Need a Crash Course in Big Game (tuna/shark) Fishing

[NBStriper]

I've got a 130lb class rod straight butt 6' , 12/0 penn, 130lb mono, 300lb mono leader material, some hooks and heavy duty swivels and I'm going to make some SS wire leaders for shark.    Now, I have to get a fighting harness and belt.  I don't have a big enough boat, so we're probably going out on a lobster boat, so unlikely to have the luxury of a fighting chair.  We're going to try sharks first (porbeagle, shortfin mako, blues etc) and maybe even tuna if we're lucky enough to stumble upon some feeding.    What I'd like to know is how I should properly set myself up to fight a large fish standing up safely and how to make proper leaders for both large shark and tuna and all connections.   Also, I know a little bit of how to set up for chumming, but what are some tricks to be more effective at quickly bringing sharks around the boat and is it as easy as throwing a hook out with some mackerel and  float, then hang on, or are these sharks more intelligent than I think?   

As far as tuna go, all I have are the largest size magnum rapalas, some arbogast squid plugs, large soft plastic shad bodies  and some 4-6oz kandlefish jigs, but I'm assuming that live mackerel or daisy chained mackerel are best?   I've also got some lighter tackle 60-80lb class stuff that I plan on putting 100lb power pro on so I can use for casting live or artificial baits with. Both setups will hold 400-450yds of 100lb braid, but is that enough capacity if you get a 500lb fish on or am I just going to be donating some expensive line on the first run? So , I need some help with these questions and some general do's and don'ts so I can increase our chances of hooking into something on our first outing, without getting pulled out of the boat!   Thanks in advance

[alantani]

wow!  big stuff like this is really beyond my pay grade.  the big fish for me is only 150 pounds. i saw a guy reel in a 250 pounder.  ain't interested!   

[NBStriper]

The average tuna that the commercial/sport fishermen catch in the region is well over 500pounds. I'm hoping for smaller to start out and maybe hook a few on my 12weight, but you never know what you might get.   A 10foot great white was found last week in a weir not far from my area.  Porbeagles seem to be most common and from what I've seen, but some other monsters have been hooked and lost.   There was also a swordfish harpoon fishery many years ago, but I've never heard of anyone ever fishing tuna or swordfish with rod and reel in the bay, just a couple people fishing sharks. I've also seen pictures of halibut that filled the whole bed of a Ford Ranger and hung over the tailgate.  There is very little  saltwater sportfishing done in my area, mostly mackerel, flounder, a bit of striped bass surf fishing and cod/pollock jigging.

[alantani]

i don't think i would want to tackle something three times as big as me.  basic principals would be the same.  curious though.  do you know how much drag you need to land one of these?

[Dominick]

NBStriper:  Here is the key.  The gear you are using is sufficient to catch those monster fish that might take the bait.  The idea is to set the drag to the point that you can safely hold the fish while letting it pull on the drag.  I weigh about 180lbs and can hold 25lbs of drag but not for long.  The longest I had to fight a fish was 35-40 minutes.  You should let the fish run and get tired.  In theory you could get a 250lb fish to the boat quickly with the drag buttoned down but the fish will be too fresh to handle safely.  The way to do it is to set your drag at 1/3 of the breaking strength of the line and play the fish.  Also you do not want the drag to be so tight that the fish could pull you off the boat.  If you are in a fighting belt and harness have someone hold on to your belt until you feel you can hold the fish.  On some boats they attach a rope to the fisherman to keep him in the boat should a monster fish pull hard.  The other thing is you need a good captain.  There are ways to tire the fish.  A good captain will keep the boat in gear while you hold the fish (this tires the fish), however if the fish is taking too much line the captain will either back the boat or orientate the boat to the fish to allow you to get line back.  It is a team effort.  A good book to read regarding how to fight large fish is Fishing for Tuna and Marlin by Captain Pete Barrett also The Best and Worst of Tred Barta by Captain Tred Barta.  There are a load of good books out there for catching and fighting big game fish.  Regarding the lures, live or fresh dead bait always out fishes lures.  I don't know where you will be fishing to comment on the lures.  Dominick

[Alto Mare]

NB, you got yourself some good info from pesca, he has some good experience with big fish. Everything he said is right on , not sure about his weight though

[redsetta]

Great advice, Dominick.
I had an hour-long battle late last year which clearly demonstrated some of your points.
Due to the proximity of structure, I had to fully button down the drag on what I estimate was (very approximately) a 200lb fish.
It was back-breaking and nearly took the rig over the side of the boat several times (had a gimbal, but no harness).
Only really made ground on it by the skipper backing up.
Ended up breaking off after a brief touch of Spectra against hull.
Took about a week to recover from the neck/back/shoulder/arm etc strain.
Good luck NB - looking forward to your reports!
All the best, Justin
PS x2 on Dominick's comment re: bait vs lures.

[Dominick]

Sal:  I hedged the weight a bit I did say "about 180."  
Justin:  I experienced that soreness on a couple of occasions, now I do weight training 3 days a week.  I am in condition for the November Tuna Tournament in Cabo.  It does take reasonable upper body strength to hold a heavy drag but lighter drags mean longer fights and the possibility of spooling.  Hey that's a good idea maybe we can get Alan to change the name of this site to "Fear of Spooling."   Dominick 

[NBStriper]

Alan, I have no idea how much drag pressure I'll need, but going by the suggestions, max 40lb drag pressure with 130lb mono, does that sound about right? From what I've read about the tuna fleet off PEI, they land giant bluefins relatively quickly, but I believe they use bent butts rods in stern mounted rod holders mostly and don't mess around. 

Pesca, I'll  be fishing off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada.  I'm sure it will be a few years of fishing until I figure things out for tuna, but I'm hoping the sharks cooperate on the first outing. I was out scouting all day yesterday and couldn't find any schools of mackerel anywhere, nor much else for that matter, so it may prove difficult if the mackerel schools have moved farther offshore or up the coast because of Irene. My wife had a seal hit her rapala while trolling for stripers or blues, but that was the only good bite of the day!

[redsetta]

G'day NB,
The 40lb drag/130lb mono combo is fine (hefty, though).
On an associated topic, this is an excellent post on balancing your rig, which may be of interest: http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=733.0

Once you have determined the drag, multiply that by four to get the rod rating middle point. Once you have matched the drag to the rod characteristics, you have a balanced rig, one that will flex enough to handle the shock loads, but is strong enough to fight the fish you expect to catch.

All the best, Justin

[Dominick]

Yes, Irene did cause some problems.  I would not have gone out with the water in such turmoil.  We haven't heard from Sal (Altomare) in Connecticut, I hope everything is ok with him.  Since he hasn't weighed in I expect it is a power problem.  Sal, check in and let us know how you got through the Hurricane.  My friend Joe lives in Bradley Beach NJ, a half a block off the beach.  He tells me that the coast did ok but they got it rougher inland.  NB Striper, set your drag at 40lbs and tie it to the bumper of a car and have someone slowly drive the car away from you.  See how tough it is to hold 40lbs of drag.  Then figure out how long you can hold that.  Report in.  Dominick

[Squirmypug]

For the shark leaders single strand stainless leader would be good, haywire twist to the hook and swivel.About 170lb single strand should be fine, when you catch a fish you can cut the leader next to the hook for release and haywire another on.I use mostly 275lb stainless cable crimped for shark but also use some heavy mono and single strand s.s wire it will all catch fish  . Make sure if you use 40lbs of drag to be secured to the boat..or that you can hold your breath for a long time 

[Dominick]

Make sure if you use 40lbs of drag to be secured to the boat..or that you can hold your breath for a long time 

Good one Squirmy.  Gave me a chuckle.  Seriously NBStriper check out holding 40lbs of drag and let us know how it feels. Dominick

[NBStriper]

I thought of tying up to the back of the car before, but by the sounds of things, 40lbs of drag is too much so I'll still try tying it to the bumper and setting the drag until I feel it's right for me.  I haven't got my proper belt and harness yet, but found a new gimbal belt (although somewhat small for the job) in a box of stuff and some heavy duty military shoulder straps and tried everything on.  If I just make a softener for going around my lower back and stitch the straps on, I think it would do the trick.  It may not last forever like the highquality purpose made belts, but I think it may do the trick. By the time I get a good deal on ebay, ship it and pick it up across the border, the snow will be flying and I'll never get out.   

I had 2-3 nice shark/tuna hooks, but I was looking at an old VMC hook display board I picked up years ago and since all the labels fell off, it isn't much of a collectable now so I'm going to use some of the hooks off it... it's got every size commercial long line hook they made on it at the time.    I've got a line on someone with a big boat, so now it's just a matter of setting a date to go out and buying chum/bait.

[redsetta]

Good luck mate - looking forward to the 'man vs fish' stories!