Monster Swordfish off The FL Keys...

[BADTODABONE]

A link in a local paper, much more to the day of fishing.



http://www.keysnet.com/2011/06/09/347569/anglers-land-450-pound-sword.html


The Captain's report below with one missing 'piece' of the story....



It started out just like a summer day. We caught about 20 schoolie size mahi (3 to 5 lbs), then stopped at one of the humps and caught a 20 lb almaco jack. After that Dean wanted to put his time in for a swordfish, so the Florida Swordfish Charter began. We ran out another 15 miles, sent a bait to the bottom, and starting drifting. We drifted for an hour then checked the bait, it was a little chewed up, but not by swordfish. I told him not to get discouraged, we still had plenty of time. We ran back, sent a fresh bait to the bottom, and after about 10 minutes I saw a bite. Dean started winding, the weight broke off, and the fish raced for the surface. After about 25 minutes of winding, the swordfish broke water, and made a spectacular jump. I told him it was a big fish, somewhere between 300-400 lbs. We get the fish near the boat, but something is wrong, the bait and hook are twisted up in the line right at the rod tip, and the fish is still 40 feet away!... The sword had attacked one of the LP LIGHTS! She just had the leader wrapped up around her bill! The fish swims a few circles around the boat, and then heads to the bottom. We were in 1600' of water, but the fish gets a big belly in the line, and manages to take off a total of 2500'! The fish drowns after an hour, and we could feel dead weight. We start inching the big fish up, and after a total fight of 4 hours, we sink the gaffs into her. The fish had a lower jaw fork length of 103''! Great job Dean! Congrats on your first Broadbill Swordfish! We steam for the dock, make the call to fire up the forklift, and up comes the big sword. The fish weighed in at 450 lbs! It's one of the biggest swordfish ever caught in the Florida Keys on rod and reel!

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Here's the missing piece part...the rest of the story.

According to another Capt., as they discovered the Swordfish was tangled and not hooked, the Mate grabbed the hook. The Angler couldn't wind the reel because the line was also tangled at the rod tip, the fish took off, the Mate got hooked through the palm of his hand. The fish dives and the hook is ripped out of the Mate's hand between his ring finger and pinky. OUCH! If it wouldn't have got ripped out of his hand, the Mate would have gone overboard and drowned with the fish.

 

[BADTODABONE]

This Capt. is good on swords...this one weighed 455 lbs.

*********

We had John and Pam aboard the BNM for a Florida Keys Fishing Trip on 9-24-11. Pam insisted they were lucky and we were going to catch a swordfish guaranteed. I told both of them we had a good shot, but there had been quite a few small fish around which can be very frustrating when trying to hook them in the daytime. John is a Navy vet returned to the U.S. and was very much looking forward to a fishing trip! Well it wasn't long until their luck kicked in, on the way out at 15 knots our high speed lure starts screaming and 10 minutes later John catches his first wahoo, a nice 28 lber. I was thinking at least we didn't get skunked today. We continued out to the swordfish grounds and a few miles inside we found a nice weed line with some mahi on it. We hit one school and caught 15 nice schoolies and a couple small gaffers. Both John and Pam were all smiles and I though maybe they wouldn't even notice if we didn't catch a swordfish. An hour later we were on the bottom in 1500' drifting for a broadbill. After 30 minutes we hooked up, the fish seemed small, and after 10 minutes he threw the hook. We make another drift in the same area, but after an hour with no bite, we wind up. I run a few miles south and drop again. After 45 minutes without a bite, we get ready to wind up, and there she is. We're hooked up to a daytime sword. John gets in the chair and goes to work. After an hour I see the fish, I know she's big, but not quite how big. The fish dives all the way back to the bottom and John goes back to work. At 2 hours he has her near the boat again, I see the swivel behind her tail and realize the fish is foul hooked in the belly somewhere. After a couple quick loops the fish goes back to the bottom. Now we're 3 hours into the fight, and John gets the fish within 50' of the boat again, we get a quick glimpse, but down shes goes. At 4 hours into the fight, and everybody exhausted, John gets the fish 10 feet away! We get a harpoon shot, but it pulls out after a few seconds. The fish looks like it's getting tired though, but still dives back to the bottom. We've drifted 11 miles now and John has been on the fish 4 and 1/2 hours! It looks like the fish is dying, since we've been trying to pull her backwards, but she still keeps swimming. The fish makes one last dive, down to 700', luckily not the bottom again, and then races back up. I look at the clock and realize we've been on the fish 5 hours. Before I know it the fish is at the back of the boat, I run back, throw the harpoon in her, hit her with a straight gaff, Pam hands both Matt and John the other gaffs, and we get all of them in the fish. But she isn't done yet. For 5 minutes she kicks and throws water everywhere next to the boat. Finally the fish is subdued and we bring her through the door. It was the hardest fight I've ever seen on a swordfish. The fish was hooked in the anal fin, but John and Pam had good luck and somehow it stayed in the whole time. We steam for home, everybody exhausted and make the call to fire up the forklift. We hit the dock and the fish weighs in at 455 lbs! This is on the biggest swordfish ever caught on rod and reel in the Florida Keys! We also fished the day before and went 2 for 3 on swordfish, keeping a 65 lber and releasing another.

 

[BADTODABONE]

He must have guessed on the weight of the first sword at 450 lbs.. 'one of the...' and then the 455 pounder...'one of the ...' did get weighed.