What to do after landing a big one?

What is the best way to disable a large fish upon landing it?  After gaffing it and beating it sensless, what to do?  I have read about slicing the gills to bleed them and opening the stomach of lingcod for bait but have also read about halibuts coming "back to life for a lap dance" etc.  Can anyone provide details regarding how to properly bleed or disable a large fish?  Where and how to cut the gills to bleed them?  Doesn't the blood attract sharks?  Someone also mentioned cutting the spine of a halibut behind the head.  I also recall bleeding being recommended as a method for keeping fish fresher and better tasting. Any techniques for handling lingcod and/or halibut safely are greatly appreciated?  Thanks in advance.

Etienne

Cutting the spine works well for me.  I do it while the fish is still inside the net, but only on fisher larger than 10lb or so.

I try not to bleed any fish when I'm out there...IMO: your just asking for trouble = from Sharks and maybe hungry sea lions) I simply keep my fish inside a burlap sack ($1.00 + reusable) and leave it secured on the tankwell. I use my paddle to splash water on it every now and then to keep the fish from drying out  I'll bleed the fish as soon as I hit the shore.

...just my 2 cents

I use a stainless steel hoop style clip that you get from a dive shop. You run the clip through the gills and have it tied to the Yak. Then you can cut the gills and bleed the fish. This only takes a  couple of minutes of wiggling it in the water. If it's a halibut, I wouldn't bring it in the boat until it's dead.

The great thing about the clip is you can run it through the gills with the fish in the net. That saves you from having a wiggling fish jump out of the yak. This is a big issue when you have a 25 lb salmon. When the fish is dead you can scoot forward, open the hatch and put the fish in and then remove the hoop.

that is a good idea to hoop it in the net!

I've taken to bleeding any fish that I keep emmediately.  I find the meat is much better for it.

The only exception in the last 2 years has been the LMB I caught and kept at Loch Lomond, and I needed every ounce of that blood it turns out!

I now just stringer the fish and bleed it.  However, I do not fish in waters hugely populated with sharks or sea lions, but I wouldn't worry if I was.  Some things you just can't be bothered with worrying about.  If your gonna have a stringer of fish hanging off the side of your boat then it isn't really gonna matter if they bleed for a few minutes.  If your worried, just bleed them in the tank well.

MolBasser