I recently happened into a Hobie Yak Fishing Seminar when I was in Hawaii. The famous Jon Jon & a few others gave a talk & showed us all their gear. They also told some awesome stories about pelagic fish they have caught from the yak. Really awesome to listen to these guys face to face.
If any of you have ever spent any time in the water on the islands you know that it is an entirely different game than in California. It is an island, it is round, they fish the leeward side (which means the wind is blowing offshore). Think about that.
The one thing that impressed me is how much they stressed safety. They do not f$%^ around with it & stressed very directly that you should not f&^% around with it either. They put their radios in waterproof cases-bags. My buddy said, "my radio is waterproof?". To which I said, "so are theirs, and they're sponsored by the company that makes the radio". They stressed "gear is mass produced & with any item that is mass produced there can be mistakes in production."
These guys really didn't try to promote or sell gear at all. They did go over features of the boats & some of their rods but all in all they were informative & it was interesting to hear & see what they use.
One thing Jon Jon said about landing any large pelagic fish is that you do not directly follow the fish as you are fighting it. It will-may turn back on you & if you are at an angle to it, you will have a greater chance of keeping tension on your line. He also said he has gotten YFT & Mahi Mahi in as little as 15 FOW, very close to shore. He said they come in with the bait. Pretty cool.
Jon Jon briefly told us about bringing in a Wahoo - on a yak. Pretty gnarly experience as they're dangerous & wily as hell.
The other brother went over his gaffs. He has a spear, which looked lethal as hell, and a gaff. He had a japanese name for it that I can't recall. He said the spear stuns the fish & it is easier to hit it with it than the gaff. Usually he hits it with the spear, then the gaff, then he brings them together. It was pretty wild & it was clear these guys have a lot of experience in landing large pelagic fish.
