360Tuna - View Single Post - Using the Rail--Discussion Thread:

ksong · 05-05-2008, 08:13 AM

While long range boats out of San Diego have lower rail position to facilitate the use of harness, it is hard to fight with harness on the East Coast party boats as the rail position is high. The use of rail is not right or wrong thing, but an option to fight tuna effective. While private boat goers don't feel necessary the use of the rail, party boat goers think it is necessary. Recently even long rang boats encourage the use of rail for cow.
I feel the use of fighting chair is more cheating than the use of the rail.

I even feel cheated when I use a fighting belt to work jigs and poppers.

Everybody has his own standard and use whatever you feel necessary as you fish for yourself. As I said before I am not going to use any harness to fight tuna under 200 lbs except for spinniing reels for my enjoyment and developing new fighting techniques.

I broke broke two rods while tuna jigging over 20 years. Both rods are from Japanese Cosmotech blanks. I liked the blanks for tuna jigging so much as they are super light, but strong. Those blanks were originally developed for cod fishing, but I found the blanks are adequate for tuna jigging. I shouldn' u chave used the rods for the use of rail as the wall of the blanks are very thin.
The first rod from Cosmetech blank got broke at foregrip spot where I touched the rail after years and years use. I must caught several hundred tuna with the single rod.

The second Cosmetech rod was broken as you see in the picutres. My porta-rail position is so high on the particular boat it was not comfortable position to fight a tuna using the rail. I didn't get any hit while jigging 5 - 6 hours and I was using the rail to jig as I got tired. Then a big bluefin tuna estimated over 150 lbs hit my jig and I knew I was in trouble when the big tuna charged under the boat and I couldn't move my rod at all.
It was my fault first of all that I shouldn't have used the thin rod for the railing again and I shouldn't have fought with such a high rail position knowing that big tuna were around.

When you feel your tuna jigging rods are super light, don't use the rod for the railing as those rods have invariably thin wall. However I feel comfortable rods like GUSA Wahoo or Calstar 700H/700XH blanks for the use of the rail.

05-05-2008, 08:13 AM	#37 (permalink)
ksong Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,416	by necessity While long range boats out of San Diego have lower rail position to facilitate the use of harness, it is hard to fight with harness on the East Coast party boats as the rail position is high. The use of rail is not right or wrong thing, but an option to fight tuna effective. While private boat goers don't feel necessary the use of the rail, party boat goers think it is necessary. Recently even long rang boats encourage the use of rail for cow. I feel the use of fighting chair is more cheating than the use of the rail. I even feel cheated when I use a fighting belt to work jigs and poppers. Everybody has his own standard and use whatever you feel necessary as you fish for yourself. As I said before I am not going to use any harness to fight tuna under 200 lbs except for spinniing reels for my enjoyment and developing new fighting techniques. I broke broke two rods while tuna jigging over 20 years. Both rods are from Japanese Cosmotech blanks. I liked the blanks for tuna jigging so much as they are super light, but strong. Those blanks were originally developed for cod fishing, but I found the blanks are adequate for tuna jigging. I shouldn' u chave used the rods for the use of rail as the wall of the blanks are very thin. The first rod from Cosmetech blank got broke at foregrip spot where I touched the rail after years and years use. I must caught several hundred tuna with the single rod. The second Cosmetech rod was broken as you see in the picutres. My porta-rail position is so high on the particular boat it was not comfortable position to fight a tuna using the rail. I didn't get any hit while jigging 5 - 6 hours and I was using the rail to jig as I got tired. Then a big bluefin tuna estimated over 150 lbs hit my jig and I knew I was in trouble when the big tuna charged under the boat and I couldn't move my rod at all. It was my fault first of all that I shouldn't have used the thin rod for the railing again and I shouldn't have fought with such a high rail position knowing that big tuna were around. When you feel your tuna jigging rods are super light, don't use the rod for the railing as those rods have invariably thin wall. However I feel comfortable rods like GUSA Wahoo or Calstar 700H/700XH blanks for the use of the rail. Last edited by ksong : 05-05-2008 at 08:21 AM.