Southern California Swordfish! Possible?

[Husker Heaven]

Rumor is one of the guys on my dock in Oside moved his boat down to SD for the summer on Friday, and on Sat got a 400 lb'er. Haven't talked to him yet, so it's unconfirmed.

[Fred Archer]

I too have dealt with a lot of green and brown (too...my favorite kind at the end game) swordfish. Some daytime fish and a lot of night ones. Everyone to his own, of course, but there is no way in hell that I would fly gaff or even gill dart (illegal here) one EVER! No swordfish, or any other fish, for that matter, is worth literally risking my life or my crew's sticking a greeny over. No way, no how!

One of the closest calls that I personally had was down in Cabo when a fellow by the name of Howard Lambert from New Jersey wanted to release his second fish of the day. His first one was a bruiser and the second one was quite a bit smaller, but more like the usual Cabo hundred fifty to two hundred pound or so unit. Naturally, I agreed to his wishes and came down from my usual perch up in the tower to drive from the cockpit so that I could help if the poop got into the punch bowl. Now we released all of our marlin, stripes, blues, and sails too down there and my crew was very good at handling hot fish because we tried to beat up the marlin that would let us so that we could release hot, healthy fish.

But swordfish? They had all died up to that point and since we universally baited them on big, heavy guns with special leaders and kill hooks similar to what we use for big sharks, we fought each fish down until he was wobbling on his fins and turning that nice, brown "I've had it" color before we stuck them with a BIG flyer, right in the gills and hopefully into the spinal column.

So while I am scared shitless by any size sword (that's probably why I'm still around - like Capo, I have seen them do some incredibly dangerous stuff), Julio and Meme were somehow lulled into a false sense of security by the ones that they had handled previously. And THIS fish wasn't turning brown yet and he was on a circle hook, not one of the kill hooks that we tried to get down in their guts, where they cut organs and caused massive hemoraghing. Just like mako sharks that one tries to release, this fish wasn't tuned into the program and reacted exactly like we were out to kill him.

Julio got the 600# mono portion of the leader (don't ever let anyone tell you that Elvis is afraid or gives a crap about leaders!) and managed to pull his head around toward him. I never took my eyes off the fish and as it straightened out I instinctively bumped up the throttles some. Damned good thing I did, because with what looked like one flick of his tail that fish was in the air, heading toward the cockpit and Julio in particular! In spite of my first move and then slamming the throttles down, the fish damned near took Julio's head off with a wicked swipe of his bill. No one is going to believe this, but he got so close to lopping Julio's head off that he not only knocked is hat off, he split the damned bill!

We managed to get him under control again at least a half hour later and this time the boys cut the leader with about six feet to spare and we left the circle hook in him. Julio wore that hat like a macho badge of courage until it literally rotted apart. You cannot imagine how close we came to a terrible tragedy that day!

Here is some advice from my daytime swordfish book (that anyone who is going to try to catch swordfish absolutely should read) that might keep somebody from getting sliced and diced. This is how I recommend that any and all small boat swords get gaffed, but believe me, if you're in a big boat and are going to gaff a green one, this is the safest way to do it.

First, beg, borrow, buy, or steal a big swordfish kill bouy. It doesn't have to be humongous, but it shouldn't be a little peanut, either. I don't know sizes because I got mine from plankboat friends. Attach about twenty-five or thirty feet of strong rope to it. Connect the other end to a BIG flygaff with a barbed hook on it. When it looks like you're going to have the shot, toss the buoy and rope into the water. Make sure that you don't lose the buoy or let it pull the gaff out of your hands or pop the breakaway tape that holds the rope to the gaff when you do this. We taped the rope to the boat in such a way that that wouldn't happen, but so we had plenty of rope to handle the gaff with. The fish will pop that tape after you gaff him.

I have always gone for a head/gill shot. That's the toughest part of a swordfish that I know of, at least, and done right it causes that massive bleeding I wrote of up top and if you get the spinal area, it really shuts them down.

Some might worry about a fish gaffed like this getting away, but I have done it a lot of times, as have others who I know and none of us have ever lost a fish doing it.

And that buoy takes the starch out of them pronto, which is why hey call it a kill buoy in the first place.

Anyhoo, I hope that this helps someone who might otherwise lock horns with a dangerous, green purple people eater.

[curtis chatman]

Hey rubberhook2 thata a stripped marlin not a swordfish

[locobro]

Good stuff, if the link doesn't work it's on You Tube " Giant Swordfish Attacks Boat"

YouTube - Giant Swordfish Attacks Boat

Awesome fish, I think the suggestion about the kill bouy and the flyer is a REAL smart way to go.

[Vigilant32]

Originally Posted by Fred Archer

I too have dealt with a lot of green and brown (too...my favorite kind at the end game) swordfish. Some daytime fish and a lot of night ones. Everyone to his own, of course, but there is no way in hell that I would fly gaff or even gill dart (illegal here) one EVER! No swordfish, or any other fish, for that matter, is worth literally risking my life or my crew's sticking a greeny over. No way, no how!

Anyhoo, I hope that this helps someone who might otherwise lock horns with a dangerous, green purple people eater.

Thanks for that recap Fred.

I think it is bordering on criminal behavior to come on the web and tell people to gaff a hot swordfish “when you have your shot”. Then tell me to take my balls out of my purse because I warned that it is not prudent or wise.

I mentioned Purple fish for a reason. If they a not browned out, you can bet they are still full of piss and vinegar. With those big eyes, nothing but muscle and being angile enough to slice little squid up with that beak, what the hell do people think it might do if it has a shot at your noggin?

There is a reason the pros hang em for hours on the cord and flag. And a reason the stick man tries to bury the dart into the heart!

[el capo]

That is why a surface fish is the ultimate, nothing will ever compare on rod and reel.

[alex88]

Originally Posted by curtis chatman

Hey rubberhook2 thata a stripped marlin not a swordfish

wrong.....that's a two finner for sure.

[hugothefishguy]

hey fishermen out there, can i get some coordinates i am more than willing to fish this bad a@@s elvis at night ,can anybody help?

[riplake]

I have caught just 1 on the surface. I do not claim to be an expert, but this is my story.

Fishing at Palmas in March with a cool water regime and there were swords everywhere. We had not gotten any bait and so were forced to jig for a few baits. Threw the liveliest looking bait we had at 6 fish, up to 500 lbers. Several lit up and charged the bait only to sink out at the last moment not to return. By the end of the day I was wiped out from the thrill and massive letdown that happened with each of these fish.

After not seeing a fish for a couple of hours we are heading back when we see another on the surface. At this point the only bait we have is swimming sideways and upside down very slowly at the bottom of the tank! Oh well, I hooked it up and put it 10' in front of the fish and he absolutely hammered it! Fought the fish about an hour and a 1/2. It was about 130 and was great eating and a fabulous trophy catch.

After the fight the skipper said that his father, a pangero, had told him to throw the bait on the deck and stun it before throwing it to a swordfish because they were lazy and did not like to chase live baits. There may be something to these words from the experience of a Mexican fisherman from over 50 years ago!

I have never had another opportunity to test his theory but what the hell, maybe one of you guys will see one this weekend and it will work for you!

Good Luck

[Rubberhook2]

Originally Posted by alex88

wrong.....that's a two finner for sure.

Thank you...

And yes, hitting that fish green after being on it for 30 minutes was very dangerous. Luckily it worked out though we bent the 1 inch stainless bow railing in the process after the fish ripped out both flying gaffs and was going nuts on the tail rope.

It was an experience I will never forget...

[out2cee]

Stater Bros.??????!!!!!
Your swordfish did NOT get caught by any American fishing boat.
They RARELY have fresh "local" swordfish, and if they do, it came from Mexico.
Commercial fishing in the U.S. is ALL but DEAD.

[hugothefishguy]

well can i get some help here what are good spots to fish in southern cal?