Tips for Wiring Big Fish

Any time you troll with long leaders or “gang” lures like spreader bars of daisy chains, a “wire-man” will have to haul in the fish the last few feet by hand. And wiring big fish is often when they’re lost. Use these tips to get more of those pelagics into gaffing range.

1. Make sure that the angler fully understands that you may have to give the fish it’s head, if it surges while being wired in. Many inexperienced anglers think their job is done once the wire-man touches the line, and a failure to remain at the ready can result in disaster if the wire-man has to ease off.
2. Don’t lean out over the side of the boat. Keep your feet spread out, your knees bent, your hands lower than your shoulders, and your center of gravity low and inside the boat.
3. Wear gloves – period. Wiring without them is just plain stupid and will result in injury more often than not.
4. Never wrap the line around your hand multiple times. One wrap is enough to gain purchase and more can be dangerous, if the fish surges and you can’t let go of the line.
5. When dealing with long leaders, don’t drop line you’ve pulled in onto the deck. Do so and it can get tangled or stepped on. Instead, drop it right back over the side of the boat. It’ll trail along on the surface in a bow behind the boat and if you need to let the fish run, you won’t have to worry about it catching on anything.
6. Communicate with your gaff-man. If you feel the fish beginning to surge as it circles, for example, warn him or her to hold off on swinging the gaff until the next circle. If you feel it tiring and giving up let him or her know that you’ll lift its head on the next pass.
7. If you’re both gaffing and wiring, make sure the gaff is un-capped, within reach, and in a safe place (such as in a rodholder that’s out of the way) before you begin wiring. When a tuna is thrashing at the side of the boat it’s not the appropriate time to realize the gaff’s not properly prepped and positioned.

Bonus Tip: Practice wiring and single-handed gaffing when the bite is slow by filling a two-liter plastic bottle three-quarter full with water, tying it off on a leader, and deploying it from the boat while trolling.