My Top 5 Tips for Billfish Anglers

After a decade of chasing billfish across the globe - from the rigorous heavy tackle of the Eastern Atlantic and the Coral Sea, to the finesse of the Central Pacific and Caribbean - I’ve seen and experienced quite a bit. Billfishing is, without question, one of the most rewarding and sometimes frustrating pursuits on the water.

The truth is, the learning curve is incredibly steep, and when you’re spending precious time and money offshore, the margin for error is razor-thin. If you don't have proper coaching, you can feel like your running in circles wondering if you're doing things as well as you could be.  

After years of helping anglers fine tune their skills, the following are my Top 5 Tips (plus a bonus!) for both novice and intermediate billfish anglers on the water. Let's dive in!

Tip 1: Square up to your fish and get comfortable. 

Too many times when on stand-up tackle I see anglers fighting a fish at an angle: One leg and one shoulder in front of the other.  I like to encourage my anglers to square up to the fish in a “power stance," right up to the gunnel, facing forward and keeping their power in their center. This is not only highly beneficial when reeling line in as well as when allowing the fish ‘to run,' but it also helps protect you from the potential injury of bad form.

Tip 2: No matter the size of the reel, tackle, or fish, if line is leaving, stop reeling.

A lot of people see line leaving the reel and think that they are failing; that they should be working harder and that there is something they can do to stop the fish from taking line.  

If a fish is running, you gotta let it run.  This can be exceptionally difficult when you are in a big fight, tired, and you just want the fish to get to the boat.  Keep in mind, in these moments, that is when the fish is exhausted too. The battle is to see who will break first, and it's not going to be you.

 The drag poundage is set for a reason, and can vary based on species or tackle size.  For example, if you're fishing heavy tackle blue marlin with a drag set to 27 pounds, then any pressure on the line above 27 pounds will remove line from the reel.  When pressure is less or equal to 27 pounds, only then will you be able to gain line when you reel.  The only way to change this is if you add more weight to the drag (which we will cover a bit more in the Bonus Tip). So, if line is leaving the reel, stop reeling, take a breath, get comfortable (squared up!), and gather your energy for when it's your turn to gain 💪🏽

Tip 3: Level Wind, Level Wind, Level Wind.

So many times on the dock I've heard mates say, “this group can't handle a full reel.” So.. what does that mean?

Unlike spinning reels and baitcasters, the lever drag reels we use when billfishing do not have the ability to level wind the line.  This means that you have to make sure to be guiding the line onto the reel while you are in the act of reeling.  This can take a bit of practice to develop proper muscle memory on, but once you get the hang of it the benefits are immeasurable.  

If the line is not guided properly onto the reel, then it can bunch up on one side and gets caught.  This could result in extra pressure and cause the fish to break off (which we definitely do not want).  Being able to fish a full spool is beneficial for a lot of reasons, and you can only do this if you have anglers that understand the concept of level winding the line.  For light tackle fishing, I use my left thumb to level wind while holding the rod with the rest of my hand.  In a harness heavy tackle setup, I will use the fingers on my left hand to level wind while also keeping my hand on the reel (more on this in Tip 4).

Tip 4: Always be ready for tackle failure.

The amount of times I have seen people fighting a fish in the chair or standup bucket seat harness without a hand on the reel/rod is absolutely insane to me.  If you've never used either of these setups, let me explain that the reel is attached to the harness, so you do not need to hold on to the rod (unlike in a light tackle setup where if you let go of the rod it goes overboard.  Don't do that, either).  This often gives the angler a false sense of security, and a lackadaisical approach to handling the reel.

Picture this, you're fighting a big fish in the chair, and you are at a stale mate.  Every now and then you have the chance to reel down on the fish, to get a couple of cranks, otherwise there's no winning.  The drag setting indicates the amount of pressure on the harness, so, if you're fighting a fish at 27 pounds, that's how much pressure is on your bucket seat when it is taking line, etc.  Now imagine a knot fails or a swivel breaks (not ideal, but shit happens).  What is going to happen next? Depending on a handful of variables, that rod is most likely going to snap back into your face unless you have your hand on the reel. Busted lips, broken noses, and cracked teeth are only a few indicators of an angler that was not prepared for tackle failure.  Keep your hand on the reel, use it to level wind, and always be ready for something to go wrong.

Tip 5: Keep your rod tip up.

I think to most, this one might come off as common sense.  But you would be surprised at how often I have to remind anglers to lift their rod tip up. 

If you point your rod at the water, you are giving line away.  The only time you should ever drop your rod tip is 1. During the bite, 2. When you reel down to gain line (at which point you need to bring it right back up), and 3. When bringing the leader to the mate's hand.  If you're pointing the rod at the water, oftentimes even the water itself will be enough pressure on the line to remove line from the reel (see Bonus Tip for more on this).

Bonus Tip: Understand the bow in the line.

It happens to every angler and mate at the beginning of their journey, the surprise when a fish comes up jumping in a completely different area than is indicated by the direction of the line coming off of the rod.  Even after learning how fish and boat maneuvers can play tricks on perception, many people still have a hard time understanding the significance of the bow in the line.

A key aspect that often goes unrecognized is the fact that the more line there is in the water, the more pressure there is on the line. If there is more pressure on the line, line can eventually be coming off the reel faster and faster, even if the fish isn't swimming away from the boat. The line curves based on what the fish/boat have done throughout the fight, and without a good angler it can be really easy for the Captain to “lose the fish” (be unsure of where it is).  This happens if there is too big of a bow and the fish hasn't jumped.  Even if you know where the fish is, it is important to understand when line is leaving the reel because of the bow and not because of the fish (to build off of Tip 2).  

An angler's ability to pick up bow grossly separates them from the masses.  If you add a little bit of pressure to the reel with your thumb and the line stops leaving, this is often a good indicator that you need to pick up the bow.  Thumb the reel, lift your rod, and reel down.  Do this as quickly and efficiently as you can until you come tight and cannot do it any longer.  Then, congratulate yourself on understanding what was going on and taking advantage of the knowledge you learned in this post!!  Keep in mind, there is always a time to add pressure with your thumb, and a time not to. Be careful to not put too much pressure or you can lose the fish.

Don’t stop chasing your wild 💛