Ideal kayak rod for big fish

I think FJ is headed in the right direction. What can we do to make the platform capable of allowing 14#s of drag to be used?

Allen have you ever used a sea anchor while fighting big fish? It seems like this would slow down sleigh ride and allow you to apply more pressure.  

In the even that you hook a 200# tuna on your yak you will be lucky to wear the fish to exhaustion. If it were to die and dead weight would it be possible to get that fish to the surface?

I think it is close to impossible on all accounts.

As far as halibut goes the speed and power is not there but a AK class 'but in the 200 pound range presents a lot of challenges...
How do you subdue said fish?

Harpoon, line, large buoy.

Howard towed his big one to shore and jumped it in the shallows.

-Allen

I don't think the rod/reel are the limiting factor here. I think the real question is "How much drag can I use on a kayak?" In your first post you don't mention that the rod/reel are what got squirley with the salmon sharks, it was your yak.

Well, I think rod selection will affect how much drag.

Assuming your technique for fighting the fish from a yak is strong (based on what I've seen of your fishing exploits, I can't imagine you're not doing it as well as can be done), maybe you can really only run 10lbs of drag on a Scupper Pro, while you might be more comfortable with 15 lbs of drag if you were sitting on an X-Factor.

Maybe with a change in the type of rod you could get a bit more drag, but the stability of your yak is what is going to ultimately determine your max drag setting.

Most of my large fish have come off a P13, which I believe to be a reasonably stable craft.  I see where this is going though.  I could resort to outriggers for more stability.

-Allen

Allen have you ever used a sea anchor while fighting big fish? It seems like this would slow down sleigh ride and allow you to apply more pressure.  

 I haven't, but I've thought about it.  Some of the Hawaii guys do this and at least 1 marlin was subdued using this technique.

-Allen

I was just thinking about using a harpoon from a yak this morning as it is one of the best of deal with big fish in small (under 20') PBs. How short would you cut the handle on the harpoon to make it usable in a yak? 3'?

I was just thinking about using a harpoon from a yak this morning as it is one of the best of deal with big fish in small (under 20') PBs. How short would you cut the handle on the harpoon to make it usable in a yak? 3'?

3 should be ok, but a little longer wouldn't hurt too.

I've subdued larger chickens with a large sharkhook and a trace of rope, no handle, just holding the hook in my hand.  Think flying gaff.

You still need to beat or stab the butt into submission.

-Allen

Sorry for the thread hijack .... from my couch commander stand point right now I vote for a 5'6" -6'6" rod with a good long front grip to allow you to choke up and effectively shorten the rod and the stability of a sea anchor.

..... final answer

... until I change my mind

yeah now that I think about it drag pressure will be limited by how much force is needed to move the yak. An interesting test would be to tow in a yak (from a stable platform) with a reel with known drag and see how much drag you need to move it (at a decent pace). Then hang your legs over, then a sea anchor, then reverse the hobie drive.

of course if the fish is pulling straight down then all of this is a moot point

I would favor the shorter rods for more leverage on the fish.A  5'5"rod is a lot easier on you.
Have you seen the Hawaiian technique of sitting backwards after you have the tuna straight up and down. Of course that would mean no seat or a very low seat back. Some guys have stirrups because they don't like sharks nibbling on their toes....

I havent seen that Mark. Whats the advantage. Less space to the end of the kayak? This would be something I have no experience with at all. The 2 WSB's I ended up losing(one caught in between) really showed me how well I was prepared for a run of a big fish. NOT!

Fishing backwards gives you the advantage of levering most of the kayak against the fish. If you had a lot of drag set, the drag force would be pulling the front of the kayak up (picture a wheelie). But this probably works best for a fish like tuna that dives down after after few surface runs. Then you lever them pretty much straight up.

For something big I personally would rather add a couple close in Amas(pontoons) and fish facing forwards. Then you would have more control steering on a fish that runs.I would have a break-away harpoon or flying gaff hooked to a buoy.

Thanks Mark.

Definitely a shorter rod (5 1/2 foot range) and a moderate or slow action.  Perhaps a fiberglass stand-up tuna type rod.  With a moderate or slow action, the rod acts as a good shock absorber to prevent it from being too herky-jerky, but also will effectively shorten the lever arm significantly when the rod is maxed out and you need more leverage.  How slow of an action is a matter of preference. 

I've built stand-up tuna rods designed for women of small stature and the slow action was the ticket since it provided them maximum leverage, and the shock absorption properties makes it more forgiving.  The Seeker CTS55HX (5'5", 40-60#) is an example of the kind of blank that would be worth considering. 

Thanks Erik.  I was kind of wondering about the action ... how slow could you go.  I was leaning towards moderate at first, then got to thinking how that could work against you if you were short stroking (which I like to do  ).  But I definitely see the benefits.  Tradeoffs, tradeoffs.

I've also been re-thinking roller guides.  Not sure they're needed in this application.  I'm interested in your thoughts on this.

-Allen

i'm beginning to understand some of this BigFish talk now.....thanks fellas