down under Broadbill fishing

[LethalNZ]

if ever you nice folk get to come down to New Zealand then have a go at fishing for Broadbill while your here...... this a report from just one encounter thats happened this year......

Overfishing in most other parts of the world has left New Zealand as one of the few regions where anglers can still catch large "broadies". Murray Hansens 332kg fish, while fishing on Striker a couple of years ago, sent the first buzz around the world, and the fish we caught yesterday, to beat Murrays record, should heighten the awareness of NZ's potential. Jerry Garrett has been an almost constant companion as Heather and I have indulged our passion for broadbill, and we have finally provided him with the fish of most angler's dreams!! Letting out his 37kg outfit, at 2.30pm on May 27th, Jerry's line went slack well before it reached bottom.He quicly retrieved the slack, felt a little weight, then the line slackened again. As he wound furiously, the thoughts became "hook-up" or "break off". Looking over the transom, I saw the Penn hi vis line racing under the starboard aft quarter. I did my Linford Christie impresion to the downstairs station, and gunned the boat forward, then turned hard port, as the line passed the danger of the starboard propeller. Jerry was yelling to keep steaming, having already retrieved the 50M "marker" on to his reel, but I was thinking about having to retrieve over 500m of line on the other outfit, before we could settle in to the fight. Finally Jerry came tight on the fish, and thankfully it slowed and sulked, giving us the valuable minutes to winch in Line 1. With Line 1 safely recoverred, we settled in to an epic battle. We had set the drags at just under 15kg at the button, and Jerry was already there, with the fish sedatly trotting along, like a sunday morning jogger keeping an eye out for a tasty "squid sandwich". It may not have even noticed it was hooked!!! I hate backing up on broadbill, as it takes the pressure off the fish, but this fish was different!! Sometimes we backed up, somtimes we follwed with a belly out on our starboard side, but the fish just ambled along, seeminly oblivious to our presence. This was getting to be a bore. Jerry increased the drag, with the lever on top of the bottom, and the fish finally re-acted, increasing her pace(all big game fish are females), and sounding, taking off a couple of hunred meters of line. We chased her, we led her, we put belly in the line, we genrerally tried every trick we knew, and a few extra ones we made up on the way. Night fell, freighters passed by. Jerry wound, or sat back pacing himself as the fish pulled line. Heather turned the chair , getting colder and sleepier, and I rolled and smoked fag after fag, scratching my head and wondering what to try next. After 10 hours( Jerry thought it was only 6), we were able to start leading the fish. Jerry was now past the button, and we later tested the reel to find out he was on 19kg of drag!! Slowly, ever so slowly, retrieving just inches down every secong wave, the wind on came up to the rod tip, but the fish was too close under the boat. No chance take the fish just yet. I eased the boat forward, just in time for the leader to pass the starboard transom corner. 14hours and 20 minute since the battle began the great swordfish surfaced behind Major Tom II, just 15 meters, within range of the decklights, First it rolled one way, showing it's belly, then it rolled the other. Jerry worked the fish closer, I reached for the leader. Heather gently nudged the boat forward maintaining pressure. As I eased the leader in, Jerry wound it on the reel.With the fish within range, Jerry took the full pressure on the rod, and I placed a gaff behind the pectoral. The fish raced off on the gaff line, and thrashed at the increased pressure. We eased it back to the boat, and sank the second gaff. We had her!! But now we needed to get her in the boat. Jerry reached for the sword, and was promptly thrown back across the cockpit. He tried again, same result.Afetr much struggling, plenty of shouting and cussing, grazed knuckled, rope burns and sherr bloody mindedness, we had the sword and part of the head in the boat, but no chance of lifting it in. Heather stands just over 5ft, Jerry's a bit taller but is 65 years old, and I'm a bit younger than him but no Schwarzenegger!! We had a tail rope to make sure she couldn't slip back, a rope from the sword, to the forwrd cockpit cleat, and for a little extra security, a belly rope secured to the cockpit rod rack. At 6 knots we eased our way to Mongonui wharf some 28 miles away, where volunteers were on hand to admire our catch and help us pull it on board . Then it was a steam back to Russell, where the fish weighed in at 369KG, a new world record!! This was Jerry's 15th broadbill, and 3rd for the season with us, and while all broadbill are good broadbill, this was really one to remember. As we cleaned up the boat back on the mooring, Heather was worried that Jerry had left his bag behind. She reminded him up at the Russell Clubhouse, as we celebrated that night.

[hannaman]

Beautiful Swordfish. How many pounds is 369 kilograms?

[bullfighter]

369kg times 2.2lbs equals 811.8lbs :shock:

[doublej2]

The bill from that fish was in bobby's shop for a while as he redid it. Needless to say it was just about as long as I am tall, and just huge at the base. I cant imagine actually seeing the fish that was swimming aroudn with that thing on its nose.

[J.P Freeman]

i remember when that bad boy was in the paper.

[Kezza]

You fishing.net.nz members just can't help yourselves can ya?...bad bad men!

anyhoo....

every coupla months there are confirmed reports from the commercial longlinners working NZ's waters of swords going over 500kg and some over 600kg trunked (gutted, gilled, tails and beheaded).... :shock:

I am convinced that one of our swordie charter boats will get a double grander before too much longer....it will have to make some serious mistakes but "the" beasts are out there.

have a look here.. http://www.ultimatelady.com ...and go to media releases.[/list][/code]

[Jo_nz]

yes Kezza we are taking over nyahahaha

not all of us kiwis have access to marlin, I dont think there has ever been one caught in my area, but then we also have a pretty nasty antarctic current right past my back door.

Some of the marlin you are catching? Why bring them in? Why not release them? You will release trout back into overstocked enclosed ponds but not swordfish? I dont understand that concept.

[J.P Freeman]

"I am convinced that one of our swordie charter boats will get a double grander before too much longer....it will have to make some serious mistakes but "the" beasts are out there." by kezza


that would be nuts. i am waiting form the day, or night to get a call from one of my buddies saying there was a 600+ fish caught. chit, i just might be on the first flight home. geez :wink:

[Fishingchick200]

LethalNZ,

I saw a fishing program, that the fishermen over there were catching Marlin off the rocks and jetties. What part of New Zealand is that? I have to say it was quite a sight to see, I was amazed!!

Priscila