So let me jump up on a soap box here, since we are traveling and we are done scrubbing the boat. This is not pointed at any one person, but these are things or circumstances that I see and hopefully can help you on future trips to land a fish of a lifetime.
A passenger had hooked a nice fish, a big one, maybe even over 200 pounds. He fought the fish admirably, but after a time his line broke and the fish swam free. After a few minutes of recollection, he came to me showed me the end of his line and asked what happened, what did he do wrong. Well, I could have just told him his knot broke and have been done with it, but that's not it. That is not the whole story. The reason he lost that fish was because he didn't pull hard enough, early enough in the fight while his terminal tackle(knots, crimps or whatever) still had the strength to be pulled on. Actually what happened was that he had crimp his mono and the crimp slipped which terminally cause the line to break at the hook. He could have done a better job of crimping, but really this is beside the point. If he had put the coals to that fish in the first half hour that sleeve would have held fine. Now, you don't want to try and stop a big fish if he is going away from you. You won't, something will break, give him his head, let the fish go under a relatively tight drag, but not stupid tight. When that fish stops is when you start gaining line. Line should be going off your reel or coming back onto your reel. I would say that there are maybe 5% of the anglers that come out here that understand just how hard you can pull on 100 pound line, much less 130. You will say "I don't want to pull the hook", well you really don't have much choice in pulled hooks. Its a sad case, but sometimes luck isn't in your favor and the hook pulls, really it doesn't have to do with how hard you are pulling on the fish. This is more with the size of hook you are fishing, bigger the hook the less often they pull. A good comparison is that when you hook that big yellowfin a timer has started. When that timer goes off is when your line breaks, because its going to break eventually and the longer you are on that fish the bigger the chance you are going to break something.
Then I had another instance, the fish is just outside of deep color, its been there doing circles for fifteen minutes, I suggest that we should push the drag up. I got this answer "its already at 33 pounds". I don't care if that drag is at 133 pounds if you aren't moving that fish and standing there watching him wear a hole in it mouth its time to increase the drag! That poundage number is over rated and should only be used as a mark nothing more. 33 or 23 pounds means nothing if you can't gain line when you need to. Its great to use a scale to set your drag, but don't let that stop you from increasing the amount throughout the fight. Towards the end, as that fish gets close you will almost always be bumping your drag up in small increments, to keep gaining line. There are very few times that you can't move that fish or it hangs at deep color doing circles. Each circle is one more closer to your line coming apart. Be smart with the amount of pressure you are applying, have respect for the fish, use the proper tackle for the size of fish you are angling for, and most of all have a good time. Sometimes it takes a few trips to land that fish you have set your goal at. Many very good anglers have made trips for year after year before they got their first 200 pounder.
They deserve our respect.
