What is best way to catch and release SBFT?

[newburyporter]

We were out yesterday and for the first time in my life I hooked up with one! --127-3- --126-3- :-%

Those little dudes pack a lot of power. I am 6'3" and 230 and that little guy had my back, hands and forearms cramping in about 10 minutes.

Great battle to get it boatside in about 20 minutes. Looked to a be one of the cookie cutter fish everyone has seen over last few days. Low 40's in Length.

Now we got him boatside, what next? Tried a few swipes with net over tail. No go. (Can you net them with a quick swipe over the head???) Tried grabbing tail, that ****ed him off and he went WILD and shook hook and hand on the tail in about 3 milliseconds...

It was VERY cool.

I have read in past where gaffing through the lower jaw is easiest way to catch and release.

Is that the way all the PRO's do it????

Hooked for life to this crazy $ game!

Brent

[mattdaga]

Congrads! were you out of newburyport? Did you get your SBFT around halibut point? Details, details, details! Any help would be most appreciated.


I have been out 2x this year and have not even seen a flip from Halibut to Jeffries!

[newburyporter]

Hooked fish about 5 miles due east of Thatchers. We found a spot with lots of birds and cruised it. Got casts at about 6 pods thoughout the day but all were up and down real quick (15 seconds). The time we hooked up the pod hung on surface for 30-45 seconds and we got a few casts at them. My 2nd or 3rd cast was perfect, right over top of pod. I retreived right through the middle and when about 15 feet outside the visible breaking fish, WHAMMO.

The lure was a peanut bunker looking thing.

[newburyporter]

Here is lure it took. My buddy may chime in with manufacturer/make. He bought it...

Maybe not peanut bunker. Has purplish coloring of half beak...

[mattdaga]

thanks! I am trying to head out this PM.

[RogerStg]

We were out yesterday and for the first time in my life I hooked up with one! --127-3- --126-3- :-%

Those little dudes pack a lot of power. I am 6'3" and 230 and that little guy had my back, hands and forearms cramping in about 10 minutes.

Great battle to get it boatside in about 20 minutes. Looked to a be one of the cookie cutter fish everyone has seen over last few days. Low 40's in Length.

Now we got him boatside, what next? Tried a few swipes with net over tail. No go. (Can you net them with a quick swipe over the head???) Tried grabbing tail, that ****ed him off and he went WILD and shook hook and hand on the tail in about 3 milliseconds...

It was VERY cool.

I have read in past where gaffing through the lower jaw is easiest way to catch and release.

Is that the way all the PRO's do it????

Hooked for life to this crazy $ game!

Brent

Bring it boatside and grab it by the tail. Don't be tentative and use a glove if you need to. I'm a 5'8" chubby desk jocky. If I can do it, so can you.

As far as gaffing goes, unless you know exactly what you're doing you are going to kill the fish. The heart and some vital blood vessles are inches from the tip of the jaw.

Congrats on your first SBFT. --127-3-

[Ray]

Here is lure it took. My buddy may chime in with manufacturer/make. He bought it...

Maybe not peanut bunker. Has purplish coloring of half beak...

that would be an Ocean Lures "wounded peanut bunker"

no link as they're not a sponsor

[SherpaT]

This lure is available at First Light Anglers(a Sponsor.) They are also hitting on the 4" Maria jigs up north. They are also breaking rods, fraying braid, and generally having their way with me.

[dcobbett]

I agree with what RogerStg said. Better for the fish, plus they are about the only thing you can grab by the tail today without ending up in jail!

SherpaT,

You are not alone!

[Fin Addiction]

I have very good success leadering them like I would a bass and lightly, I mean lightly fit my index and middle finger behind the gill plate without touching the gills, then hoist them onboard. I think grabbing them by the tail with their weight is not a wise thing to do. You will feel the spine separate or crack if you try and hoist them onboard like that.

[newburyporter]

Thanks.

My boat owning partner went for the tail grab. Sounds like he needs to man up and eat his wheaties!

I had read a post by riptide that said they can shake your arm off. (assuming the larger ones...) He prefers the lip gaff then release.

Hopefully I get the change to practice and become a PRO at releasing in the future. That was one fun fish to fight...

Brent

[plumisland]

If you go for the tail grab,commit to it. keep a grip when it comes up tail first and cradle the belly with your other hand and hang on,letting them hit the deck from a lost grip on the tail is a potential error. remove hook ,snap a quick picture and torpedo him back to the depths. my 2c

[ccm]

How about leaving it in the water and grabbing the hook with a pliers/hook removal tool. I used a rapala tool and it worked great for a few years until the tip somehow broke last trip. I just bought a braid tool that does the same thing. I know you need a photo op for the first fish but Im sure they will hold up better if left in the water.

[JohnnyR]

I love that moment when you grab the tail and hang on tight like you're going to fall off a cliff if you let go. The biggest fish I've done that to though was maybe 60 pounds, not sure I'd want to try it on anything bigger. :)

I think it's a good idea not to pull them out of the water by just the tail though like Jeff said. Use your other arm to quickly cradle the body of the fish and get it into the boat if you need to.

[ember]

What Capt Smith said.

[RogerStg]

I love that moment when you grab the tail and hang on tight like you're going to fall off a cliff if you let go. The biggest fish I've done that to though was maybe 60 pounds, not sure I'd want to try it on anything bigger. :)


Any bigger and I use two hands on a gaff ;)

[Soundking]

Echo of Cappy Smith.

I have hooked Steve Abel up too many times when trying the plier trick...

[FireFly]

Today we got the head up and out of the water and as soon as it was safe I put a tail rope on it, cleated to the boat of course. Got it into the boat and did the torpedo for the first time and it actually worked! Watched the fish swim away very quickly under the boat.

When it was beside the boat I lowered the drag quite a bit just in case she wanted to make one last run for freedom.

[backman]

we both learned from someone who has released a 150 pound tuna or 2....

[riptide]

The Top Shot Lip gaff is the way to go!!! No tail grabbing, you'll get hurt on a bigger fish TRUST ME! Leader the fish like Jeffie said than slip the lip gaff in the lower jaw. Big or small it doesn't matter. If your careful and do it allot like Jeffie, you can do the gill plate grab. BUT if you miss and get the rakers it will look like you popped a red water ballon and the fish is a goner before you get it in the boat. 25# to 825# the lip gaff works. It's not cheap @ $125-$150 (thats why I have a float on mine) But it is the slickest way to land big fish without doing a ton of damage. PLUS it keeps me away from treble hooks and thats ALWAYS a good thing!

Leader and Lip
http://riptidecharters.com/Lipshotopti.jpg

Leader and lip solo
http://www.riptidecharters.com/Megiantlipopti.jpg

Let a buddy leader while you lip gaff
http://www.riptidecharters.com/NCtunaopti.jpg

Let your buddy leader and lip gaff for you... Its all good!
http://www.riptidecharters.com/Vintunaopti.jpg

[Go Fish]

Terry-

My guess is the lip gaff tactic (a very effective one) works great when you are leadering a fish with 100 lb+ mono, crimps and 8/0 hooks as terminal gear. How does it work with >50 lb leaders, knots and >4/0 hooks?

I haven't had as much experience as you but I've had enough to guess that it is a bad idea to grab onto a strand of 50 lb with a semi-green fish on the other end with the hopes of getting the lure back.

Is there a lip gaff technique that works for tuna on light tackle?

I have one of those "hook out" gadgets that seems to work well...As long as angler can keep enough pressure on the fish I have been able to latch onto the hook and pop it loose without too much effort. It helps to have the boat moving forward when this is attempted.

A single trailer hook on plugs and metal is a good thing because the lure becomes a handle if the fish is too hot for the hook out manuver. I have grabed onto the lure and wrestled the hook loose with pliers.

I think it is key to not lift the fish unless you are going to eat it.

[FireFly]

Nice pictures Terry! Would it be better to tie a rope to that gaff and cleat it off rather than use the float or would the rope not only get in the way but also present a possible problem should the tuna do a head shake?

Great advice on how to handle these without doing damage to the tuna, your body or your gear. All of this went through my mind as I was reeling in a tuna today. How do I land it? How do I get it into the boat? How do I release it. I was more or less solo but my dad at least held the rod while I got the fish into the boat. I wish I could tell you I got one on the squid bars but this one was on spinning gear. :-%

[SherpaT]

Echo of Cappy Smith.

I have hooked Steve Abel up too many times when trying the plier trick...

You ever see that "Fly Fishing the World" episode with supermodel Nikki Taylor? She had Abel pliers.

[riptide]

Go Fish,

I use the lipper all the time on 50# and SBFT plugs. Like any type of leadering you just need to be aware of the presure your putting on the line. If you take wraps on 50# you stand a good chance of breaking the leader, but if you look at my top pic you'll see I grab the leader and "lead" the fish to me. If it runs I either let go completely or let some line slide through the glove like drag. FWIW ALWAYS wear a glove when doing any knid of leadering, its just a good safety practice. On 100# leaders and up with SBF you can wrap and generally you'll be all set regarding line breakage.

As for tying off the lip gaff, I don't like being tethered other than the rods safety line. I do put the lanyard on the gaff around my wrist, but it's not much more than a shoelace so I'm not going over if a big fish takes off. The bouy will float the gaff in case of droppage. Sageflyguy sent my first TopShot to the bottom in 120' off Nauset a few years back. Nothing more than an OOPS type of drop. In that case the float would have saved the gaff.

Hope this helps. It's a bunch of money to spend on a small gaff, but I would be lost without mine.

[DMMSR2784]

This lure is available at First Light Anglers(a Sponsor.) They are also hitting on the 4" Maria jigs up north. They are also breaking rods, fraying braid, and generally having their way with me.
Can't get any better than that..!

[newburyporter]

Thanks for all advise. I hope to get more practice with the release before those buggers head south...

[Fishontop]

Another helpful hint is to carry a wet towel on board. Once in they thrash all over hurting themselves, but if you cover their eyes immidiately they will lay very still. Works very well. I have tried all of the above and with a heavy fish you can rip the jaw or feel as though your arm is going to break on the tail so I lip gaff thropugh the lower jaw and it has worked well for me. Fish seem very healthy after being tagged and released. Congrats and good luck.

[fishoutawater]

All great information, but what about catching them and releasing them onto a HOT grill for just a few seconds, then plate with wasabi, soy and ginger? Isn't that the best???

Sorry couldn't resist. Looks like I'll be gettin' a lip gaff too.

Rippy, that is a monster fish must have been a huge battle.

[JohnnyR]

Lip gaff is a great way to unnecessarily injure fish and a wound that size sets them up for infection.