Hand Lines

[isldrms]

I've never used a hand line for Tuna, would someone explain,
length, strength,bungie,etc,etc.

Start Here

[Schubert]

I'm not the most knowledgeable tuna fisher, but I'll tell you what I do. I use two, 300-hundred pound braided nylon lines 75 feet long, tipped with six feet of 200-pound mono tied to a tuna lure of choice. At the boat end of the line, tie the nylon to both ends of a rubber snubber, leaving several inches slack between the ends of the snubber, about 32 inches line to a 20 inch snubber, to take up the initial shock of the strike. Tie the hand lines to cleats on the corners of the stern. You can tie a shorter hand line, about forty feet, in the center. Clickers on reels will tell you when you have a tuna on a pole, but you have to watch hand lines. When the snubber is stretched taut, bring in the line, dropping the line in a pile at the back of the boat. Wear rubber gloves. I like Stearns insulated for a good grip. When the tuna gets close, wrap the mono around your wrist a couple times, and with one smooth movement, never permitting slack, pull the tuna up and into the boat. Put the hand line out immediately. It should go out without tangling. Gary Krum taught me this technique regarding rope on the Columbia. I use the same technique with tuna hand lines. I've yet to have a tangled line.

CAUTION!!!!
If you wrap the line around ANY part of your body wrap toward the fish and NEVER cross it over its self. You can loose body parts if something happens.

Putting the handlines in a bucket as you pull them in keeps tangles to a minimum.

[CATCH AND EAT]

I don't use rubber gloves though. I like just the plain old Cotton glove liners that they sell at Englands Marine. Buck a pair last year. After each trip rinse them out and put them in a water and bleach mixture to clean them up a bit. Helps with the smell too.

I never wrap a line around my wrist period. Mr. Sharky is out there and I would prefer I not be the dinner of choice nor any of my body parts. However I do just let the lines lay on the floor until fish is subdued and then put them right back out.

[DriftR]

Good advice about not wrapping tuna handlines. WAY TO DANGEROUS if your not sure how to do it correctly. As for handlines, I've used them often. I run one each off the rear cleat but after the bungie and a certain length of blue or green ashway tuna cord I tie a Yozuri tuna diver. Then back to the Zuker broom. When that Albie hits it flips the Yozuri diver board over and it is forced to the top. When you see that orange floating behind -ALBIE ON. You get them at Englunds or the other commercial tackle shop towards the bayfront or maybe at Harry's Bait and tackle further down.
Using those divers while searching really helps. Also, never hurts to run a single rod with a plain old cedar Sea Stiker plug way, way back when on the search.

[bajadan2000]

Anyone running hand lines off of outriggers? How?

[CATCH AND EAT]

Seen them done a few ways and I think Keta or Kamloops can help ya better.

On the Manaki Kamloops ran a handline on the inter release clip and tied off just aft of the outrigger base. If you were standing in the wrong place when one of these went off you knew it as the line slapped you hard. I might do the same off my downriggers as they are further aft.

Bells on the line near the snubber will alert you to a hit.

[kamloops]

If it was up to me, I'd rather fish 100% handline.
Think 14 hadlines at once was our record. No tangles, no stopping/slowing the boat.
Lessen you get a blue shark.

[HawgJaw]

I am now gaffing all hand line fish as I've lost fish due to the hook ripping out as I heeved them onboard. This has been more of a problem on bigger fish. HJ

[Ride Red]

And speaking of gaffs, did you ever get yours back from Jerry?


Steve

[Old Salty]

Hi,

When running a Hand-Line, it is wise to have a lg.
hand wind leader wheel 10 in. in Dia.
We run 300 lb. mono, looped through line thimbles,
then crimped. We run approx 75 ft. of line to our
very own "Old Salty Planer" #8 & #12 for albacore.
For the larger Planers we run 400 lb. mono for lg. game
such as Giant Blue Fin, & King Mackeral, they can also be run on Downriggers. We tie on a 10ft. 3/8 cord to the
mono and put a loop on the end so we can loop it off a cleat or pad eye on the stern of our boat.
Once the fish strikes the planer will trip, we then pull
in all the line grabbing the cord first pulling, then looping up into a hand-line wheel. This will eliminate
injury, and a tangled mess when bringing in your fish.

Check out http://www.sportfishermen.com
Go to the forums and find
Welcome to my world by WAHOONBOX.....
He is a master at hand-lining, and holds 2nd
place in the N.C. Governors Tournament for Blue Fin
Tuna. He was running a #24 Old Salty Planer.And landed
a 455lb. Blue Fin.
I will post some pics on my sight soon,

Good Fishin'
Team Old Salty
http://www.oldsaltytackle.com