George,
Threshers are super eating. I try and harvest one a year.
Dealing with the tail is the dangerous part. So I try and fight the
fish until it is exhausted. I do this two ways: Bring it to the kayak
and bang on it with the paddle or gaff to get it to run again, over and
over again. Then I start the bleed-out process.
If mouth hooked, I go for the gills by simply stabbing at the gills and allowing the fish to continue to swim while bleeding out.
Or, if the fish is tail hooked, then I stab the main artery at the base of the tail. Allowing it to bleed out and continue to fight.
You need a long knife. And always use at least 100lb test mono for your leader. This allows you to handle the fish and never use wire since you can lose toes and fingers easily.
By the way, a thresher's belly is the best seafood you'll ever eat, period.
http://vimeo.com/75171718
