Callin out Capt. Mike Ellis

[Bite Me]

And all others that have thrown a sword on the dock.

Wanted to start a new thread in hopes that you and other with the gift might see it.

Read and absorbed everything I could on your recent sword post. The way I see it, you had a helluva night!

Tried a little of this sword fishin ourselves a few weeks back and plan on having at it several more time this summer. We went 0 for 0 so at least we didn't lose any.

Just have a ton of questions to ask here but might be better if I explained our set up and have you critique it.

We drifted a 3 line spread all 80's with lots of 100# line.

Put the lines in just before sun down and kept them wet till a thunderstorm required much sphinkter excersise and a rapid retreat, about 2:00 AM.

Had 250 lb. snaps to a 12 foot 400# leader and 11/0 hooks.

The squids were damn near 2' from tip to tip with bodies about 12" long. The rigging look good.

Clipped battery GREEN lights to the snaps and attached a breakaway 16 oz. lead about 10 feet above the snap.

We set two of them up on the trailing outrigger and the third through a flat line clip.

Ran the long roughly 200', short about 150 and the flat about 100.

Dropped a 4' Hydraglow light stick over the side and let it drift about 12' from the boat.

We were in a stiff 4 knot current so the lines seemed to run at a fairly shallow angle to the water (more weight?).

Water temps were in the low 80's at the surface and we were in 200 plus fathoms.

Reels were all set with just enough drag to keep them from dropping further. No twists through the clips.

Tell me about your set up and don't hestitate to blow ours out of the water.

When these things hit is it like a freight train or a white?

Do you let them suck on it for a while or slam them right away?

At the boat, do you kill them in the water, tail rope them, fly gaff them or just drag them through the door and run for cover?

Outside of finding the fish, tell me all you care to about the mechanics of catching these buggers.

Just trying to become a better fisherman..............

Lou

[Capt. Mike Ellis]

Allright here is what I think you should do. first with your current I would use 32oz. leads 50-100' from your bait. And clip your electralume 30' from the bait. You want your bait on the outside of the light zone. And with the aid of a line counter set your baits anywhere from 140 (remember this number) all the way to maybe 350. Use a milk jug and secure it with a rubber band and a piece of telephone wire so that it will break away. You do the same thing with the weight. I keep my reels backed off to where they will give just a few clicks of line if the rocks rocks hard. In my eye a perfect spread would be a long 150' deep line the next line would be a 225'deep and the closet is the 300' deep line all of theses are on jugs with a cylume inside of them. Then I would put out 1 or 2 tip rods. If only one it would be set at 140'. As far as hits go I have had them hit slow like jaws did and I have had then freight train. When they get to the boat hit them with a harpoon then grab the bill with heavy leather gloves and pull them in the boat. Now for fishing areas look for any kind of edge like current or temp in the right depth zone. I like sharp bottom drops. Good luck
Capt. Mike

[Double D]

I'm no expert, but I have caught a few in my day. Here's what I would do different:

Cover that water column 150, 250, 350 and flat line just out of the light glow. Use enough weight and line to get it down. If you want 400 and its going out at a 45 degree angle, you will need 565' of line between float and weight (I did the math). If theres a thermocline, fish both sides of it

I use 200-300 lb leader. Not sure if that makes any difference, but we haven't had any wear through the line

Most of my hits seem to be light taps, hits with the bill, etc. In that case, let 'em eat for 20 minutes if you have to

I use a much smaller bait. I fished with a guy in florida who put 2 or 3 6" squid on a circle hook and let fly

At the boat, its harpoon or gaff, then a tailrope till dead. These things scare me more than makos