subduing the toothy ones

hey guys, I'm new to the yak thing and last weekend i landed a 5 1/2 ft 7 gill in my buddies power boat and the thought came to me, how do i kill a shark or butt in a yak before i try to pull him in the boat? in a power boat, we gaff it in then use a Louisville slugger, just don't think this will work in a yak. any thoughts would help, thanks

The gaff and the bat works.  I use a gaff and a large hammer.  A net will work.  But, it needs to be big.  I also, cut the gills of a big fish.  Yes, LET THE LANDLORD COME.

Ken kickfish

It's pretty much the same in a kayak although we often use a game clip to secure the fish before moving on the head beating.

As for a large shark, I don't have any experience there other than some leopard sharks which are pretty tame.  My advice would be to cut the line and avoid the sharky lap dance.

A large 7 Gill could pose problems, even the small ones have a nasty look in their eye and there mouths are very capable of leaving a mark....

 Threshers are kool.... power fish, small mouth, but watch that tail!!!!!

  I think it really comes down to if your going to keep the fish,  tire him down good,

  If your going to set it free then cutting the line I guess is a option,  the fish most likly won't survive a long fight then release,,........Danglin

One thing I do not do it leave the fish in the water.  I keep all my fish on the deck of my Yak and pour water on them when needed.  Seen too many furbags and even one great white (this was on a PB) looking at my catch when it was in the water. And most of us tie our game clips to the center of the Yak.  Something grabs that and you roll.

Ken  kickfish

For larger fish you can wear them down and tire them out until they don't have a lot of fight left in them by using the kayak drag system aka "sleigh ride". Then just be quick with the dispatch or the photo before releasing them. Best dispatch method is a head bonk(s) followed by a gill cut.

.38 or 9mm to the head:smt071
I would probably consider this if I were actually going to fish for sharks and had plans to haul them up on any boat. They can stay alive for several hours and still latch onto you even after they are dead....

A sturgeon snare would probably work quite well on sevengill, and give you a good handle around it's neck so you could keep the teeth away.  They're really good at twisting and snapping at you - they've got mean teeth and they know it.  The best way to deal with a shark may be to build a small flying gaff (barbed gaff) and use it to gaff the tail and tow the shark backwards to drown it.

I know from experience that you can bonk a large fish effectively at the end of the fight while you have it boatside but still in the water.  A few of those take a lot of fight out of a fish.

If and when you can, turn the shark on its back. The shark will be dazed and you will be able to handle it alot easier.

Good luck.

Tonic immobility baby!

My own experience with lings & one halibut-tire the fish, sweep my game bage under it. The bag is big so often I can close the top.  Then while the fish is still in the water I pull it headfirst onto the side of the kayak & bonk it good. I find that one well placed shot to the head works better than multiple smaller hits, so I really try to aim & put some oomph into the first bonk.
I don't mess with sharks so I'm out of my element there.