[Aaron&Julie]

Just tail roping should work fine, it did for ours and they were both 85-90lbs and about 9 feet long from the nose to tip of tail. Never even thought about using the gaff.

First anticipate catching one. Then have the rope secured to your 'yak already, hopefully with a quick release clip on the free end. Grab the thresher's tail when it's tired, but be ready the 1st or 2nd time you do this, to release it quickly if need be, because it's very possible it may have one or two more runs left in it.

When it seems like it's finally beat, wrap the tail. With a clip you just drop that over the tail, reach under, grab the clip and then secure the clip back to the rope. It's easy for one person to do it this way.

We worked together to drag ours up on to the kayak (head towards the bow), so hopefully you'll have somebody to help you do this part of the chore.

Once on board we used the excess rope around his tail to further secure it between our legs. When it calms down, cut it's gills to bleed it out.

Better luck next time.