Most of what you read about fighting tuna says to set your strike drag by formula, a quarter to a third of the line's breaking strength, and to gaff the fish in the head. We do it different here in Hawaii, and it has been putting ahi on our boat for years. This post covers everything from the moment the rigger comes down to the moment the fish hits the deck: my actual drag numbers, how I handle the boat, leadering, and where I tell my gaff man to aim.
Here is the short version of what we run:
That strike drag is a lot lighter than the formulas most guys use, and there is a reason for it. Most times when an ahi bites, he does not turn and run right away like a marlin would. He sits there and shakes his head because he just got the hook in his mouth. What you hear is the rigger coming down, then the reel slowly peeling off, and that is just the boat driving away from the fish. He shakes his head long enough, then he turns, and that is when the reel really starts screaming.
If your drag is super tight while the fish is sitting there shaking his head, you can pull the hooks right out of his mouth. Same thing on the run: the pole is bouncing, and a tight drag is how the hook tears out. We fish our strike drags light and we lose a lot less fish on the run than most guys.
The tradeoff is real. Our fish take a lot of line. But I want that, because when the fish gets to the boat it is a lot more worn out and the leadering goes easier. Once the first big run settles down and I have a guy on the pole actually fighting the fish, that is when I have him smash the drag up to around 20 pounds and just winch the fish back in. I learned that from the guy who taught me how to fish, and if you know of Tred Barta, that is how he fished his drags too. Light at the start, then the kill drag once the fish settles.
From the moment the fish bites, I keep the boat pretty much at trolling speed and let the guys start clearing lines. As they clear the lines that might tangle, I start to angle the boat down sea, then slow down, and once I get somebody on the reel I stop the boat.
If it is calm, I want the boat sideways to the swell. If it is rough, I angle the boat more into it. Then I have my guy use the rock of the boat instead of wearing himself out: as the boat rocks up, he waits, and as it rocks down, he cranks. One guy on the reel, and when he gets tired the next guy jumps in. Your crew stays fresher for the part that actually matters, which is leadering.
If you are starting out, concentrate on getting that one fish in the boat and have your crew clear everything else. Guys with more experience will drag the fish along for a 10 count or even a 50 count trying for multiple bites, but when you are new, the last thing you want is crisscrossing lines on your first ahi.
Those line markers earn their keep here. Because my long lines are marked at 320 feet and my corners at 200, when the marker comes over the rail I know exactly how far away the fish is. That is when I tell the guys to get the gaffs ready and get their gloves on. Right around color I lift the leg on the motor, but I keep the engine running. Every once in a while you get what we call a surfer, a fish that will not circle, or you find out at the last minute that your ahi is actually a marlin, and you do not want to be restarting the boat right then.
All my leaders are three arm spans. When the fish gets close, I hand line the last stretch myself and let the other guy crank. Way out there you do not need to, because all that line stretch works like a shock absorber. But close to the boat the line is tight, and with my hands on the line I can feel the fish and know when to pull and when to relax. For what that leader actually is, I covered the line and leader I run on every lure in an earlier post.
Work the fish up until the swivel is at the tip of the pole, not past it. If the swivel goes around the tip and the fish runs, that is how you break line. Swivel to the tip, then I take the leader and my guy gets on the gaff.
Here is where we go against most of the advice out there. I tell my gaff man to aim for the fish's opposite side pectoral fin. If you go for the head and you are not used to gaffing big fish, the gaff bounces right off. Yes, you will be into the meat a little. Nobody who asks if you caught an ahi asks where the gaff went in. All that matters is the fish gets in the boat.
A few more things I tell my guys:
When the fish comes over the rail, do not let him flop down onto the deck or into somebody's lap. There are still hooks and a gaff in his face. Get his head up, have your other guy grab the tail, and lift him in together.
You went all day for that bite, and the fish are biting in a half hour to one hour window. So after the celebrations, get one or two lines back out as soon as possible. I run back up sea, set a couple of lines, and as I come back down sea we finish setting the spread and take care of the fish, the same way I work a zone when I am mowing the lawn. Let the fish cool off on the deck first before it goes in the box.
Last thing: mark the spot. As soon as the fish bit I already hit a waypoint on the GPS, and later I go back and edit that mark to the miles and degrees back to the harbor, something like 10 miles at 75 degrees. Over the years those marks map out the areas on your coastline where the ahi come up again and again, because there is structure under there holding bait year after year. And once things settle down, I get on the radio or text my friends with the same miles and degrees, because that network is what keeps all of us on the fish.
I go through this whole process on camera in the video below. Fish the drag light, let the boat do the work, and gaff the pec fin.
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