SWORDFISH IN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

[HOLBOX]

Hello I´m new in this forum. First i want to introduce myself to all of you, experts swordfish fishers and want to learn as much as possible from you experience. I fish in the Spanish Mediterranean area, close from Alicante. We´ve there a good place for swordfish if you take a look to the chart and appreciate the bottom shape.
I got my first swordfish whit chaos lures in daytime, but i went afer and didn´t got anymore.

I would like to ask you if there´s someone with experience in swordfish in the Mediterranean area. Anyway the fish is the same in every ocean arround the world so.... let´s see what should I change from my fishing concepts and diagram.

I tell you how I do and please, I would like you to advice me about how could I improve my technics.

I have a 4 squid in line teaser in the left of my wake mor or les at 10 metres from my stern. I fish with 5 rods. The 2 more open are 25 metres from my stern and the two more closer 13 metres from my stern, one of those 2 metres after the squid´s teaser. The center rod is up to 60 metres awar and has its own williamson medium size red bird teaser.
I use only artificial lures in colors Pink-white, Red-white, and green-yellow. C&H Alien (red-white), Chaos lures (with turbine in vinyl or feather) and Moldcraft Chuggers (without turbine).

I can tell you that the mdiun size of the swordfish here is in between 20-40 Lbs. So would you recommend me any other Lures, disposition, distances, rig, tackle, advice.....

I have contemplate the idea of fishing in the night time. I have the opportunity in August and September to get some live squid so maybe this would be a great live bait. Should I use it in surface with stopped boat or with downrigger at 2,5 knots?

As you see I´m a very beginner in your hands so everything you can tell me will be productive for my fishing time.

Thanks for hearing. :???: :???:

I would read how people swordfish here in the Florida Straits and
do the same thing at night. The primary differnce would be
target depths since the thermocline depth is different and it
changes with season.
The sword fishery peaks in the springtime with May being
the best time for drift net catches of swords in the Alboran Sea.
I would bet given the size of the spanish fleet that nearby grounds
may be depleted and you will need to try more offshore locations.
I'll ask one of the students I'm working with on swordfish (And
dolphin) if she knows of any spots in the Med. since I've only looked
at NW Atlantic data. cheers, arthur

[Uncle Buck]

HOLBOX... No disrespect intended, but are you sure we're talking about the same species of fish? I know that the name "swordfish" is applied to other sorts of billfish in different parts of the world. 20-40lb broadbill swordfish is pretty small, and not even legal for us to keep according to U.S. federal fisheries laws. Our average is more between 80-130lbs, with many much bigger. Could you possibly be refering to what we call a sailfish or spearfish?

But, if you ARE talking about the Broadbill Swordfish (Xiphias gladius), we rarely target them while trolling. We primarily catch them at night, drifting squid between the surface and 300ft down. In waters with dramatic depth changes in 1,000 to 1,500 foot depths. (canyons, mountains, etc... structure that pushes currents up and holds baitfish or squid)

[HOLBOX]

Profesor0: I´ll be happy to receive some news from your student. My range of Mediterranean I can reach with my boat is Northern Alicante between Calpe and Oliva.

Uncle Buck: for sure its Broadbill Swordfish (Xiphias gladius). We can find huge ones 5% of the times we catch them but we´ve a nearly closed sea and professional fishers with boats using hundreds of paternoster lines sow our closed sea and they have allready got almost all the big ones...... Don´t have any doubth about this Xiphias Gladius, we actually use the same name. I did allready fish sailfish in Africa (Senegal), and I know the Spearfish too.

I feel just like a beginner full of mistakes and I´m showing you my ansious to learn how to fish this swordfish. I just told you what I do with my lures, that doesn´t means I feel like the right way.... its only my first step. For the next step I need a little help.

[Uncle Buck]

It's all good. I know how common names can be misleading sometimes.

Try drifting at night in an area known to have swordfish. Use squid or some sort of live bait 8-10 inches long. Sounds like the average size is smaller in your area, so you don't want to use too big of a bait.

Here's an illustration of a generic 3-balloon drift spread for southeast Florida...

[Relentless33]

UB: Nice blueprint :lol:

[HOLBOX]

UNCLE BUCK: Amazing picture!!!
When you say live bait.... are you talking about an "alive" squid? Do the results are different between a really "alive" live squid and a "dead" live squid?

When I´m supposed to drift as your picture... Am I supposed to have my boat´s engine off, or trolling at the slower speed as possible (2,6 Knots)?

We have another trouble in Spain: Lights are not allowed for sport fishers only professional. I probably can use a chemical light (like starlite) inside or beside the squid. But light under my boat.... is a legal risk. Maybe using the poop deck work-light.....

Each ballon is supposed to be in a different rod? I never saw before this technic. Is there any information in this forum about the technic of ballons to avoid make you explain all the system.... probably is allready written.

So... I should forget to look for swordfishes in daytime trolling with cheggers and turbines???? I did got one the last month in daytime... but only one.

Thanks again for your help

[reel life]

we drift in the gulf stream our current moves us along at about 3.5 knots + -
you could troll (with lures like mold craft soft heads) if you are lacking current but try to get 1 of your bait down 30 +/- meters or so and yes a light stick 2 meters above your bait should help
hope this helps

[HOLBOX]

Reel life: When you talk about Mold craft Soft Lures.. should I use them at night time? Do this kind of lures get good results such live squids?

[reel life]

mold craft makes a few that glow in the dark.
i have heard that they work well in places with out much current. but here we have the gulf stream that moves us along at 3.5 knots or so.
so we just use dead squid and drift.

[catching]

Holbox,

Check your PM's

Catching

[HOLBOX]

So did anyone got good results trolling in daytime?
Should I feel lucky about having got my first swordfish trolling in daytime with a soft head chugger lure??? Or can I keep trying with any other lure in daytime?

[Shark Tagger]

beautiful illustration there

[HOLBOX]

Some guys in Mexico get to catch Broadbill in daytime in the surface, without downrigers. They use much energy with their teasers. Does anyone uses the Pakula´s Witchdoctor Teaser while trolling for Broadbill?

I´m sure we can catch them in daytime, If I got one... why don´t a couple more....?