Saturday night 11 hour swordfight!

[dpdash]

Originally Posted by chrisrt

Amazing story. I just have one question. Why do you use Stainless, Double hooks? Isn't there a good chance that fish has it's mouth stapled shut now, possibly to starve to death? I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but it's just something I was thinking about.

Hooks don't rust out, they fall out. Put a hook in a glass of saltwater and set it on your counter, let me know how long it takes to rust. You'll be very surprised. It may very well have hooked both jaws and killed it, don't know. The only way to be sure you don't kill any fish is not to go fishing.

[Broadbill-Pro]

Originally Posted by dpdash

Hooks don't rust out, they fall out. Put a hook in a glass of saltwater and set it on your counter, let me know how long it takes to rust. You'll be very surprised. It may very well have hooked both jaws and killed it, don't know. The only way to be sure you don't kill any fish is not to go fishing.

that's the truth.

hooks do rust away, they don't fall out. stainless is not necessary for sportfishing, it's softer anyway and more likely to open up. shortly after getting away the wound heals around the hook securing it even more. that fish is probably twisted in 500yds of 100# mono now. as soon as it became entangled on it's tail it began the fight all over again.

great fish story, unfortunate you did not get her. you certainly did all that could probably have been done.

[shawnbenyo]

Originally Posted by chrisrt

Amazing story. I just have one question. Why do you use Stainless, Double hooks? Isn't there a good chance that fish has it's mouth stapled shut now, possibly to starve to death? I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but it's just something I was thinking about.

First, I use them because they work best. Second, we only wind up losing hook sets to sharks and other toothy fish. We ever so rarely lose them in a billfish to the point that it just doesn't matter. Third, there is no way that, that same hook in Mustad's Duratin is going to rust out before the fish starves to death if the fish's mouth is stapled shut. Lastly, some fish will unfortunately die after we lose them. Not all, and I don't know what percentage, but some do die. The majority of these will undoubtedly be from foul hooking the fish in the eye, gills, or many, many other places where the ripping of flesh can be detrimental to the fish's survival. So, I would be more concerned with reducing the numbers of fish lost from pulling the hooks than worrying about what types of hooks are used. We do our best to be conservative with this great resource, and I appreciate your enthusiasm to do the same.

[Broadbill-Pro]

makes no difference to me what type hooks anglers use. i have not been able to find a stainless hook that could withstand the pressure that large swords and especially tuna can achieve. but after your story it is obvious that SS hooks can get the job done.

i did not consider the mouth wired shut aspect in regard to rusted hooks. thats a no brainer.

[sworddoc]

Wow, great post and great details. It was fun to read. My experience catching bluefins of that size is that the longer the fight, the less likely the chance of catching the fish. We tried to apply max pressure at the very start. Something usually goes wrong if you're at it more than a few hours. You guys did a great job. Sometimes they win. That will bring you back for the rest of your lives. The next one's dead!!!!!!

[Sword Donkey]

Great story,

It really is a helpless feeling when there's nothing you can do. Maybe some fish can't be caught. Never know, could have been a state record. When we first started out sword doggin we hooked a nice fish and weren't in control of the fight until 4 hours in. Core weighted over 180, so fish was prob 265-275 or so.(caught on a 30 wide) Last half hour of the fight I think her heart gave out, fish came up pretty much dead.

From the story is didn't sound like this was going to happen soon, but maybe a few hours more and you would have got her. Tough break. Cool to hear that swordzilla is near by. hb

[Flyers Up]

That was an AWESOME battle, reminds me of the Old Man In The Sea.

Two 50's or not two 50's that is the question!!

Gave me wood....

[Flyers Up]

That was an AWESOME battle, reminds me of the Old Man In The Sea.

Two 50's or not two 50's that is the question!!

Gave me wood....

[RiskTaker]

Doug:

One more time around, I commend you (and your team) in a great way!
(Can we cherish the story and compliment the meal at Calypso? Let's do it: my treat.)

That was a job, well done!

And I think of you as a VERY Smart guy. So, no matter what: you still could not get a handle on her. Estupendo! Ño, as they say in Latin Quarters. This was a great post and I thank you for that, Sir. Hi 5, Red Stripes, or black/n/tan: however, you like.

llame me`. RT

[Sword Hunter]

Thats got to be one of the best stories this year ! what a bummer

[Tuna Devil]

Originally Posted by chrisrt

Amazing story. I just have one question. Why do you use Stainless, Double hooks? Isn't there a good chance that fish has it's mouth stapled shut now, possibly to starve to death? I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but it's just something I was thinking about.

But you are. (raining on his parade that is.)

[Scott]

Great job! 11 hours is incredible, what a story

[nightbite]

Incredible story

[Boboe]

If the jaws are fully buttoned closed, the fish would have given up quickly...VERY QUICKLY...if a swordfish with buttoned-shut lips acts like a 100# yellowfin with lips buttoned shut.

My experience with such a hooking:
4AM on a charter trip and the yellowfins are in short supply. Customers are dropping 8-12oz diamond jigs with scissor hooks on Penn 4/0's spooled with 100#. The drag is at about what I'd fish for red snappers with 50# leaders. I'd say it's about 10-15 lbs. for an out-of-my-ass guess. We've been catching 5-10lb blackfins at will, passing the time until we get a yellowfin bite on our livies on 50's.

So this fellah got a bite on his diamond jig. It was acting like a decent blackfin for the rigs...maybe 15lbs. It pulled 5' of line 2x and the customer asked, "Can we put on more drag?" "Ok," I responded, and gave him another quarter turn on the star drag. The fish pulled 5' more line and was coming up under the boat. I got a quick glimpose at the fish and saw that it was very long--no blackfin.

"What the hell? Did we catch the rig cuda?" I thought, referencing the cuda that will always be present on damn-near every rig you fish. The fish took the angler around from the starboard corner to the port side of the cockpit. I got a gaff for whatever the hell it would be.

Out from under the boat came a yellowfin head straight upward to the surface. "Holy shit! It's a big yellowfin!" I yelled. The big Aftco went into his head, but less-than-perfectly. My second mate, awakened by my shout and quite a bit groggy, stumbled down the ladder from the wheelhouse where he had been napping, grabbed the small Aftco and we tag-teamed her over the rail. The fish--which had only been on the line for about 45 seconds--laid there on the deck for about 15 seconds immobile. I cut the line in front of the diamond jig and left it in. About that time the fish went apeshit and decided to use all of the energy it had opted to not use while on the line.

The fish had its mouth buttoned shut by the diamond jig's scissor hooks. One was in the top jaw, one in the bottom, right in the front of its mouth. The tuna went 103# gutted, 14 hours after being put onboard.

Several of my friends have had similar experiences with yellowfins on diamond jigs. If you fish them without scissor hooks and that size gear, however, you're pretty much screwed.

Anyway...so that's a long way to explain what tunas do when their mouths are "stapled shut." If a sword is the same way, then we can pretty much assume that the sword in the original story wasn't stapled shut either.