455# Daytime Swordfish aboard the BNM 9-24-11
DateSunday, September 25, 2011 at 10:05AM
We had John and Pam aboard the BNM for a Florida Keys Fishing Trip on 9-24-11. Pam insisted they were lucky and we were going to catch a swordfish guranteed. I told both of them we had a good shot, but there had been quite a few small fish around which can be very frustrating when trying to hook them in the daytime. Well it wasn't long until their luck kicked in, on the way out at 15 knots our high speed lure starts screaming and 10 minutes later John catches his first wahoo, a nice 28 lber. I was thinking at least we didn't get skunked today. We continued out to the swordfish grounds and a few miles inside we found a nice weed line with some mahi on it. We hit one school and caught 15 nice schoolies and a couple small gaffers. Both John and Pam were all smiles and I though maybe they wouldn't even notice if we didn't catch a swordfish. An hour later we were on the bottom in 1500' drifting for a broadbill. After 30 minutes we hooked up, the fish seemed small, and after 10 minutes he threw the hook. We make another drift in the same area, but after an hour with no bite, we wind up. I run a few miles south and drop again. After 45 minutes without a bite, we get ready to wind up, and there she is. We're hooked up to a daytime sword. John gets in the chair and goes to work. After an hour I see the fish, I know she's big, but not quite how big. The fish dives all the way back to the bottom and John goes back to work. At 2 hours he has her near the boat again, I see the swivel behind her tail and realize the fish is foul hooked in the belly somewhere. After a couple quick loops the fish goes back to the bottom. Now we're 3 hours into the fight, and John gets the fish within 50' of the boat again, we get a quick glimpse, but down shes goes. At 4 hours into the fight, and everybody exhausted, John gets the fish 10 feet away! We get a harpoon shot, but it pulls out after a few seconds. The fish looks like it's getting tired though, but still dives back to the bottom. We've drifted 11 miles now and John has been on the fish 4 and 1/2 hours! It looks like the fish is dying, since we've been trying to pull her backwards, but she still keeps swimming. The fish makes one last dive, down to 700', luckily not the bottom again, and then races back up. I look at the clock and realize we've been on the fish 5 hours. Before I know it the fish is at the back of the boat, I run back, throw the harpoon in her, hit her with a straight gaff, Pam hands both Matt and John the other gaffs, and we get all of them in the fish. But she isn't done yet. For 5 minutes she kicks and throws water everywhere next to the boat. Finally the fish is subdued and we bring her through the door. It was the hardest fight I've ever seen on a swordfish. The fish was hooked in the anal fin, but John and Pam had good luck and somehow it stayed in the hole time. We steam for home, everybody exhausted and make the call to fire up the forklift. We hit the dock and the fish weighs in at 455 lbs! This is on the biggest swordfish ever caught on rod and reel in the Florida Keys! We also fished the day before and went 2 for 3 on swordfish, keeping a 65 lber and releasing another. This is the place for Daytime Swordfishing!
Bud N' Mary's Fishing Marina
PO Box 628
79851 Overseas Highway
Mile Marker 79.8 - Oceanside
Islamorada, Florida Keys
Navy Pilot Back From Iraq Cranks in 455-Pound Swordfish During Florida Keys Vacation
Navy Pilot Back From Iraq Cranks in 455-Pound Swordfish During Florida Keys Vacation
ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys -- A former Navy helicopter pilot, who retired from military service three weeks ago after flying surveillance missions over Iraq for a year, reeled in a 455-pound swordfish during a weekend fishing excursion off the Florida Keys.
John White, 33, of Rochester, N.Y., fished Saturday, Sept. 24, with Captain Nick Stanczyk and mate Matt Davis on the Bn'M, based out of Bud N' Mary's Marina in Islamorada.
"I was thinking how tired I was after three hours," said White. "I wanted to give up, but my wife (Pamela Marie) kept pushing me to go on."
After the fish hit at 1:30 p.m., it took five hours to get it to the boat via a Key Largo Rods' swordfish stick, rigged with a Shimano wide reel spooled with 80-pound test braided line. The big fish bit a dolphin (mahi-mahi) belly fished almost to the bottom in 1,600 feet of water, some 30 miles to the south of Islamorada.
Stanczyk, 26, said that it is likely one of the largest swordfish ever caught off the Florida Keys using non-electric, conventional tackle.
White said he came down to the Keys for a month's vacation to mark the end of his nine-year military career. He said he had read and dreamed about daytime swordfishing off the Keys and wanted to give it a try.
"We figured it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go swordfishing," said White, who has been married for a year. "We didn't think we'd ever have the chance afterwards with (plans to have) kids and everything."
Stanczyk said they didn't realize how big the fish was until it came close to the boat 90 minutes into the battle.
"When I saw it, I knew it was a 400- to 500-pound fish," Stanczyk said.
White said that, when the fish was finally slid through the tuna door, there was a lot of whooping and yelling onboard.
"When we saw how big it was, there were lots of high-fives and everyone was really excited," he said.
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455# Daytime Swordfish aboard the BNM 9-24-11
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