First Time Swordfishing Trip, Any Suggestions??

[fernandez1178]

If anyone has any dont's or do's I would appreciate any insights that would help!!!

[Shark Tagger]

first timer should stick to squid as bait, and use wind-on leaders...

Ride the 50 line and you will get a sword a chewin..

Good luck

[LETSRIDE]

how are you connecting your wind on leader to the bimini twist? i was wondering if their are different methods beside just the figure 8!

[AkaUrDad]

If you get tight on a fish, don't screw it up!

[Flatsfish B]

Originally Posted by Captinmitch

A few more tips to ensure a safe, productive trip:
If you are fighting the fish using stand-up gear with a harness, make sure the angler knows how to quickly unhook the harness if he winds up over the side of the boat. Rods and reels are easy to replace.

On rough nights, give everyone onboard a glowstick. I have even gone as far as to pin a light stick on the back of the angler’s shoulder harness just in case.

Carry a mask, snorkel and underwater light. Not that I recommend going over the side of the boat to free a fish, but sometimes it’s necessary. Secondly, we’ve all seen floating nets, trap buoys and rope during the day. If you wrap it in the props on the run out or back in at night, you’ll be glad to have it.

If you don’t have a chart plotter, load all the inlets for the east coast of Florida along with Bimini and West End into your GPS. If the weather turns to doo-doo, that is not the time to be loading waypoints to an alternate inlet. More than once, we’ve gone back in a different inlet than the one we left. While we’re on electronics, a backup VHF and handheld GPS are a great idea.

At some point, whether you use a harpoon or a flying gaff, you’ll going to have to deal with the bill of the fish. Swordfish have surprisingly sharp bills that are nothing to fool with. Spend the bucks to get leather welders gloves. When you go to grab the bill, make sure your thumbs are pointing in thereby ensuring that you are reaching overhand. This is important because if the fish takes a swipe, you can block the blow instead of getting hit in the face. Don’t think that’s important? Ask Pottydoc. I had his fish lunge at me and was able to deflect the tip of the bill down. This fish snapped off a 4-inch piece of bill under the rub rail that was so embedded, he had to use all his weight and a pair of vise-grips to get it out. Had I been reaching underhand, they’d have been pulling it out of my chest, most likely posthumously.

While drifting, the Coast Guard requires you to run your nav lights, not your anchor light.

It is a good idea to have someone on board that can perform CPR. Last year a boat was out and their angler collapsed after fighting the fish. Fortunately, the man survived but had CPR been required, there was nobody onboard that was trained. You also want to have a good first aid kit.

Lastly, PAY ATTENTION. Keep an eye on the weather, freighters and other boats. So far there have not been any major accidents on the sword grounds, but as the sport grows, the chances for something nasty to happen will increase. A good rule of thumb to follow is to assume nobody else knows the rules of the road and that no other boat is paying attention. You’ll be surprised how many times you’ll be making the correct assumption.

[fernandez1178]

Thanks alot flatfish...i will definately take some ideas in to mind....