Hand Lines Work

We run hand lines attached to large swivel clips with 15 foot lure leaders so that can quickly change lures or lure heads. To increase the spread of the lures (and hide the swivel) I also add small squid skirts on the swivel. Occasionally I have even added a small double hook to the clip under the skirt but this greatly increases the complexity and danger while fighting to get the final leader on board. I always make sure I have a cork ready to jam into the hooks that I have pre-tested it’s fit to make sure the hooks won’t snag me on the way by if the fish lurches at the end. Remember this is their last chance to live; they’ll do almost anything to stay alive. I have caught two yellow fin tuna on the same line with this technique.. but it can get a little crazy. Be careful around wahoo as they can hit the first “lure” and cut the hand line.

We use multiple “Fish-is-On” snubbers and don’t stop or slow the boat down, we just keep going. We let the snubber fight the fish a bit (30 seconds) to tire it out before we start hauling in the line. This also gives you time to put on proper gloves, clear the inboard line(s) and prepare the boat to receive your catch. If the fight is still too much or we are sailing too fast, we can roll in the jib. If you’re running heavy monofilament or nylon line you can even wrap the line around the winch to help haul it in. We once had a six foot marlin that kept trying to get under the boat. As it got close I kept letting a little bit of line go until it got clear. After a couple times it got tired enough where I could walk down to our swim step and grab the lure from it mouth to cut the hook free.

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