Battling Big Game on Stand-Up Gear

There was once a time when virtually all offshore boats carried fighting chairs, and you fought big game while sitting in a bucket harness. Thanks to the advent of smaller, faster, ocean-capable center consoles, those days are long gone. Since fighting chairs are more of a hindrance than a help on most center consoles, tackle manufacturers developed gear appropriate for stand-up battles. Rods became shorter, fighting belts became better, and harnesses were designed to allow an angler to strap in and lean back, using their legs and back to apply pressure. With today’s gear you can best just about any pelagic beast while standing on your feet. If, that is, you keep these three stand-up tips in mind.

This angler is fighting a 70-pound yellowfin tuna, which took just 10 minutes to bring in on stand-up gear.

1. Get “real” belts and harnesses, not the cheap substitutes like rod-butt-balls or softie end caps. All belts must have a deep receiver for the rod butt, and a rock-solid gimbal the butt can lock into. Harnesses should be padded. And of course, each and every piece of hardware needs to be stainless-steel.
2. Pre-fit the belt and harness prior to taking the rod, not when you’re fighting the fish. Once a rod has 25 or 30 pounds of pressure on it and the reel is screaming drag, properly fitting the belt and harness is just about hopeless. Not only are different people different sizes and shapes, but every different angler has different preferences on strap lengths and belt height. All of these adjustments need to take place in a calm atmosphere when there’s no pressure on the gear or the angler.
3. Don’t forgo the harness because you’re Mr. Tough Guy. Sure, when a small mahi hits you can crank it right in. But when a serious fish is on the end of the line you need to bury your pride and suit up accordingly. Utilizing the harness most anglers can fight fish for literally hours on end. But without one many anglers, especially those with little experience fighting big game, will tire themselves out in a matter of minutes.