I am gonna try it this summer with 2 down rigger outfits with squid. I got spectra on both my downriggers how deep do you guys think I should put them down at I am gonna be trying spots like the 277 209 14 mile bank avalon ect. Any tips and advice would be appreciated
There has been some recent chatter in regards to deep water drift fishing Willy on the high spots here is SoCal - Florida Gulfstream style at night - I just think our fish are too spread out - but with enough people "trying" we may zero in on some tactics that work.
Its a very longshot having any success trolling with downriggers. Your best bet is a tall flybridge, great bynos and a grease slick day - seeing some stickboat/plane activity is a plus - but I would not suggest chasing their spotted fish.
Good luck - they are here - had a close encounter on Sunday in the channel - surprise, surprise - he didn't want to bite.
THE NEW DEEP DROP DAYTIME SWORDFISH TECHNIQUE WORKS AND IS WREAKING HAVOC ON SWORDS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND NOW OFF OF FLORIDA. IT WILL WORK ANYWHERE WHERE THERE ARE SWORDFISH, INCLUDING HERE, WHERE WE STILL HAVE ONE OF THE BEST NEARSHORE SWORDFISH POPULATIONS LEFT ON THE PLANET. BUT IT ISN'T A TROLLING TECHNIQUE, IT IS A DRIFTING ONE, DONE IN GREAT DEPTHS, OVER A THOUSAND FEET DEEP IN THE TROPICS AND FLORIDA, SOMETIMES AS MUCH AS 2,000 FEET.
WEIGHTS FOR THAT KIND OF FISHING AVERAGE TEN POUNDS AND USUALLY CONSIST OF A PIECE OF PLASTIC PIPE, FILLED WITH CONCRETE. YOU CAN USE LEAD, BUT THE WEIGHTS ARE RIGGED TO BREAK AWAY ONCE A FISH IS HOOKED AND EVEN WHEN YOU RETRIEVE THE BAIT. WE SHOULD NOT BE ADDING MORE LEAD TO OUR WATERS. AND YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO ADD THAT TEN POUNDS TO ALL OF THAT WINDING YOU HAVE TO DO TO CHECK A BAIT OR MOVE. THIS WEIGHT IS ATTACHED WITH ABOUT A TWO FOOT, 20" TEST BREAKAWAY LEADER. AT LEAST A 10 FOOT, 25O# LEADER IS USED (I WOULD USE MORE LIKE 14 OUT HERE BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE FISH. MORE ON THAT IN A SEC.) A SPECIAL, TRIANGULAR SHAPED WIRE RIG THAT YOU CAN EASILY MAKE YOURSELF FOR PEANUTS IS REQUIRED TO HELP KEEP THE BAIT LEADER FROM TANGLING THE MAIN LINE.
THERE IS A LOT MORE TO THIS THAN I HAVE THE TIME OR INCLINATION TO PROVIDE HERE, EXCEPT TO SAY THAT DEPTH RANGES ARE DIFFERENT HERE IN OUR MORE NORTHERLY WATERS AND SOME VERY SHARP BIOLOGISTS HAVE STUDIED THE HABITS OF LOCAL SWORDS AND HAVE EXCELLENT DATA ON THEIR MOVEMENTS, WHICH OF COURSE HAS A DIRECT BEARING ON WHERE YOU SHOULD FISH FOR THEM, INCLUDING HOW DEEP AND WHERE AT WHAT TIME OF DAY.
LIKE IT OR NOT, IT IS ALL IN THE UPDATED VERSION OF MY DAYTIME SWORDFISH BOOK. THE UPDATED VERSION WILL BE FREE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY BOUGHT THAT BOOK AND THOSE WHO HAVEN'T CAN ORDER IT. THE UPDATE WILL BE COMPLETE IN ABOUT A WEEK.
AS SOMEONE WHO HAS CAUGHT NIGHT AND DAYTIME SWORDS HERE, IN CABO AND BACK EAST, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS TECHNIQUE, IF USED, WILL RESULT IN SOME CATCHES OF NOT ONLY LOCAL, DAYTIME SWORDS, BUT HUGE ONES TO BOOT! AND BEST OF ALL, YOU WILL BURN ALMOST NO FUEL DOING IT! IF YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW, YOU KNOW WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO, RIGHT?
ONE OF THREE SWORDS STUCK OFF OF DANA POINT THAT DAY. CHECK OUT HOW CLOSE THE BEACH IS (AND IT LOOKS FURTHER AWAY THAN IT IS IN THE PICTURE.)
NEXT, THE DAYTIME SWORDFISH BOOK - THE ONLY BOOK EVER ON THIS SUBJECT. THEN, ELVIS UP TOP. THE BOOK TEACHES YOU HOW TO CATCH HIM. THEN, TWO PICTS OF SWORD TOO GREEN, TOO CLOSE! THEY ARE DANGEROUS AS HELL...BE CAREFUL!!!!!
A BIG ONE ON THE FLYER. HOOKED AT NIGHT AND FOUGHT FOR ALMOST THREE HOURS, THREE MILES OFF OF DANA POINT. LATER, THIS SAME FISH WOULD HAVE BEEN DEEPER AND FEEDING ON THE BOTTOM, NOT FAR AWAY.
There was actually an article in Marlin magazine a few years ago about night trolling for swordfish off the coast of Africa. They trolled fairly slowly and (if memeory serves) did use the downrigger. Lures were Moldcraft Softheads rigged with a strip of squid. I do not know if anyone has tried this technique locally.
YES, BUT A DIFFERENT DEAL COMPLETELY. MUCH SHALLOWER FISHING, USING GLOW-IN-THE-DARK SOFTHEADS (GOT SOME IN MY GARAGE...NOT TO SELL, TO FISH WITH, HINT, HINT) AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT I COVER THAT STYLE OF FISHING IN THE LATEST VERSION OF THE NIGHT SWORDFISHING BOOK.
THE DRIFTING TECHNIQUE IS SIMPLER, BUT REQUIRES AT LEAST 80W'S AND A HELLUVA LOT OF 80# SPECTRA, BUT ONCE YOU HAVE THAT DONE, IT'S PRETTY AUTOMATIC AND IS WAY EASIER AND MORE COMFORTABLE THAN NIGHT FISHING, WHICH A LOT OF GUYS TALK ABOUT OUT HERE, BUT DAMNED FEW DO. (THE BOOGEYMAN, YOU KNOW, DUDE? AND BESIDES, IT GETS COLD AND EVEN WET OUT THERE AT NIGHT, DUDE! AND YOU KNOW, DUDE, I'D RATHER, LIKE, BE ON THE ISLAND, CHASIN' THOSE BITCHES AROUND AND LOOKING AT CATCHING A PERMANENT STD, YOU KNOW? THERE WOULD BE A FLEET OUT THERE EVERY NIGHT IF SOME OF THOSE HARD CORE EAST COAST TYPES WERE OUT HERE. THOSE GUYS WOULD CHEW UP AND SPIT OUT THAT BOOGEYMAN AND LOVE OUR MILD NIGHTS! AND THEY WOULD BE STACKIN' THOSE SWORDS UP, TOO.
THE DEEP SWORDS ARE THE BIG FEMALES, BECAUSE THEY ARE BIG AND MATURE ENOUGH TO OPERATE IN THE EXTREME COLD OF THE DEPTHS, WHEREAS THE SMALLER UNITS DO NOT GO AS DEEP. THE OTHER FISH THAT WILL BE ENCOUNTERED ARE BIGEYE THRESHERS, ANOTHER HUGELY POWERFUL FIGHTER. END GAME GEAR AND TACTICS HAD BETTER BE RIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO THEM, OR THE TYPICAL MONSTER DEEP SWORD!!
EXCEPT FOR THOSE THINGS, IT'S NEAR PERFECT CALIFORNIA FISHING...SET UP, DRIFT AND WAIT, FISH HOOKS ITSELF. JUST SET UP THE HIBACHI, GRILL UP SOME STEAKS, MAKE A BIG SALAD, CRANK UP THE EAGLES, TAKE IT EASY....UNTIL...
I spent 3 or 4 nights last year drifting some of our local banks in hopes of some royal purple. We tried varying depths but only up to about 600 feet. Mostly we just got shark action on the rigs nearest the surface but one night we got whacked and brought up a squid that was cut in two. Who knows it might have been the right kind. I hear that the statistics are stacked against getting one but I don't buy it. You can add up longline numbers and convert it to days on the water to try and get a picture but I don't think its an accurate one. They can't stack all their gear up in productive areas and they are playing the numbers. We as fisherman only need one to make a season. I will be trying again this year. Hell I think we saw at least one for every day I went offshore last year and I'm not a very good spotter lol so that tells me there are a lot of them out there. and they need to eat
NAIL ON THE HEAD, ROBBER. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OUT HERE IS THAT OUR LOCALS SIMPLY DO NOT COTTON TO NIGHT FISHING IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND THEN THEY GO ABOUT IT BASED ON INFO FROM SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT SWORDING, BUT SAYS HE DOES. THAT'S JUST PLAIN SILLY (AND I'M LISTENING TO SARGE AND GATA HERE AND TRYING TO BE NICE )
WE STILL HAVE A GREAT, NEARSHORE SWORDY POPULATION WITH PLENTY OF THOSE BIG, HEART POUNDING, SCARIFYING, DANGEROUS SHE-BITCHES THAT YOU BETTER BE DAMNED CAREFUL AROUND. I'M SURE THAT PURPLE HAZE REMEMBERS THE TIME THAT I HAILED THE GUYS ON A FAMOUS PLANKBOAT (NO NAMES...AND THESE WERE FRIENDS, OR THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ALLOWED THIS) AND WE TUCKED IN ALONGSIDE AND ABAFT OF AMIDSHIP ON THEM AND WATCHED THEM STICK SOMETHING LIKE SIX OR SEVEN SWORDS IN A ROW...THEY WERE STICKING, DUMPING GEAR AND HAULING ASS OVER TO THE NEXT ONE, WHICH WAS OFTEN ONLY A HUNDRED YARDS OR LESS AWAY. WE WERE NINE MILES OFF THE BEACH.
IT WAS THE TIDE CHANGE, THE MAGIC TIME THAT I HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME CONVINCING SOME OF THE IMPORTANCE OF, AND IT WAS OVER A FAST AS IT STARTED. AJ JUST ABOUT WENT INSANE OVER THE SIGHT OF THAT HARPOON MAN COILING UP LIKE A RATTLER, THEN PLUNGING THE 'POON DOWN THROUGH AND BUTTON HOOKING ELVIS, THE EXPLOSIONS AS THEY FELT THE STEEL AND BLASTED OFF IN GREAT GOUTS OF WATER AND PURPLE LIGHTNING!
AND THE PILOT UP THERE, DOING IMPOSSIBLE THINGS WITH THAT SPOTTER PLANE, LINING UP THE STRIKE ON THE ONES THAT WEREN'T FLAGGING...WE COULD HEAR EVERY WORD ON THE SPEAKER SO BOTH THE DRIVER AND THE IRON MAN COULD HEAR HIM, "TWO O'CLOCK, TWO O'CLOCK. FOUR MORE DEGREES...YOU'RE ON INTERCEPT, LEFT TO RIGHT. OH YES, JUST LIKE THAT! FIFTY FEET! THIRTY! HE'S YOURS...YEEEHAWWW! GREAT SHOT! GREAT SHOT SEAN! THREE O'CLOCK, TWO HUNDRED YARDS. A BIG ONE! YEAH, YOU'RE CLOSING..."
AH, JESUS, I'M SHAKING LIKE A LEAF AS I WRITE THAT!
THEY CALL IT PURPLE FEVER, AND I STILL HAVE IT!
LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT...
BUT BEWARE! THIS ONE CAN HURT YOU BAD! DO NOT TAKE HER LIGHTLY, OR YOU WILL PAY IN BLOOD!
Fred I remember that day like it was yesterday. What an incredible site watching that team work so quick, so many, and so close....FISH AFTER FISH!!!!! Right off shore too.
The only thing that kept me from watching that show uninterupted was you sending down to the pit to bounce those little big-eyes over the covering boards. Meatball bars and fish plugged with sqiud. Wonder why that was?
NAIL ON THE HEAD, ROBBER. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OUT HERE IS THAT OUR LOCALS SIMPLY DO NOT COTTON TO NIGHT FISHING IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND THEN THEY GO ABOUT IT BASED ON INFO FROM SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT SWORDING, BUT SAYS HE DOES. THAT'S JUST PLAIN SILLY (AND I'M LISTENING TO SARGE AND GATA HERE AND TRYING TO BE NICE )
WE STILL HAVE A GREAT, NEARSHORE SWORDY POPULATION WITH PLENTY OF THOSE BIG, HEART POUNDING, SCARIFYING, DANGEROUS SHE-BITCHES THAT YOU BETTER BE DAMNED CAREFUL AROUND. I'M SURE THAT PURPLE HAZE REMEMBERS THE TIME THAT I HAILED THE GUYS ON A FAMOUS PLANKBOAT (NO NAMES...AND THESE WERE FRIENDS, OR THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ALLOWED THIS) AND WE TUCKED IN ALONGSIDE AND ABAFT OF AMIDSHIP ON THEM AND WATCHED THEM STICK SOMETHING LIKE SIX OR SEVEN SWORDS IN A ROW...THEY WERE STICKING, DUMPING GEAR AND HAULING ASS OVER TO THE NEXT ONE, WHICH WAS OFTEN ONLY A HUNDRED YARDS OR LESS AWAY. WE WERE NINE MILES OFF THE BEACH.
IT WAS THE TIDE CHANGE, THE MAGIC TIME THAT I HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME CONVINCING SOME OF THE IMPORTANCE OF, AND IT WAS OVER A FAST AS IT STARTED. AJ JUST ABOUT WENT INSANE OVER THE SIGHT OF THAT HARPOON MAN COILING UP LIKE A RATTLER, THEN PLUNGING THE 'POON DOWN THROUGH AND BUTTON HOOKING ELVIS, THE EXPLOSIONS AS THEY FELT THE STEEL AND BLASTED OFF IN GREAT GOUTS OF WATER AND PURPLE LIGHTNING!
AND THE PILOT UP THERE, DOING IMPOSSIBLE THINGS WITH THAT SPOTTER PLANE, LINING UP THE STRIKE ON THE ONES THAT WEREN'T FLAGGING...WE COULD HEAR EVERY WORD ON THE SPEAKER SO BOTH THE DRIVER AND THE IRON MAN COULD HEAR HIM, "TWO O'CLOCK, TWO O'CLOCK. FOUR MORE DEGREES...YOU'RE ON INTERCEPT, LEFT TO RIGHT. OH YES, JUST LIKE THAT! FIFTY FEET! THIRTY! HE'S YOURS...YEEEHAWWW! GREAT SHOT! GREAT SHOT SEAN! THREE O'CLOCK, TWO HUNDRED YARDS. A BIG ONE! YEAH, YOU'RE CLOSING..."
AH, JESUS, I'M SHAKING LIKE A LEAF AS I WRITE THAT!
THEY CALL IT PURPLE FEVER, AND I STILL HAVE IT!
LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT...
BUT BEWARE! THIS ONE CAN HURT YOU BAD! DO NOT TAKE HER LIGHTLY, OR YOU WILL PAY IN BLOOD!
Hey Fred, did you know that using ALL capitol letters is the equivlant of YELLING on the internet
__________________ God created the fishing pole to keep the truely gifted from ruling the world.
SEA DOG. SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT I DON'T NEED YOU TO COME IN HERE AND START EXPLAINING INTERNET ETIQUET TO ME. I AM USING BIG PRINT BECAUSE I HAD A MEDICAL EVENT RECENTLY THAT HAS IMPAIRED MY VISION A LOT. I AM NOT YELLING, I AM JUST TRYING TO SEE. AGAIN, SORRY IF I UPSET YOU. (HOW'M I DOIN', SARGE? AIN'T EASY SOMETIMES, THOUGH, YA KNOW? OOH RAH! YEAH, THAT TOO.)
HAZE...YAHHH! I FORGOT ABOUT THOSE BIGEYES. DON'T KNOW HOW I COULD HAVE, BUT I DID. EARLY SEASON FISH, THEY WERE, BEFORE EVEN THE ALBIES WERE GETTING CAUGHT. EATING LITTLE, THREE OR FOUR INCH SQUID AND SURE AS HELL, A DOUBLE INTERRUPTED OUR WATCHING THAT INCREDIBLE SWORDFISH SHOW. I HAVE A PICTURE OF THOSE FISH AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE. I'LL SEE IF I CAN SCARE 'EM UP. BIGEYE ON THE SHORT BANK, EARLY AND NOT THE FIRST TIME AND HOPEFULLY NOT THE LAST.
I SEE THAT PLANKER ON YOUR AVATAR, YOU DAWG!
WHAT A DAY IT WAS! THANKS FOR THE REMINDER ON THE TUNAS.
) 
God created the fishing pole to keep the truely gifted from ruling the world.
? AIN'T EASY SOMETIMES, THOUGH, YA KNOW? OOH RAH! YEAH, THAT TOO.)
Linear Mode
