Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Quotekill these fish in 20 minutes
 Thread starteralantani  Start dateOct 25, 2022  TagsNone
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alantani
alantani
Coastside Member
Oct 25, 2022
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#1
yes, bluefin. first, let's make this clear. friends don't let friends fish with 80. and dude, c'mon, 4 hours???? even 1 hour is too long. so now that enough of you have been beaten into submission, it's probably a good time to talk.

the reel - a 100 pound line class reel has 600 yards of 100 pound hollow and a 25 yard topshot of 100 pound fluoro, 30 pounds of drag at strike and 50 pounds at full. a 130 pound line class reel has 700 yards of 130 pound hollow braid with a 25 yard topshot of 130 pound fluoro, 40 pounds of drag at strike and 65 pounds at full. note that the braid has to be packed under tension. i recommend 2/3rds of the strike setting. yeah, a 100 pound line class reel has a strike drag of 30 pounds, meaning that i load the line under 20 pounds of tension. and absolutely no star drag reels, no single speed lever drag reels, no graphite frames, and generally no single drag systems. we are looking at two speed, double drag, lever drag reels only, minimally capable of delivering 30 pounds of drag at strike. nothing less.

the rod - brace the rod securely at the butt and the end of the hypalon, up at a 45 degree angle. now pull down until the tip is halfway between the top of the arc and the bottom of the butt. whatever that dead weight is, will be the drag at strike for the reel that goes on the rod. a 100 pound line class stick heels over with 30 pounds. a 130 pound line class rod heels over with 40 pounds. rod ratings are meaningless. if you have tested your rod in this manner, then you know. if you have not, then you do not know. knowing is better than not.

connections - modified tony pena and single san diego. under no circumstances should you be using a mono to fluoro connection. it's braid to fluoro or braid to mono. that's it.

gaffs - 6 to 8 foot, aluminum shaft, 4 inch stainless steel hook. carry three.

kill bag - big sucka, unless you are going to quarter your fish out at sea.

ice - 1 pound of ice per pound of fish. you can bring less if you want to quarter out the fish at sea, which actually works well. i will be cutting up my fish at sea.

bluefin rail - build a tall rail for your boat. you've all seen it by now. it's 43 inches if you are 5'8" tall. your height may vary. there is a pistol shooting stance called a weaver. it works. no kneeling allowed.

to kill a bluefin of any weight, there is a technique, a method. plenty of guys here have been to the garage and have had their gear rigged, learned the knots, and heard the speech. these guys have killed their fish in 20 minutes or less. you can, too. it is not rocket science. swing by the house sometime and be prepared to unlearn everything that you think you know. if it's before 8pm, i have beer. if it's after 8pm, i have scotch. pick your poison.

gentlemen, i wish good hunting to you all.