5+ Hours HookedUP !! (HELP) SworDmans Story of the 1.

[HiD]

We took our 8th trip to the darkside yesterday after having goose eggs the last 3. Ride out was great, at apx 10 out we see a nice rip holding grass and we pull in a school of mahis, pick 5 up and off we go to the grounds. We set up S at the Alley around 6:30. Drift was fast (4-5kts) and before we knew it we were past Ricks. We decide to pick up and hike 12+ miles back south and reset. planning on giving it till about 11:00 and making the ride back home shorter. little did we know we were in for a looooonnnggg night.

@ about 9:45, we notice a gentle drag peel on the 200, then again, waited but nothing about 10 min pass and the 300 line gets nailed HARD,of course on the smallest outfitt in the spread the 30w. We hook up just inside the Humps and the battle began. To make a loooong story short, we fought her on a 30w for 5 hrs when suddenly she darts out from the deeps and rubs up against the boat takes a nasty run just as strong as the first and off she goes. The 100lb power pro gave. It was 3:10am and of off PE.

You guys know what they say about the 1 that got away, this is a true SwordFishermans Story of the 1 so I will reserve our estimated size. All I can say is that she was BIG, BAD and MAD.

None the less a personall consultation, we DID touch the leader several times.

What an amazing fish and battle, we gave her all (3on1) and she WhOoPeD us.

As I replay the fight in my head over and over again, I'm in doubt of:

We had wind on in hand several times(+200lb leader), should we have tried to wrestle her boat side as they do w/marlin and such?

We fought her while also chasing her with the boat from the get go, or should have we fought her longer from dead boat?

Only 2 gafs on board and after looking at the size of this thing it was very doubtfull how we were going to boat her. We were planing on tail rapping her with a rope we had attached to a cleat while also billing her and hoisting her in thru the transom (yeah right).
The times we brought her close she was very GREEN and very much alive. We thought of shooting her (30special) but rarely somehow we had left with out it. To us it was a good idea at the time or was it ?????

If you guys can give me any feedback from your experiences it would be greatly appreciated. I can't wait for the next window. Good Luck to all and CaTcHeMuP !!!!

HiD
Alfred

[CaptKen]

Al did the power pro give way at the connection to the wind on ? like knot failure ? or break out in the middle ?

Bummer ! Get um next time !

[Flatsfish B]

Did you have a dart/harpoon??? If not go get one! That fish seemed to me dartable and then you wory about how to get her in!

[RiskTaker]

Hey HiD:

Sounds like you had a great fishing adventure to remember for a looong time. Thanks for that interesting reading report. Hey, a least you did not get spooled on a 30 wide. Still curious to hear your review of why your 100# power pro snapped with a 30# class reel. (An abrasion perhaps...)
I had a similar snap on power pro 80#: the reason there was that the line rolled off the roller tip (angler caused) and a tied waxline mark got stuck as the fish was taking line until the drag increased to snapping point about two inches from the rod tip.

Most of the swordfish that we have boated have been reeled in from a stationary boat. We may bump a few times to keep a position but basically it has been the angler doing the work to get the fish boatside. This method will typically fatique the fish after an hour and usually they are manageabe at boatside. (But then again it seems like they are all different and perhaps we have not yet experienced all of the other situations.

After participating in the Mayor's Cup billfish tournament last month, I got to observe just how effective chasing down a sailfish could be, with a sesoned crew, and the intent is to release a fish. The lesson learned there was just how fast you could get a billfish boatside when the conditions all aligned. I was thinking that this could be equally useful for swordfishing one you do some due diligence to fatigue the fish a little, then get boatside and dart the fish. I haven't done it yet but the idea is in mind. But definitely, you must have a harpoon so that you can subdue/weaken further a fish that is likely not completely exhausted when you excellerate the traditional method.

Stick with your wind-on leaders: at that point there is nothing preventing a single angler to try to get a fish into position; still nothing preventing a leader man from helping either.

BTW - I don't think it is permitted to pop these food fish with firearms, so probably not a good idea. It is Ok to question, but especially do not post it in writing on the internet. If you have something on board, reserved for them piratas, I think the numbers 44, 45 and slug sound pretty good to me.

Good luck on your next adventure. RT

[LHPfish]

Definetly stay with the wind ons like rt said.. If you ahvent already, maybe shorten your main leader to about 6-8 so you can reel her to the boat and stick her with out having to touch the leader.

[Capt Ted]

Gaffing a big fish is always tough and risky. This is why I prefer the harpoon big time!

Get yourself a POON.

http://www.swordfishingcentral.com/g...onze-dart.html

[JR.ANGLER 1]

Im guessing that if he had a harpoon he would have chosen to use it. How many lbs of drag did you have applied with the 100lb test powerpro???

[HiD]

We were coming up on her and gaining line so we got into neutral, she then decides to run under, around the stern and peels about 25yds hard, thats when it gave.
We think that the line might have rubbed the engine while under and around.

Hours earlier, the power pro had wrapped around the prop shaft, with Joey on one side on the brack and me on the other we submerged the rod in the water an around and we got it off. The line might have gotten damaged there but then again we fought the fish for several more hrs after that.

there was maybe 3 times that this fish came really close to us withing maybe 8ft, never closer, what do you do? considering the size (apx 300-400lbs maybe bigger)?

It felt worse not knowing what to do with her than loosing her !!! We hoped to tire her out enough so she won't go crazy at boatside and bring her in by the bill and tail wrap or tail wrap and slide her in thru the transom. The gafs would not have helped and if we had stuck her there was no hanging on.

Odd question but, if we would have had the gun on board maybe we would have shot a couple rounds @ her towards the head area if we were lucky, would this have helped? Have any of you done or tried it? Call me crazy, not that it would have stopped us but, Is it legall?

HiD
Alfred

[Shark Tagger]

No need for the gun mate. Get yourself a Harpoon. I would of ended the fight with the harpoon the first time you got her near the boat...

I have stuck 200 pound plus fish inthe head after 20 minute fights, give some good line to the fish... if she is REALLY big, tie off a polly ball.

I like the Swordslasher Harpoon, although the POON looks great also.

[wahoo51]

Hid,

Get a harpoon and forget about the amo.
The only thing i'll even consider shooting is a mako and thats because sharks sometimes look dead and are not.
Otherwise never pull out a gun unless you are going to defend yourself.

Consider this scenario:
4' seas, you are extremely excited, you pull out the gun, you slip, and bang-----, you shoot your friend. NOT WORTH IT.

[HiD]

I agree w/ the gun situation. not a very good idea. I will go get a Harpoon this week. My buddy has one, he has it set up so that you attach it to your wind on swivel on another rod and stick her with it. Now, she will be pooned(hurt) and you would fight her on 2 outfits, sounds like the way to go, what do you guys think?? How do you guys rig/use the poon?? There was no wrestling this fish on the wire, just too much.

HiD
Alfred

[RiskTaker]

HiD:

Getting a harpoon and also attaching a hard ball, one that does not compress at depth, in my opinion would be a great configuration. (A soft ball will only provide half of the lift at 33 ft. of depth.), in the event you let the fish run without the harpoon line being tied off to a cleat.

Having a loop setup at the end of the harpoon line next to the ball, is a good idea too, so that you can attach it to you an auxillary rod if you have one available.

Although you may need to use situational discretion before attaching a harpoon line to a second rod. It sounds like a good idea but it could be a potential disaster situation. If you do this perhaps consider clipping this first line so you do not have two to tangle with. If you have set the dart well and have a poly ball, you second connection should be stronger than the first.

[DORADOsteve]

I favor my 16' harpoon by RELIABLE. Breaks down into two pieces, easy to replace the shaft and has never failed me.

Poon & Swordslasher are very good products as well.

One thing that is overlooked by many is if you do attach a poly ball, and need dump it over, is to attach some light sticks to the poly ball.

Hows this scenario?
You light up a fatty, dump the poly, then search the ocean for hours to find your fish.

[CJWINDONLEADERS]

stick her or stop her.....poon is for beginners to stop/cheat fish when they get near the boat for a look. Poon is just like shooting a fish and waiting for it to die, bleed out. In my opion the ***** way to call yourself a big game fisherman....flier is for the coup de gras at the end of a battle.....You did the right thing and fought a great fight with a bad mama that got away......thats an honorable battle.....if you would of pooned her you would of probley got her, but you would of cheated her....You would of ate a hollow victory...

[Shark Tagger]

I agree that Pooning definetely feels like cheating. We have had big fish swim up to the boat with hooks in their mouth and we purposely didnt not poon them to give the angler a fight. However, to each its own, if somebody poons a green fish I definetely am not going to call them a *****. Swordfishing is hard work and putting one int he boat a night, no matter how you do it is some accomplishment.

Just my .02

Tightlines
ST

[HiD]

We are getting a POON !!!!
I dont see how you can cheat a creature twice your size from another planet.

CaTcHeMuP !!!!!

HiD
Alfred

[Tunachaser]

Originally Posted by DORADOsteve

Hows this scenario?
You light up a fatty, dump the poly, then search the ocean for hours to find your fish.

I like that scenario!

[LHPfish]

:high

[quack quack]

CJ: I do not know what kind or how big a boat you fish on. But on the smaller boats 30ft and under center consoles that most guys out here fish on a poon is the best way to safely and quickly take a big fish.On a bigger boat or sportfish you can wire up safer and gaff a bigger fish safer than on a smaller boat. The cleats on most small boats would not hold up to a big fish on a flyer. Hid: good job on fighting that fish I think you were better to airr on the side of caution. Two small gaffs with that fish most likely would have just hurt you and the fish maybe both badly. I am sure you learned a lot this time out and will be better prepared next time. NO GUN NEEDED :!:

[jerry]

Be really careful with braid. It has no abrasion resistance whatsoever. ONce frayed it will part very easily.
I personally do not use a harpoon. I use a 6ft straight with a 6inch hook for most swords. For bigger fish a 6ft flyer with a 8inch heavy hook is my ticket.
Whether to grab a leader and pull on a fish depends on lots of things. First, make real sure you understand how to pull on a leader. If you are gonna take wraps make very sure you know the techniques for taking wraps and letting them off if you have to.
I personally grab the leader and use the boat in tandem to lift the fish to within gaff range. If the fish is green and hot at the boat, dump the leader. If I have a really good hook set I will put some heat on the fish and coax it to the surface. A lot depends on the individual circumstances and your confidence level in whatever techniques you use.