Hooking Swordfish

[DropinBack]

Makes sense ... Thanks alot for the info!

[bigg09]

Capt. Archer,

All good info. As you said it very much depends on when you are fishing (day vs. night) , but i think just as important is where you are fishing. Why I think this is so important is that in some areas the currents are much different than in other areas. When i say this, I mean not only surface currents, but mid and lower level currents. This does not just affect daytime fishing, but you deep baits and tip rods when nighttime fishing. There is no one correct way (weight, hook,etc...) to fish all baits. Matching the hook to the bait you are using is also equally important just like rigging a spanish or a hoo.

For daytime fishing:
I have some friends in S. FL that are very successfull and some would say the most successfull. Their techniques work great in that area, but up here in the Mid atlantic we have had mixed success and have been ever trying to evolve or techniques. The primary difference that we have noticed here is that we have a lot less current than they have down there. our rigs have changed on various occasions, type of weight, breakaway or not, etc.. keep in mind we do not use electrics all manual. Another factor that we may be dealing with is a lot more pups. we have tried circles, but have moved back to the off-set j hook. now we are varing the size of the hook and characteristics of the gap.

For nightime fishing: I believe that it is much more uniform accross the board. (I still prefer an off-set J hook but a little smaller than when daytime fishing)

On the topic of drags. I think it is preference plain and simple. We have brought fish in where if it had had one more oz of drag the hook would have split the lower jaw at the point and have also pulled multpile hooks even with light drag. What I have noticed, both day and night, is to always have someone ready with a long gaff and flyer/poon within minutes. Often, both day and night, the fight can sometimes be very short before the first opportunity. If you miss that one, because these fish are pretty inquisitive, you then greatly increase the chances of a pulled hook whether or not the drag is tight. Based on this, we usually start out at 8-10# of drag and if the fight gets going and the fish does not look like its going to give us a shot early, we increase the drag to what is comfortable for the fighter. This is very important when standup fishing (which is all we do). Putting a lot of drag on a fish early can really wear out the angler for a fish that is really shaped like a natural planner. Even if the rod is being passed, a stubborn fish can put a whole crew out of commission! Therefore, depending on the crew and the experience and the method (standup or chair) would dictate to me how much drag. But I would strongly suggest giving the fight a short period of time with lighter drag due to their nature to come up and to the boat (espically at night!!!). It might be a green fish, but you are going to loose swords plain and simple. If you miss your shot or get a hot fish start easing up the drag (but remember to back off on runs and then push forward when retrieving line). I would rather have caught the one i lost/pulled the hook than the ones i have landed. It just takes time and unfortunately here on the Mid-Atlantic, we only get a relatively short window to try for them and the weather and distance really hinder our efforts.

I would venture to say that off of the Virgina coast, we have targeted both day and night time exclusively swords more than any other recreation(non-charter) boat over the past 4 years. With that being said, I would not claim to know the best or right way because there is just not enough time or opportunities to perfect this art. It will be an evolving adventure every time we go trying to expand or minds and experiment for years to come. Hope this helps. Casey

[Anders]

when the rod bends or the line goes slack, start reeling and don't stop till the drag peels off or your bait is at the rod tip

[tabasco]

one other tip. Often i see people that because its dark don't think they should watch the spread like you would daytime trolling. More times than i can count we have heard/seen no movement on a rod but suddenly see a light moving just under the surface (thats supposed to be at 200' down) behind the boat and you're on. Good floats that will tip over when the pressure is off help but sometimes the weight/bow in line will keep a float upright as the sword rises toward the surface withthe bait. Sometimes they hit like freight trains but often its just a bounce in a rod tip or a slight change in line direction or a float that moves a little weird that is your signal.

[Captain Michael Buffington]

Whether you use J or circle hooks (my preference being the latter for night fishing...it's a different story for daytime fish on the surface, but the same circles for deep drop daytime fishing), I have never "fed the fish the bait", nor do I know anyone who has or does. The basic rule of thumb is to fish the reel in gear. When the fish eats, rather than billing the bait (which he will do if it's too big), the pressure from the heavy sinker and water pressure on the line will usually at the least get the hook started and in most cases with circle hooks, wrap it around its target, the jaw hinge.

When they feel a hook or the pressure from one, swords generally head for the surface for some reason. Here too, the weight of the sinker and the loop in line that they are pulling does a good job of setting hooks. Just watch for that "nothing", or "slack line" bite or a properly lit float that "lays over". When any of those things happens, reel until you feel the fish, then keep reeling. If you see the cyalume light mysteriously heading for the surface, it's because a fish has the bait and hook, is usually hooked, and is heading up top.

Giving line to a biter, or fishing a big bait that he has to mess with are sure formulae for having them get tangled in leader and at best, snagged and at worst, spooking the hell out of them. Neither is a good thing when it comes to successfully landing swordfish. Their long, non-retractable dorsal and pectoral fins and that long bill can make them virtual porcupines as far as picking up and getting tangled in leaders and getting snagged.

Some fishermen set a lighter-than-usual stike drag. We generally use 80# with a drag of 20# or so...whatever is comfortable for the angler, especially if he is standing up. Some will tell you that light drags must be used or you will pull hooks. I am from the school that says that if a sword isn't well hooked, the hook is going to pull sooner or later. That being the case, I'd rather pull it sooner and get back to trying for another while I'm in the zone and they are biting.

There is a lot more to catching swordfish, instead of just fishing for them. The right gear, hooks, baits, and drag settings, etc., being just parts of the overall game.

Be careful at the end game...swords are dangerous as hell when they get up close and personal!

Good Luck!

the man knows what hes talking about. After reading all his stuff and talking abit to him I switched to 16/0 mustads and my hookup to land ratio has gone through the roof. I have one observation i will throw in for discussion. I have noticed a definite difference in how much they seem to bat the bait much more with live baits and even dead blue runners as opposed to squid. I strongly suggest 8 to 12" squid flossed really well to your leader.

Mike