More fish are lost at the boat than at any other stage in the rod and reel battle.
Pelagic species like tuna, sharks, billfish and wahoo are powerful open ocean swimmers that can turn on the speed when threatened and fighting for their existence. After you’re hooked up, the fish will do everything in its power to get away, with most of the offshore fish we target able to cover a lot of ocean in a very short period of time, capable of 30 to 40 mph bursts that will sizzle line across the ocean’s surface.
I have seen hooked makos rip off 100 yards of line in a blink, perform a half dozen cartwheel jumps that would put a SeaWorld porpoise to shame, then turn on a dime and charge the boat. When fighting that fish from a stationary vessel, if you and your crew should become temporarily mesmerized by the aerial show, you may have to kiss that baby goodbye. That’s what makes an “end game” action plan so important.
You’ll definitely need to pick it up and chase them down at some point to avoid having too much line from being taken off the reel, perhaps even getting spooled. This situation creates a variety of problems, from other boats running over it, drag pressure buildup due to spool diameter reduction, or excessive water pressure exceeding the line’s breaking strength.
I’ll maneuver the boat to help the angler get some line back on the reel, always trying to manage the middle stages of the fight from a distance of 50 to 100 yards away, with the boat positioned at about 45 degrees off one of the transom corners. This gives the angler plenty of space to follow the fish from side to side and allows me to keep the boat in the best fighting position. One way to stay on top of the action is by using hi-visibility line to see the location, and intended direction, of the fish. To prevent gamefish from spotting this hi-vis running line, I tie on a topshot of either mono or fluorocarbon leader.
Once the fish starts getting tired and the angler begins to bring it home, it’s time for the final preparations. A predetermined action plan will ensure that each crew member knows their role. The ultimate crew consists of four inter-related parts – angler, driver, leader man and gaffer/tagger. In a perfect world, the driver turns the boat into the sea at idle speed to plane up the fish and to keep it steady at the surface; the angler pumps the fish up to the swivel, backs off the drag in case the fish has one more run in it and raises the rod tip to get the leader in a good position; the gloved leader man gently grabs the mono or wire without taking a wrap and positions the fish alongside the moving boat; the gaffer/tagger readies the hardware and does his thing.
There is a certain choreography to this, all while the boat pitches and rolls in moving seas. Some scenarios can get by nicely with one less element, especially when employing shorter, 5- to 6-foot chunking or jigging leader. A three-person crew will work perfectly, with no need for the leadering position. But anytime you subtract one or two personnel from the proven four-crew formula, you geometrically increase the likelihood for failure, crew injury and fish stories about the one that got away.
With a three-member crew, the driver is also the tagger/gaffer. When the fish is getting close, the operator heads the boat down sea at idle speed with the rudder amidships. Once the angler gets the swivel in the leader man’s grasp, the driver puts the boat in neutral, leaves the helm, grabs the gaff or tag stick and does his/her thing. Sure, there’s an element of danger with nobody at the wheel for a few seconds, but that’s the risk.
For a two-member crew, driver and angler now have dual roles as leader man and gaffer/tagger. When the fish is coming to leader, the “gloved” helmsman leaves the wheel (boat heading down sea in neutral) and grabs the leader while the angler puts the rod into a rod holder, backs off the drag and grabs a nearby gaff or tagging stick. This scenario increases the chance of failure and/or injury dramatically, but many folks still go down this path.
As for a one-member operation, I’m not even going to address; it’s lunacy for myriad reasons. One is the loneliest and most dangerous number.
No fish is worth your safety or your life.
