Shot at a BIG swordie today

[Jason]

Don't throw a live bait at them! Dead or mangled. Their eyes are made for low light. In the sunlight they can't see worth a damn. If the bait is moving too fast they can't catch it or you'll get a foul hook and get sawed off.

Something I learned at the Pacific Coast Sportfishing Sword Seminar...

[neversink2]

Originally Posted by misuse

Don't throw a live bait at them! Dead or mangled. Their eyes are made for low light. In the sunlight they can't see worth a damn. If the bait is moving too fast they can't catch it or you'll get a foul hook and get sawed off.

Something I learned at the Pacific Coast Sportfishing Sword Seminar...

Thanks for the tip Jason!

Kurt - sounds like an exciting fire drill but at least you had the right gear on board. I know it's tough to size an uncaught fish from pics but did you get any?

We circled a bigun about 15 times last year before getting too close and then he sunk out. The fish was 7 ft from dorsal to tail fin!!! I've never seen anything like it. The dorsal was at least 14 inches out of the water. Big F$#Kin fish but we only had 50# on a 30SW.

[sealskinner]

You get em next week Kurt.

[Kurt]

Ya Jason, I took a handful of half dead ones and pinned all on like a shish kabob. Figured a big blob of bait the best.

[slayeroffshore]

Whats the glow stick set up consist of for the night troll? How many knots?

[Bank Robber]

Those good offshore size squid are available at your local asian market for anybody going after em this weekend. Wish I could go try but my boat is short range right now with drive problems.

Dean

[bassnglass]

They are truly awesome. I landed one over 400 and will never do it again. 10 hours pulling on 100 lb. ruined me for weeks. 500 ft of water could make a difference but mine headed for deep water.
Hope you get one someday, Squid is definately the way to go. I've baited two swords on squid. Use a long steel leader with 2 or three hooks crimped on. You need the bait pre rigged and sittiing on ice , ready to use .

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by bassnglass

They are truly awesome. I landed one over 400 and will never do it again. 10 hours pulling on 100 lb. ruined me for weeks. 500 ft of water could make a difference but mine headed for deep water.
Hope you get one someday, Squid is definately the way to go. I've baited two swords on squid. Use a long steel leader with 2 or three hooks crimped on. You need the bait pre rigged and sittiing on ice , ready to use .

2 speed? Ya I was sayin that to Frank, if we get on this we are gonna be here a while. A loooooooooooooooong while.

Thanks for the tip on the 99 store. I forget they might carry those bigger ones. Be easy to keep one rigged and on ice.

[Kryptonite]

Kurt just a note about the belly of the swords. From time to time I go out on my buddies stick boat. He is a full on commercial operation, plank, etc. I sit up top and glass with my gyros. Three of us up top and glasses never come off the eyes.

Anyway when I have dressed out swords I have seen on many occasions rockfish, lings and black cod in their stomachs. Just a thought. Seems these guys feed deep and come up to gas off and stoke the digestion system by raising body temperature. Rocks and lings have been very, very fresh inside the bellies.

To make dressing easy have a sawzal (sic) around. The blades cuts the bills, fins, etc. real fast. A good stiff brush to clean the belly walls is good also. Those guys can dress them really fast.

I have baited quite a few swords. I got hooked up once for thirty seconds. ONCE! It did take a mackeral. I once baited a small sword for a good thirty minutes. Up and down, milling around. Seems the sword was curious about us. I tried every trick to get it to bite and no go. The mackeral once hit the SOB it sunk out and came back up in five to seven minutes. FRUSTRATING AS HELL. I had a feeling that the sword was saying to himself. Look at these jerk offs throwing macks at me. Don't they know I just finished eating down below. Maybe someday I'll get one. I am at Catalina now for the Thanksgiving Hoilday on Kryptonite. On the way home I will glass with the gyros and at least enjoy spotting them.

When I was onboard the stick boat my first time and we eyeballed a sword and my buddy pooned it that was a heart pumping thrill. We pull them in after they soak for an hour or so. Hand over hand you pull the line to the boat and sink the gaffs. The key to getting a sword the stick boat guys taught me was not to pull on it like a mad man. For anglers they recommend keeping firm pressure on it and just move the boat with the fish with the hook raked back toward the latch. Stay behind the fish and off to the side. Line does not rub the side and backward pressure on the hook. If the hook slides it slides and repenetrates back toward the latch. In the latch and the sword has major problems unless you horse it, rub through the leader and break it off. Look at your watch and do not even think about pumping till after a good hour. Just a good bend in the rod and firm pressure. Stick boats let the swords drag the gear and swim to exhaustion. Sometimes they add rebar sections to the line to increase drag and tire the sword. You do not want to pull the dart yet you do not want the sword to run you around all day. Then they gently bring it to the side and gaff it. Awesome, awesome experience to see it all go down.

I told my buddy. Hell you could start a charter. Guys would pay $150.00 a day to ride onboard and watch the operation go down. Sit back, drink some beers and watch this fasinating fishery. Watching these guys move and get it done is like watching a SWAT Team on a raid. These guys move and react like a cougar attacking. We had an eyeball sword pop in front of us one morning and those guys moved so fast. Had there shit totally together. All ready to go and bammm right to the sword game on. They moved that boat and stuck that fish so fast it was shocking. Absolutely shocking. He laughed...they tend to be keep to themselves type guys.

I get a free ride on the stick boat anytime I want. I am the owners diesel tech. A fringe benefit. What a rush from eyeball to gaff. The crews on some of these boats are incredible. Hard, hard working guys.

GOOD LUCK! I hope you get one this year.

[ConSeaMate]

Thanks Walt.....Great info!........Kurt.....we need a poon!.....maybe a cannon will work?

[M/V Santa Rosa]

Dana landing has nice size squid NOT RIGGED, however they are nice size, not huge more like 1 pounders from the east coast.

[hotrod]

Dang Kurt, reading your story and some of other swordie posts tells me these bad boys are a once in a lifetime catch. Take some of the advice and go gettum.