Hatteras Stainless 30 degree rod holders

[34Hatt]

Friend landed a 580 lb sword don't remember what size rod but it was 5 1/2 - 6 hr fight covered something like 8 + miles 3 guys on board all 3 shared that fight and it was a midnight when it started and sun was up when done. He said it was a long night yeah I bet it was
He said key to a Big sword is keep the drag to 20 lbs so it doesn't pull the hook.

[luckydave215]

500 pound blue marlin on 50 lb stand up in 12-15' breaking seas will give you a workout ha ha. We don't usually use a harness, just hold it under your arm.
San Diego style is to fish the rod under your arm most of the time and use the rod on the rail like a pry bar when the fish is settled in straight down.
I generally fish Okuma Makira 20SE's for 100 lb, and Accurate 50 topless for 130-200 lb. To get 700 yards of line we "stack" it - a 100 pound setup will typically have 80 pound spectra ~1/2 full, 100 after that, and a short piece of flouro, like maybe 15' for a top shot for maximum stealth. No mono. This is a live bait (sardine) rig, not a trolling rig.
Custom wrapped stand up rods of course.

[Bob Bradley]

OK Dave, so when was the last time you actually got blood (other than your own) on Ohana? That boat is way too pretty to fish off of.

[luckydave215]

I fish her.
I have to admit I get in most of my fishing time in Hawaii or on the Red Rooster 111.
It's a matter of dividing my time between riding my eight motorcycles and racing/instructing in sports cars.
Since I retired I somehow got stuck with being Chief Driving Instructor for the San Diego region of the Porsche Club. Well, not somehow exactly......I didn't attend the meeting where I was chosen

[luckydave215]

He said key to a Big sword is keep the drag to 20 lbs so it doesn't pull the hook.

Man, I gotta disagree with that one. The longer the fight the better the chance of being chewed off or suffering gear failure. I fish heavy drags, 50+ pounds when I can.
My son is running a boat fishing bluefin commercially out of Portland Maine (see him on "Wicked Tuna"). They typically fish straight 200 pound at 70-90 pounds of drag.
Yeah, they are fishing 400-1400 pound fish, but they REALLY want to get them on deck and know what they're doing.

[rsmith]

Swords are different. Their mouths are very soft and it's easy to rip a hook out. It may take 15 to 20 minutes to bait the sword. Starts out with them mouthing the bait drag on free spool with the clicker off. They may pull a little line then drop the bait again. Any sense of tention on the line and their gone. We use cotton gauge and electrical tape to pad the bend of the hook to keep it from pulling out. Marlin and tuna are different they have harder mouths that if your hooks are sharp will stay in as long as you keep pressure on the line.
Hey Dave what's the name of the guy out there that modifies the drags on 50's to run 100lb spectra?

[luckydave215]

Cal Sheets.
Any of the modern 50's make plenty of drag for 100lb (45-ish lbs), we fish 12's or 20's for 100 lb. If you have older reels......or Penns LOL....Cal can beef up the drags for you.

[luckydave215]

When I refer to San Diego style "flyline" fishing, I'm talking about live bait with the reel out of gear (never any clicker) trying for the most natural free swimming bait presentation possible. When picked up you have to count to ten before going tight so the fish has a chance to eat it, the object is to pull a circle hook into the corner of the mouth catching the tendons/bones so the flouro is outside of the fish's mouth. We use no leader, swivels, double lines, etc. Pure stealth.
We don't generally troll, the idea is to anchor or drift and let the fish find you. They are curious and come around to find out what that big whale with all the noise (generator), light, and bait around it is doing. The long range boats carry ~700 scoops of sardines, and throw a steady pick of them over. This can often hold the school for days at a time.

[rsmith]

Yeah that's the guy. I've got two of his 50sw's it's the deal. All the power of an 80 with out the weight.

[34Hatt]

When I refer to San Diego style "flyline" fishing, I'm talking about live bait with the reel out of gear (never any clicker) trying for the most natural free swimming bait presentation possible. When picked up you have to count to ten before going tight so the fish has a chance to eat it, the object is to pull a circle hook into the corner of the mouth catching the tendons/bones so the flouro is outside of the fish's mouth. We use no leader, swivels, double lines, etc. Pure stealth.
We don't generally troll, the idea is to anchor or drift and let the fish find you. They are curious and come around to find out what that big whale with all the noise (generator), light, and bait around it is doing. The long range boats carry ~700 scoops of sardines, and throw a steady pick of them over. This can often hold the school for days at a time.

Sounds like the way I strip bass fish.

What boat is your son on?