Broadbill

[freebird]

I've read all the responses here and it makes for some great and interesting reading. Here's my 2 cents worth. Should we slot swords like we did our snook and redfish populations. Slot limits were set up to protect the large "breeding" females. What's worse to kill a juvenile sword that hasn't reached breeding size/age and removes "one" sword from the overall population or to kill a breeding female and to remove potentially thousands of swords from the overall population. Also we're talking 2 completely different fisheries here. I wouldn't be able to fish swords in my 23 ft. open fisherman in New Zealand. It sounds like a relatively rich man's sport over there. Just out of curiosity how much does a sword trip aboard the "Primetime" cost? I appreciate the input from our sword brothers in NZ. but don't knock us for keeping smaller fish over here we're talking 2 completely different fisheries. What the hell would I do with a 600-800 lb. fish on a 23 ft boat. The pictures are awesome.

Dan

[jbud]

Freebird, take no notice of the "toothpick" jibes, you are entitled to take your fish in the same way as the guys here do. Understand that the total recreational catch for the whole of NZ is usually less than 20 per annum, this year it might have been 30 or so. Very few boats fish for them and then maybe after a days marlin fishing and if it's calm a couple of boats might stay out for a drift. Which usually means sticking a couple of hooks in a skippie, chucking it over, winding up the drag and falling asleep until dawn. There are only a handful of boats that broadbill fish more than ten nights a year and only one that really does it seriously. The whole of the NZ coastline, just about, reports broadbill and the fishery is virtually virgin. Of the nights I have been out this year I have not seen another boat, nor had one one on the radar. The cost of a night fishing on PRIMETIME depends on whether it's drifting or slow-trolling but is likely to be circa $2000 US. However the boat usually fishes 24 hours having marlin fished in the day, 24 hours will likely be just over $4000 US. It's hard work but worth it if a big sword is the goal. The boat has done battle with a number of fish that would give Lou Marron's fish a scare but these monsters don't give up easy and it will take some luck and a man on a mission to put one on the deck.
By the way small boats do venture out and target swords in the dark, we will be doing just that next year, as long as it's well planned and 2 or 3 boats go together there should be no problem, scary but fun. I must admit we've had big swords charge the boat many times but agree 58foot is a bit different to 23!

[jbud]

AfterDark, hi buddy. I worked for a Boca based company for many years and must admit given the choice I'd pass on the broadbill and take the stone crab at Mike's or maybe run the Scarab down the intracoastal have a few at Shooters, grab the buffalo wings at Dirty Harry's and try and avoid The Doll House.

[adamscott]

A breading female fish is more important than a smaller fish if you were to kill one and not the other, but thats not really the point as you dont have many of the large females to start with, atleast if they were aloud to breed then they could replace themselves. Dont get me wrong, Im not having a go at you and I know our fishery has many problems but I compare your fishery to the baby black marlin fishery in Australia. You have decent numbers of fish and close to shore, you can target them standup in small boats, you dont have the shark problems we have, the potential for a great release fishery is massive.

[H2O]

adamscott, glad to hear that somebody down there is making sense. There are things that your fishery offers and things that ours has to offer. You can catch virtually every pelagic fish that swims in the Atlantic here or in the Bahamas. Does that make us better than you? no. I know that you aren't guilty, but those other guys need to check there egos at the door, because we don't care about that macho crap. We're beating a dead horse here. I'd like to know some of your techniques and possibly swap information. As far as I'm concerned it's all good 8)

[Kezza]

I have to disgree with Jbud's comment...."take no notice of the "toothpick" jibes"....if we did that then we wouldn't be having an open conversation or bringing a common knowledge base in to a discussion forum?....I just don't get that sort of attitude, but each to their own.

One of my good mates does well in his 7.2m trailerable boat on swords over 200lb, so sword fishing isn't strictly the domain of 58fters (PRIMETIME) in NZ but certainly a much better proposition with extended range capablitites and share comfort.

Capt John Gregory and the crew of PRIMETIME sure know their stuff and will find and hook the fish of your dreams, but it is up to the reel respooler to do the rest.

Certianly one of my personal goals is to catch a sword (of any size), but I would want to release (if viable) anything that wasn't destined for a one off trophy mount or to appease the IGFA record books.

[Capt Asparagus]

It must also be said that not many boats in NZ charge as much as Primetime either. Primetime is a top operation, but you are right to think it is a rich mans option. Sorta.
However there are a lot of smaller or older boats here that cost WAY less than that, and are keen to have a crack at swordies. even the multi-day party boats will do night drifts in calm weather, such as the fish we have picked up in the past on boats like Zambucca, where the cost of NZ$2200 per day (24hr day) (that is ...ummm...$1000USD) is shared between 6-8 guys.
Sure can confirm though that Makos make our lives hell when broadbill fishing. We have found that drifting deeper canyons, like 600m plus depths, results in far fewer Mako strikes

although this still does not always work (rats!)
Guys, to find out what we get up to in NZ, feel free to visit us at www.fishing.net.nz , there are several posts about swordfishing there you may be interested in.
cheers guys,
Stu

[Darkside]

Litetackle how can you say that 70 percent of the people swordfishing sell the swords they catch? Thats a joke if he thinks that BS he's spewing is true. :?:

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by adamscott

please resect your fishery so your fish can recover to the size fish we are lucky enough to enjoy.

If you respected the fishery so much like you say you do, you would let the BIG MATURE BREEDING FEMALES GO, so they can continue to breed.

Didn't one of you say ealier that it is the Female Swords that grow big. Eat those word Kiwi Head. If you cared about the fishery you wouldn't kill those big slobs. I'm sorry in one picture you have 2 big fish, boy how many baby swords did you just wipe out???

Go smoke another FAG and shut your pie hole, Hypocrit moron from down under.

[adamscott]

If you read all swordslasher you would have read that there are problems in releasing swords over 500lb as they tend to fight to near death and also sharks. True these are females and true it would be nice to release them so I guess it comes down to the fact that you have to be prepared to kill if you fish for them.
I was also tring to highlight the potential of your fishery as a release fishery.
As for the FAG comment I am happy to say Im married so you will have to go to another chat room for luck there.

Have a nice day

[adamscott]

http://www.gonefishin.co.nz/62.0.html
There is some video footage here for anyone interested, highlights the shark problem as the sword gets its bill bitten off.

[Litetackleredneck]

Darksid, its not BS open you eyes. It happens day in day out. Just because your oblivious to the truth dont think everyone else isnt.

[FinalPoint]

Darkside, I agree with you. People don't go around "selling there catch". Most people I know give a lot to friends and freeze a lot. I know other people who sell it, but they have permits. There isn't much serious illegal selling going on around here. Maybe you sell your catch LTRN (although I haven't seen pictures of your fish - not trying to start anything, just wondering why you never post pictures), but my eyes are open, and I'm sure Darkside is not oblivious, everybody does not sell their catch.

[Litetackleredneck]

2 reasons why i dont post pictures. 1 no digital camera and 2 i dont have a scanner. I dont sell shyt. I only go out mabey 6 times a year. I still have fish in the freezer from the fish i caught on jan 1st. Which just happened to be a 10-1 catch. So finalpoint when you pull that off then start talking about pictures.

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by adamscott

As for the FAG comment I am happy to say Im married so you will have to go to another chat room for luck there.
Have a nice day

If you read one of the other posts by another Kiwi's (I thought it was you, sorry) it was LethalNZ said during the fight with a big slob sword they "I rolled and smoked fag after fag." Has nothing to do with sexual orientation, just cigarettes.

Maybe you are not really from New Zealand, but a local yokal pulling our chains. The fish are big down there, but all those pictures being posted are available on the web, heck some of them are even in the Penn catalog.

[Capt Asparagus]

Adam is a regular poster on the NZ fishing.net site. I think he is a part time/full time deckie on a boat or something? Dunno. Sumthing like that anyhow.
Check out the site guys, you'll see those names down there certainly.
cheers, Stu.
Oh, here is another Broadie pic off Zambucca. 168kg broadie, angler was D Haddock, guy in middle is the deckie Carl Mattock, on the left is the skipper, Steve Haddock. Dave is Steves Dad.
[/img]

[FinalPoint]

LTRN, I told you I wasn't starting anything. I was just wondering why, so thanks for explaining. Also, 10 to 1 is nice, doesn't mean I can't do it, but I don't really want to try unless I can get a 500 lber. I don't like using light tackle because some of these fish can fight, for instance, the other night our foul hooked fish dumber 3/4 of a spool at about 13-14 lbs, braided line. Sure light tackle makes for more sport and makes it even sweeter, but catching small fish is a big possibility here - I'd hate to tire out a small swordy and kill it because I couldn't bring it in quick enough. I respect your interest in like tackle sport, but that is just another reason why i use 50s.

[big moocher nz]

hi all, first time posting here and i would like to compliment on the well laid out site.

one thing i was wondering is what size tackle are you guys fishing with and in what depth, surely with these smaller fish it would be and ideal spot to have a good go at targeting them on super light tackle?

the whole argument of the 2 fisheries is a very 50/50 issue with pros and cons on each side but i think the comment about killing a mature female is more of a waste than alot of imature fish due to this, a mature female of the size being captured in new zealnd will have already produced many young fish before being caught...the fish you are caching have produced none?

second of all, yes all these guys are from new zealand and are extremely skilled fishermen who are devoted to their sport and are as you can see quite outspoken! perhaps you guys should all visit www.fishing.net.nz and throw a few posts up.

i would also like to say our fishery is very vast and diverse just as yours is only for the fact we have different fish to you, we consistanly produce large stripies, broadies, yellwotail,trout, as you would know but also have a great deal of other great sporting fish readily available.drop in and see some time.

b.m

[J.P Freeman]

i fish with tld 50's, spooled up with 80 lb. spectra. depths range anywhere from 800 to 2000 feet.

[John nz]

Sorry for all the New Zealand wankers on your site. ops: The last picture posted is of Steve Haddock, the greatest turncoat in NZ charter fishing history. After he discovered the flemish cap (the hot grounds in NZ), he converted his charter vessel into a surface longliner and took all he could. I think the swordfishing central site is a fantastic reference for swordfishermen around the world. Keep up the good work and you are welcome in NZ anytime :lol:
Cheers
John