Choosing the Right Fighting Belt

If you plan on going after oceanic big game, you’re going to need a fighting belt – or maybe an assortment of fighting belts. Not only will they prevent the gimbaled butt of an offshore rod from digging into you, they stabilize the rod and allow the use of a harness, when necessary. If, that is, you have the right ones aboard.

The biggest variable when it comes to belts is getting them to fit right. Ones like in the above picture have a hard but flexible plastic, which can quickly and easily slide around the waist of most anglers. It’s a great choice for the average person. But these can’t be adjusted down for very thin anglers or kids, and will slide right off of them. They also can’t be expanded for exceptionally large anglers. So while these are great to have aboard, don’t count on them covering all the bases.

Far more adjustable are those with straps that secure around the angler with Velcro. These will fit virtually anyone of any size. The down-side, however, is that the Velcro doesn’t always hold during a long, extended battle, and may require regular re-adjustment every few minutes. They also tend to slide around a bit in some cases. Finally, there are also belts with adjustable straps that clip together around the angler. These are very comfortable, and very stable. However, they also need to be adjusted to the individual angler. And they really should be adjusted before there’s ever a fish on the line, if you want to be properly prepared and avoid cockpit chaos.

All of these types of belts can be used with a harness, which fits around the angler above the waist and clips to the rod and reel. A harness greatly increases your ability to use your legs and takes a ton of pressure off your lower back, although it also makes it difficult to release the rod for quick maneuvers like sticking the rod tip underwater when a fish darts under the boat. What about those little slip-on rod butt cushions? Though they will prevent injury they can’t be used with a harness, and really aren’t appropriate for seriously big fish like tunas and marlin.

Oh, and lest we forget: remember that you’ll need multiple belts aboard, to be prepared for those double and triple hook-ups!