I was laying down on the bow of the boat gazing at the brilliant stars on this moonless evening. All of the rods were set out, staggered by depths and distance absent from the boat. As we all were enjoying ourselves on this evening absent from the anxieties of existence, we listened to the clickers make there familiar tunes as the waves picked us up and place us back down. I prefer to maintain to maintain the drags loose, clickers on and then tighten up following the strike. All of the rods sounded alike going click on,— click on,— click on… I acquired up from the bow and said, &quotsomething do not sound right&quot. 1 of the rods was going a bit faster, click on, click on, click on. It was like a shark bite, constant and sluggish. I ran more than to the rod and place the drag lever in the strike place and waited for the fishes turn. Within a few seconds the rod tip bent more than, and I yelled &quotWe acquired one!&quot I cranked tough and quick and then the rod truly doubled more than but this fish still did not take any drag. I do not think the fish realized there was a hook set in him. I attempted to crank some more but the spool stood still with the rod bent more than. Within a split second we acquired the reaction of a lifetime. The drag began slipping like we hooked on to a locomotive and would not stop. It seemed to go on permanently as the line rapidly disappeared off the Penn 80 TW, it looked like we were going to get spooled. We were fishing in about one,400 feet of water and it looked like we had about that a lot line out. With much less than half the line left the heated drag began slowing down. Now it was our turn. &quotThe bent butt rod stays in the rod holder&quot I said to the rod man, &quotjust crank the greatest you can and maintain that rod tip bent at all times maintaining consistent pressure on the fish&quot. We were in a position to get about three quarters of the spool back when our fish made the decision to make another locomotive run. This fish took what he wanted, when he wanted. We were in for a big battle. Paying close interest is essential throughout this fight, simply because pressure has to be stored on this fish 100 % of the time. 3 individuals are on this boat and we each acquired about 5 turns to crank this child in as we could only final no more than fifteen minutes each. Over three hrs later then I stuck a big flying gaff into a Broadbill Swordfish estimated more than 300 lbs. This is what globe course Sword fishing is all about.

The following are some tips from me, the Captain, on rigging for this evening excursion:

Boat rigging:

You will require a seaworthy boat, either chartered or owned, All running lights require to be in working order Port, Starboard, and Stern lights. These lights are mandatory and very important because there are shipping lanes in our fish zone. You should be in a position to identify and be recognized when you are on the water at evening. Information of vessel lights is important so as to steer clear of a collision course. Maintain all loose articles either tied down or in a locker as you make the lengthy run offshore. Usually do manual checks on your bile pumps. I take a hose and begin filling up the bilge. If your float switches are working the bilge pumps will come on automatically and you are ready to roll.

Fishing line:

800 yards of fifty pound test ought to get most jobs done. Most guys are going with the braided lines which have a smaller sized diameter than monofilament does and have double the power. As an instance we have utilized 200 lb. braided Tuff line which has a diameter of fifty lb. test mono, consequently we can spool more than one thousand yards on to a Penn 80TW. This may sound overkill but I like to fish all my rods ready for that 400 pounder.

Reels:

fifty excess weight reels such as Finore, Penn, and Shimano’s 2-speed are the preferred minimum. If you size down you take a risk of obtaining spooled or the drag may not hold up against the pressure. It can be done but it takes good skill. The Broadbill Swordfish has been known to attain more than one thousand lbs, but more common in the 100-200 pound range.

Rods:

A good brief stick in the fifty -80 pound course is an awesome rod. A bent butt rod is my choice for handling a big fish. Extra big Aftco roller guides are some of the greatest guides to have and play an important role when line strips off the reel. They help to maintain your wind-ons from obtaining damaged.

Leaders:

To begin, wind-on leaders ought to be utilized and can be purchased at most offshore tackle retailers. They help when your fish comes close to the boat and does not want to cooperate. The additional length of hefty mono will safeguard your line when it chafes on the bottom of your boat or goes around the props. A 40 turn bimini requirements to be tied to the end of your main line, then connect the loop that is on your wind-on to the loop on your bimini by taking your wind-on loop and insert it through your bimini. Then take the tag end of your wind-on leader and pass it through the wind-on loop 2 times, then pull tight. Next you require to connect a 300 lb. power ball-bearing swivel or much better to the end of the wind-on using a crimp that matches your line power. I use 300 pound leaders with the crimps to match and also chaffing gear to decrease any wear and tear to the leader connections.

Now you require to connect 8-10 feet of the same power leader to the other end of the ball-bearing swivel. Do not neglect the chaffing gear.

Hooks:

You are near the final stages. Size 10/ Mustad hooks are the average and are worthy. The following are 2 single hook rigs:

The first one is easy and utilized for reside bait. Just crimp your hook, (use chaffing gear) to the end of the leader. Maintain your loops little as you crimp the hook, but big sufficient so that the hook swings freely. Reside baits ought to be bridled through the eye sockets and not through the eyeballs. I use fifty pound power wax line with an open eye needle for bridling. Then I insert the hook upwards under the bridle.

The 2nd rig is a squid rig. It is nearly like the first except you use 2 crimps. Pass the first crimp through the tag end so it slides freely then crimp your 2nd one the same way as the reside bait rig, only this time leave about 2 inches of the tag end pass through the crimp. Next take your medium to big squid and insert the hook about ¾ of an inch down from the top of the mantle and pull through past your crimp and additional tag line. Then take your free moving crimp and carry it down and insert that additional tag line into the crimp, but do not crimp down on it. This will hold up your squid as if on a coat hanger. Then you will require to re-insert the hook back through the squid generating sure the squid hangs directly when all is finished. Next take your bridling needle and floss and sow the squids head and tentacle area to the mantle piece. This area is fragile on the squid and may even pull off. Making sure every thing appears regular to the fish is important. Using the needle and thread will make the squid stay intact on the strike.

Equipment:

As you put together to deploy your lines you will require a supply of 12-32 oz weights, light sticks, balloons and rubber bands. The first line to be set out will be the furthest from the boat and also the deepest, 250-350 feet deep. First issues first, crack your light stick or twist your Electralume and attach it to your leader with a wax line loop tied on your line anyplace from 10-40 feet absent from the bait. Then rig your bait as we did previously. Throw your bait overboard and go at least twenty-fifty feet behind the bait to attach your excess weight by using another wax line loop. Make this connection tight so the excess weight does not slide around the line. The heavier the excess weight the faster your bait pulls through the water. Heavier weights for dead baits like Squid, Bonita and little Mackerel and lighter weights for reside bait like Blue Runners, goggle eyes, Tinkers etc.

Set your first jug or balloon much from the boat, at least 200 feet absent with a cylume connected for a good visual. You are ready for rod # 2. This rod will go 2-250 feet down, then attach your balloon or jug and set this line in in between the boat and the furthest balloon. Space the balloons about 100 feet apart. Your subsequent rod will go down 150-200 feet. To steer clear of all the counting I will pre-measure my lines at home and mark them by tying half hitches with wax line. This way when you deploy your lines, just let out the line slowly until you attain your marker. This final rod does not require a balloon, it is fished correct below the boat. If you use more rods you require to set your first balloon further from the boat, and perhaps a 2nd rod at the boat, one on the bow, one on the stern.

It is a good idea to get an under water light that can be stored correct under the transom. This light will attract fish, and you can see passing Turtles, Dolphin and other baits come correct into the light searching for some thing to eat and sometimes even a Swordfish will swim through.

Prior to all the rigging, the most important component is to set your drags. With fifty pound line, 8-10 lbs of drag is adequate at the strike drag place. With heavier lines, 12 lbs of drag is more than sufficient. The decrease jaw on the Swordfish is very soft and if a hook gets lodged in that area it will pull when under sufficient pressure. If the hook gets lodged in the upper area you can use more drag, but you by no means know where he is hooked so stay light on the drag and carry that fish to the boat. Shimano’s drag scales are a great tool for measuring your drags.

Your final stage is to tune your drag levers following you deploy each line. Some Captains prefer to maintain their drag lever in the strike place I prefer to maintain them loose with the clickers on, just sufficient so you do not hear the line pay out when the waves lift the boat up and down.

You are now Sword fishing!

Keep in mind there is a size limit of 47 inches from the tip of the decrease jaw to the fork of the tail. There is absolutely nothing incorrect with releasing fish bigger than 47 inches either. Sinking a gaff into a fish near 200 lbs or much better is a a lot much better accomplishment.

If you would like to see it all firsthand get in touch with Captain Cary Hanna @ captcary@newlattitude.com to take you out for this deep sea adventure.

Captain Cary Hanna is a USCG licensed boat captain. He runs his charter boat, the ‘New Lattitude’ out of the Port Everglades inlet in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. and has logged more than 200 trips fishing for Swordfish. The Captains’ boat is a custom rigged 2004 32 foot Donzi middle console driven with twin 225 hp Mercury Optimax’s. To reserve a charter or inquire any questions about this article phone 954-907-0967.

Until Next Tide,

Captain Cary Hanna

http://www.newlattitude.com Fort lauderdale Sportfishing Charters Swordfish, Sailfish, Dolphin, Tuna, Kingfish, Sharks and more. Come Get Some