[Charles Martel]

Bringing a large fish aboard before tiring him out can be hazardous to your boat. I saw some guys in a small center-console boat (well, small for that far out - I think it was a 23' Whaler) try to boat a *big* cobia. They must've been slow to whomp him with the "Welcome Aboard" club, because a loud thrashing commenced and the stainless bow rail, along with big chunks of the fiberglass gunwhale were knocked loose. I think they headed in after they finally subdued the fish, not wishing to push their luck. :-)

Here's an interesting image to go with this thread. I think it's legit, not Photoshopped. Looks like a still from a videocamera. Go to the image's site and click on the pic for the full-size version.

[Ditter]

How do I get to the photos site?

BTW Cobia is another name for a Ling, the fish that whomped me.