what reel for tuna in the 200-500lb range

[conchydong]

all i  can   say to that  the most prevalent   blank on   san  diego long range boats is probably  calstar 7465h  or   xh  boat rods   for kite   tend heavier   7470 xxh or 770 xxxh   al   6-6  or   7-0  Ive landed    3  cows   to  232   2 on  7465 xh and one   7470xxxh    and  had  enough backbone  to pry them up fishing on  rail.  Ya  need  the  extra length   to   give  some   length  on outside of  rail.  For   standup pump  and  wind  yes  shorter  may   do it    but rail make life  bearable  after landing  fish instead of heading  for bunk  for  half a day.
when  using rail  the  dynamics  of the physics changes  considerably.  Im looking  atbseeker  ssr3x4  right now    when i measure  it  rear  grip.  seat,  foregrip  measures   42 inches  the rest  of  the rod  from  grip  to   tip measures   46 inches . This  rod  was specifically designed   for  stand up rail   wok on big yellows really big  yellows. Ya  gotta  use a  bigger hook or  you   will get hook pulls   a lot more  with  these  stiff   muthas  4/0  super mutu aint gonna  cut it on   sardine

Bill, many East coast and European boats are designed differently (lower freeboard aft) than the San Diego boats and using the rail or gunwale is not an option. As Boon stated before me, a long rod is used in the chair and/or when rod holder fishing (wicked tuna "commercial"style) to clear the gunwales. When stand up fishing, most prefer a shorter rod when using a quality belt and harness system. The shorter rod gives more leverage. It's physics. Many, many different ways to catch fish and depending on the boat, sea conditions and a persons physical limitations, things may have to be adjusted to fit the scenario.

[alantani]

this......

Here in New England we typically only get larger bluefin. A small fish ranges in size from 150lbs to 200lbs. An average fish ranges from 300lbs to 400lbs. A large fish is anything over 600. Most years professionals bring in fish over 800lbs. You never know what is going to bite your line, you can only hedge your bet......

No matter what reel you choose, you are going to want to chase the fish.

and this......

..... I have worked on Makairas for two different charter operations out of Prince Edward Island, one of the operations is sponsored by Okuma, and both use the 50W and 80W Makairas as primary setups when going for the "granders", both also have and use the 130 size Makairas, but they get far less use compared to the 50W an 80W size reels (based on condition when servicing).