gracias for that info Lars!
have used the "give em freespool to change their mind" approach with success in other big fish situations but have to admit havent been game to use it on dogs [counterintuitive as it is
]
since prev posts i've been getting the hang of the 'hook em hold em drag em' approach - gunning the boat out into the blue the second we get connected, with hand on the spool for extra drag and on the bail to stop it lifting, big improvement over just sitting parked on the edge whilst they take you to the cleanes, but unfor so far they're still making it to the bottom before we can get em out to the 200 metre mark
will take a leap of faith and try flipping the bail instead of stomping it
luck!