Several sword questions...Please help!!!

[Chasin' Tales]

Got my first legal, keeper sword on saturday. It was a 61" fish caught on squid up here in the Gulf at the spur. We went 2 for 4 with several other bites that we're pretty sure were swords.

First of all, I want to thank you south florida fellas for sending all these swords up here this summer. The gulf has been on fire this summer for swords/marlin/dolphin/wahoo.

We figured the 61" fish weighed about 110-125#, judging by the length and the picture, does this appear to be reasonable?

Next, I cut off the bill and put it in the freezer. I have seen on this site before where the bills were done up very nicely. What's the best way of going about doing this? I thought I read somewhere about setting it in the water and letting the crabs and pinfish go to work for a while. Is this the best thing to do? How long do you leave it in the water? Is there someone I can send the cleaned-off bill to have it finished?

Last of all...the second fish we caught last saturday was on a mullet we floated away from the boat on a balloon. I was already asleep by this time, but the fella reeling the fish in said that the wax line on the string that I put on there to keep the balloon from sliding on the line wouldn't go thru the roller guides and that they had to hand line the fish to the boat (thank god it was a pup!). What is the best way of attaching a balloon to the line?

Thanks for all the help y'all! I don't think I would have caught that fish without all the tips I've picked up from this site!!!

[Shark Tagger]

Very respectable fish.. we got one over th weekend that was about that size also.

Your weight estimate is right on... probably 115lbs or so.

As for the bill, i dont konw about putting it in the freezer. We keep out boat on the water and put it in the bait pin for atleast 2 weeks. We pull it out a couple times a week and hose it off.

Once all the meat in the top of the bill has come out it is ready to prep.

-As for the waxline.. you have to be very carefull and there should be no big knots and such.. otherwise you run the risk of that happening. Needs to be very smooth...

Good work

[Certifiable]

Nice work ! I don't have enough swords under my belt to qualify the weight, but you are sure to get a dozen qualified opinions from the veterans on this site.
As for the sword bill preservation, go to the message posted on Aug 29 by Uncle Buck, they touch on that subject a bit. There is also a person that may do it for you (mailto:CaptKen1@comcast.net) in that message.
I tried to preserve the sword from my first fish last month. Laid it out on my cleaning table to dry out , came back a few days later and it was gone. :sad: Probably a racoon or a buzzard wanted it more than me. If you boys see a Braodbill Buzzard flying up your way...shoot it, and mail me back my bill ! :thumright:

[Chasin' Tales]

Thanks for the replies! I just did a search about preserving the bills and came up with a wealth of info.

As far as the waxed line goes...it was getting late when I retied that balloon on. It was late enough that it might not have been my best work. I was just curious if there was a better way of keeping the balloon from sliding on the line.

Y'all ever use mullet for bait down there? Every one we put down saturday got smacked. Heck of a lot cheaper than squid...

[Shark Tagger]

Dead Mullet? or live?


They are running down here now right guys? I always do so shitty with them when I fish them on the reef for kings and sails...

The horse mullets might be deadly once sunk in sword territory

[Chasin' Tales]

Dead mullet.

I rigged it sorta like a ballyhoo. To secure the hook, I just used some waxed line and stuck the needle thru the gill plate, thru the loop in the line between the crimp and the hook, then out the other gill plate and then simply tied a knot in the line. That seemed to work just fine.

[Uncle Buck]

Originally Posted by Chasin' Tales

I was just curious if there was a better way of keeping the balloon from sliding on the line.

Rubberbands seem to do the trick just fine, and they can be broken off/unraveled fairly easily before going through the guides. Also, using a rod with wind-on roller guides will help. Even a fat rubberband will pass through wind-on guides without much effort.

[The BEAST]

To stop the balloon from slipping, I simply wrap the b'loon tag end twice around the line and do a single half hitch. Works fine.

Capt. Jim
The BEAST

[Disco Lady]

CONO!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THOSE NASTY MULLETS CHEERS! CAPT. :lol: :lol:

[CaptKen]

As ST said,throw it under your dock for a week, Tie it good so a jack wont haul it off, pull it out after a week, blast out the cavity with a water hose well, then put it to dry where a buzzard or coon wont drag it off in indirect sun light, dry too fast and it will warp. I bondo up the cavity with car bondo sand it and paint it.
Ken
BTW nich fishy

[on deck]

Nice fish...hope its just the beginning for you. I have just started using copper wire to attatch the balloons to the main line. I was hesitant at first because I thought it would chafe the line but when wrapped loosley in an s shape it never harms the line and is a hell of a lot easier to get off the line than a tight piece of balloon. Also I like to soak my bills in water with a cup of bleach to remove some of the stink after I tie it off to the dock for a week or so.
Good luck and tight lines.

[Captain Ollie]

When you fish a deadbait like a mullet the best wat to rig it is backwards. Thats how I rig my tinkers. You want the hook to come out the gillplates or the mouth. The reason for this is that the sword always swallows fish headfirst. I've gutted tons of them and I have yet to find whats left of any fishy remains in the gut facing the other way. Trust me it will work wonders on your hookup ratio.

[NightCrawler]

Originally Posted by CaptKen

I bondo up the cavity with car bondo sand it and paint it.
Ken
BTW nich fishy

After I saw what happened to a friend's bill i'd be careful about where you have it soaking in the canal. Make sure sheepshead don't get a hold of it, unless you want your swordbill to look like a sawfish bill

I just soak them in chlorine, that disolves all the meat rather well, and bleaches out the bill, but careful, keep an eye on it, too long and the bill will get brittle. Like Ken said Bondo works really well. Love that stuff!!

[Disco Lady]

Capt. Ollie very well said on the rigging mullet.I use to rig boston macks that way when I L/L in the 80's. Good tip! Cheers! Capt.

[TITLEWAVE]

Was out the same night as you in a 33 world cat , fishing a east to west drift over the top of the spur . Curious if you where south of us ? also curious if you saw much bait in and around the light and boat. We saw little in the way of bait and tried a few different drift lines till we got a few bites but no keeper this weekend. I was given the tip of fishing the mullet too , but forgot to pick some up and try them so we fished squid only . You can bet i will have fresh dead mullet next time ! . Anyway , my name is mike and we fish out of pensacola and panama city florida IM me(on the PFF) some time and lets swap info . Nice fish !
www.titlewavesportfishing.com

[Relentless33]

Nightcrawler: Those swords are SICK! :shock: :razz: :thumright:

[quack quack]

Nice Bills Steph Very cool

[Flyin By]

Good Job onthe sword.