Words: Pro Team Capt. Nick Stanczyk
Photography: Zac Yarbrough/Kevin Dodge
We had a nice push of broadbill swordfish here in the Florida Keys so far this spring. Early in the year was hit and miss, but since late March I’ve had a nice streak with one or more swordfish on my last 15 consecutive trips. There’s been some quality fish this year between 200 and 250 lbs and we had one real nice one that weighed in at 341.5 lbs. A few of the days, we fished from sunup to sundown and at the very end luck was on our side and we scored on the last drop. Our best day numbers wise, we went 3 for 4, and all of those fish were caught on stand up tackle.
Daytime swordfishing in a unique type of fishing, as we set our bait down in any where from 1400’ – 1800’ of water and watch the rod tip for the slightest bump. Hooking a fish with so much line out is tricky, so of course we miss some, but if you have patience and put your time in, you have a good shot at catching one every day you go. The thing I like best about swordfishing is you never know how big the fish is going to be until you see it. The fight typically begins once the fish gets near the surface and he realizes something isn’t right. It’s nothing for a big swordfish to come up and jump, and dive back down 1800’ to the bottom. We are really just getting into the most consistent months of swordfishing, so I hope this summer and fall is as good as the spring.
[Patience is key to swordfishing]
We’ve also caught some nice mahi while waiting for the swordfish to bite, as well as on the way in and out from the swordfish grounds. I’m setting a personal goal trying to tag and release the most broadbill swordfish this year, so fingers crossed I can keep pace with the rest of the guys fishing for them.
To see more of Capt. Nick's adventures click here >>> PROFILE
