for stealth) by tuna standards. These hooks which look strong enough to tow a car are often bent and twisted during the fight.

 

Fighting the tuna requires strict teamwork between the boat operator and the angler.

 

The power of these fish is difficult to imagine. About 10 years ago I fished with a friend in Cape Cod Bay for these giants. We were using commercial tackle rather than sporting tackle (130# class). When you hool one of these fish it is like fighting a Volkswagen with a flipping stick. We landed the 700+# tuna after about an hour fight. We used an 80# class reel so I had to supplement the drag by grabbing and pulling the line with a gloved left hand. I regained feeling in my left thumb after about a month.

 

It is a lot of work and I would never do it again. I had also landed a 723# tuna on sporting tackle in 1970. I vowed then never to do it again. I guess I forgot about the effort involved after 35 years and foolishly did it again.

 

I've never watched Wicked Tuna but it doesn't sound like they are embelishing the process that much if at all.

[MDBowHunter]

I will say that I've personally caught a yellowfin that weighed 125lbs and it was 66" long and it took 1.5 hours to get him in the boat. I had him at the boat in about 15 minutes, but as soon as he saw the boat he took out at least twice as much as he did the first run and he did this two more times before giving in. That was the biggest of the day, we also caught at least 10 albacore that were all in the 25lb and over range and they all came right in the boat. After catching a good sized tuna I have to admit that they are probably one of the toughest fish in the sea to boat. The only thing you would accomplish by locking the drag down is a burned up reel or a lost fish....

[SirSnookalot]

Great explanation shanksmere............FYI Bluefin tuna are warm blooded.

[roadwarrior]

Great explanation shanksmere............FYI Bluefin tuna are warm blooded.

 

WOW!

 

Learn something new everyday:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_bluefin_tuna

 

 

 

[shanksmare]

FYI Bluefin tuna are warm blooded.

 I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

[RoLo]

Bluefin tuna are constructed so that most of their fins  retract into cavities or fit into recesses in their bodies. This makes them very streamlined and allows them to achieve tremendous speeds. They also have great eyesite and are exceedingly difficult to fool. A typical commercial outfit would include an 80 or 100# class reel, It would be spooled with 200# dacron with a 100' topshot of 200# mono and a 20 or 30' leader of 180# flourocarbon. The flouro would be wiped down with alcohol to remove residue and make it more transparent.

 

You wear a glove and pull on the line to create more drag than the reel can provide (the reel will provide 45 or 50# or more depending on the size and model).

 

The bait which is commonly used for tuna (at least on Cape Cod) is a 6 to 10# bluefish rigged with a bridle arrangement thru the eye sockets. The hook which is huge by freshwater standards is rather small (for stealth) by tuna standards. These hooks which look strong enough to tow a car are often bent and twisted during the fight. Fighting the tuna requires strict teamwork between the boat operator and the angler.

 

The power of these fish is difficult to imagine. About 10 years ago I fished with a friend in Cape Cod Bay for these giants. We were using commercial tackle rather than sporting tackle (130# class). When you hool one of these fish it is like fighting a Volkswagen with a flipping stick. We landed the 700+# tuna after about an hour fight. We used an 80# class reel so I had to supplement the drag by grabbing and pulling the line with a gloved left hand. I regained feeling in my left thumb after about a month. It is a lot of work and I would never do it again. I had also landed a 723# tuna on sporting tackle in 1970. I vowed then never to do it again. I guess I forgot about the effort involved after 35 years and foolishly did it again.

 

Very nice account Shankmare, I can almost hear the seagulls screeching (In Jersey, we used live tinker mackerel for bait) 

You're right-on about the strict teamwork between the angler and the helmsman backing-down.

It's hard to exaggerate the power of a horse mackerel. There's an actual account of a wireman

who stepped into a loose coil of line. When the giant lunged next to the boat, the line sliced into his leg

down to his shankbone. 

 

Roger

[RoLo]

FYI Bluefin tuna are warm blooded.

 

One day while drifting for summer flounder off New Jersey I hooked a sandshark (smooth dogfish).

I decided to use him for fluke strips, but was shocked to find that his innards were warmer than my hands 

That evening I read that sandshark, like mackerel and tuna can produce their own heat.

 

Roger

[SirSnookalot]

Never caught a 700# fish but I've landed quite a few triple digit ones, using the appropriate gear for those species the formula for landing them is the same as the larger tuna.  In my part of Florida both bonita and black fin are common, being just fraction of the size (20# is pretty good) of a bluefin these fish can still put some hurt on ya and they won't be landed with a locked down drag.

[everythingthatswims]

Watch this video, these guys catch a BABY that is already stressed and tired. Look at the power he still has! If someone managed to find a way to "boat flip" a big one, it would probably break the back of the boat into pieces and sink it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ker1KtZgyY

 

I have caught small blackfin up to 12lbs, and been a witness to 40-50lb class yellowfin being landed. I can't even begin to wrap my head around the idea of a 500-1000lb plus version of one of those. 

 

I caught a 51lb cobia a few years back, and when we gaffed and brought it in the boat, my friend got slapped in the leg by the fish's tail. The bruise looked like someone hit him with a baseball bat, and that was a tired fish.

 

You can't handle a big saltwater fish like largemouth, no matter what tackle you have, it just can't be done.

[A-Jay]

Although we as bass fisherman like to think our quarry is a good "fighter" and one that challenges our tackle, when compared to the tuna, the reality is There is No Comparison. 

 

As several of the membership here have responded, "fighting" these fish is something that must be experienced to appreciate.  It's one thing to have the tackle connected to the boat and an entirely different deal, when you are battling one of these freaks on stand-up tackle.  I've done it a few times and clearly nothing in the class of the fish landed routinely by the Commercial Crowd.  But I promise you, Fighting & landing your first, even a "Small Tuna" which may be 100 lbs or so, is an angling experience, you will never forget.

 

  And going back a little, as a US Coast Guard member, I had the opportunity to participate and assist in the regulation of this fishery off the east coast from Maine to North Carolina.   Over the years I had a front row seat to watch those boys battle some real tanks.  What you see on TV is pretty much how I remember it.  

 

Finally, I really love Sushi.

 

A-Jay

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Thanks so much guys!!!! I've learned so much by reading your posts and now I want to get out and do it!!!!! :-)

[Catch 22]

Very good thread and answers.

Yup those big fish will turn your arms to rubber. My son in law is a big guy and wanted to catch a shark with a stand up rig . A 114 Penn on a broomstick was the weapon. We were only 1/2 mile off shore drifting with a flounder rack for only about 15 minutes til a hook up. 45 minutes later we get sight of a 10' approx. 250 lb sand shark. Another 20 minutes it came boatside  for a picture and just then the hook pulled out.Perfect c & r. I asked if he wanted another one . No way. I almost had to hand feed him the water bottle.

 

 Most of the beach going swimmers are totally unaware a what huge critters  are only a short distance from them. 

Yaking a bait out about 100 yds to catch sharks is very popular around here.Its all c & r with regs that prohibit even totally dry beaching them.You should see the faces of the moms and their kids,along with the inevitable dumb question" did you catch that here"

C22

[everythingthatswims]

Very good thread and answers.

Yup those big fish will turn your arms to rubber. My son in law is a big guy and wanted to catch a shark with a stand up rig . A 114 Penn on a broomstick was the weapon. We were only 1/2 mile off shore drifting with a flounder rack for only about 15 minutes til a hook up. 45 minutes later we get sight of a 10' approx. 250 lb sand shark. Another 20 minutes it came boatside  for a picture and just then the hook pulled out.Perfect c & r. I asked if he wanted another one . No way. I almost had to hand feed him the water bottle.

 

 Most of the beach going swimmers are totally unaware a what huge critters  are only a short distance from them. 

Yaking a bait out about 100 yds to catch sharks is very popular around here.Its all c & r with regs that prohibit even totally dry beaching them.You should see the faces of the moms and their kids,along with the inevitable dumb question" did you catch that here"

C22

The sharks in Myrtle Beach are ridiculous. Can't fish for them on piers or the beach though. My friend and I would go out early in the morning to fish and you could see them come up into 2' of water and less, dorsal out and everything. Any big live or cut bait would get sharked pretty quickly, and if you hooked a decent fish, you had to horse it in or a shark would eat it!

 

We saw multiple spadefish, multiple sheepshead, and a 2 or 3 foot bonnethead shark get "sharked" while on the pier.

 

I watched some sharks probably up to 7' swim within feet of clueless swimmers/waders when I was on the pier. 

[SirSnookalot]

With all due respect a bass fisherman can't relate to any thing like this, even catching an 6 or 8# jack off the beach is a thrill that's going to last much longer than minute.

 

Sharks are interesting, not all species are legal fair game, some of the legal ones are banned in certain communities. We see them caught using a bobber, actually a 1 gallon milk bottle with a glow light in it.  They will paddle out on a surf board and drop the bait then paddle back to shore.

I believe this is a reef shark, don't know the various species too well, caught on 8000 spheros 20# mono and 25# class rod while drifting for kingfish, it took a while.  As soon as it was boat side and cut off I had second one on the line after I re rigged, landed that one too.