If the line test is over 40 lbs and it is not nicked or frayed it is just about imposssible for any fish to break it if the drag is set properly. (about 30% of the line test) But the angler can break it by whipping jerking or doing some other foolishness with the rod.Or you can loose all the line off the reel.
An excerpt from my website on fighting a mako
. " A mako should be fought differently than other fish. This is not tuna fishing! A tuna fisherman's mentality is "The longer the fight the greater chance of losing the fish , therefore getting it to the boat quickly is a good idea."
The object is not to muscle a mako back to the boat and gaff it, as you would a tuna.. That is a sure way of losing one or getting somebody injured, or worse. You want to keep it away from the boat and "stay attached" until it is tired out.
A mako is too fast for an angler to directly fight, as you would most fish. So you just exercise line control. When possible put the line on the reel, keeping it level, and when the mako runs let it rip off smoothly. The mono closer to the reel spindle is packed rather tightly from the pressure of the line. When you get a blistering run below half spool it will sound like an electrical short circuit in the reel." -Tom
Thank you for the info about the line strength and the difference in bringing in a mako and bringing in a tuna. Scary to this non-fisherperson!
What's your website address? I caught a 170 lb. sailfish off of Acapulco. It was 9 ft. 7 inches long. On a 50 lb. test line. I was told it was rather long, but was still 22 lbs. short of a world record. This was back in 1978. I still have the fish on my wall. We caught 7 that day and boated 4. Mine was the biggest.
Oh, I forgot to mention that it was a very exciting day, expecially when the boat started sinking and we were 25 miles offshore. The floorboards in the cabin were just about underwater by the time we patched the hole and got back to port safely. Very scary there for a while.
Caught two. #1 around 180# like fighting a sailfish, lots of jumps and a few power runs, tagged and released.
#2 around 400+# different fish, pulled hard down for 20 min. then came up and danced trying to shake the hook for about 10 min.. Didn’t work so the fish went down and sulked, cranked it up, saw the boat and went nuts. Had the leader and ready to tag and the fish started chewing on the port trim tab actuator with a vengeance. Tagged it and cut the line. Mako’s are great on a rod and reel, be real careful if you get them close in to your boat; they are a pissed off wild animal with big teeth!
A.