Sleigh ride of a lifetime.A

     
!

I bet his arms were smoked

How do you handle a fish like that if the land it? I cannot even fathom rowing 4 miles back to shore with an additional 400LBS sitting in the front of my kayak or trying to fight currents among other curious critters with the thing hanging over the side. Anyone know how folks usually handle this?

How do you handle a fish like that if the land it? I cannot even fathom rowing 4 miles back to shore with an additional 400LBS sitting in the front of my kayak or trying to fight currents among other curious critters with the thing hanging over the side. Anyone know how folks usually handle this?

I would guess that it usually ends just like in the vid.
400lbs of tuna? I'm amazed there was enough line on the spinner to hold it for as long as he had it on. I don't know jack about tuna, especially bluefin though, so maybe they fight differently than yellowfin.
Crazy harness for the rod that guy had.
Props for the attempt dude, wild props.

Boy that was a great sleigh ride!!! True heartbreak at the end though...  Wonder if he got to see it at least!

How do you handle a fish like that if the land it? I cannot even fathom rowing 4 miles back to shore with an additional 400LBS sitting in the front of my kayak or trying to fight currents among other curious critters with the thing hanging over the side. Anyone know how folks usually handle this?

My guess would be anyone who was truly targeting a trophy sized fish such as this from a kayak with the intention of landing and keeping it, would more than likely be mothershipping.  I don't know about weight limits on kayaks in general, but I know my Outback has a capacity limit (per hobie) of 400lbs.  As you can imagine, that would present a problem when attempting to put a 400lb tuna on deck, unless I planned on swimming back in whilst towing my kayak behind me. 

Jesus.

What a fight!  Thanks for the video Baitman.

I bet his arms wished he had a Hobie for the ride back.

Bluefin regs are Byzantine. We published a profile of this guy in my first issue of Kayak Angler. Dave claimed that there's no provision for motherships in the permitting process - enforced catch 'purity.'

He decked a 156-lb bluefin in Nov 2009, but hasn't landed any larger despite claimed hook-ups of heavier fish like this one.

Wow all of that in a Sit inside kayak too... thats a long 4.5 hour ride, its like a never ending roller coaster.

Wow, a spinning reel held that tuna. Not sure about wearing a harness on a kayak. If the tuna pulls him overboard, he could be in for the swim of his life.

Bluefin regs are Byzantine. We published a profile of this guy in my first issue of Kayak Angler. Dave claimed that there's no provision for motherships in the permitting process - enforced catch 'purity.'

He decked a 156-lb bluefin in Nov 2009, but hasn't landed any larger despite claimed hook-ups of heavier fish like this one.

   Gotta give him credit, he keeps trying to beat his own record.   

 The  permit rules require that you have to bring the fish back on the same boat you left port in.  no transferring the catch to another vessel.

Hell of a fight, but to say it was 400LBS without weighing it?  I do have a question some nmay answer, in a case wear the kayak is the drag, would something like one of those drift chutes aid in wearing out the big monster?

Bluefin regs are Byzantine. We published a profile of this guy in my first issue of Kayak Angler. Dave claimed that there's no provision for motherships in the permitting process - enforced catch 'purity.'

He decked a 156-lb bluefin in Nov 2009, but hasn't landed any larger despite claimed hook-ups of heavier fish like this one.

   Gotta give him credit, he keeps trying to beat his own record.   

 The  permit rules require that you have to bring the fish back on the same boat you left port in.  no transferring the catch to another vessel.

Well, technically if you mothershipped out... wouldn't you be bringing the fish back on the same vessel you left port in?  You wouldn't leave port in the yak, and then return in the mothership.  You would leave port with your kayak aboard the mothership, and return the same way.