Not exactly hunting with a gun, but hunting big game fish is exactly like hunting land big game. A Royal Slam is catching all of the world’s nine billfish species. I have already taken a white marlin, atlantic sailfish, atlantic blue marlin, a pacific sailfish, a pacific blue marlin, a striped marlin, and a black marlin. The white marlin was the smallest at 60 lbs and the black was the largest at 800 lbs. I lacked a swordfish and a spearfish.
Last week I booked two days on a charter out of Islamorada, Florida. Swordfishing is fairly unique in that it is done at extreme delths. We were fishing thirty feet off the bottom in 1800 feet of water with 12 and 14 lb weights and lights above the bait, along with electric reels. Fishing that deep without electric reels is almost impossible. It takes five minutes to reel up the weight from that deep with an electric reel - 15 min if you had to do it by hand. Never the less, I had reservations about turning a reel on and sitting back and drinking beer while the electric motor winched the fish up from the deep. I didnt know how wrong I was about my preconceived notion.
It is extremely boring fishing. You sit and watch the rod tip for a very subtle bite - less noticeable than a small bluegill - for hours. Ten hours a day. First 10 hour day, no bites. Second ten hour day, it was late afternoon and no bites. We had two rods out - capt told mate to reel one rod up, and when it was up, told me to reel mine up and was time to head in after ten more hours of tip watching. Mate was unhooking weight and lights off the first rod getting ready to stow it when it happened. My rod tip dipped an inch. Dropped the weight the thirty feet to the bottom as instructed and let it lay for five seconds. Then I put the reel in gear and when it came tight, the rod bowed over but the electric reel gained no line. I had to pull the line with one hand to take enough pressure off the reel so it could recover line. This went on for fifteen minutes and gained a few hundred feet. Finally started seeing the rod tip jerk a little bit. Reel was getting so hot I could barely touch it.
Anyway, 45 minutes later, we reach the snap for the weight. You have to stop the reel and ease back on the drag so if the fish took off, the mate could let go of the line and let the fish run. He finally got the weight clip unhooked and fish ran to the boat, leaving slack in line. The electric reel can not recover line as fast as a person can. Getting slack in your line is not good, but when the reel caught up, he was still on. He was up on top running all over now. Captain was screaming directions and the reel was awfully confusing to me because I had only used a hand crank before, which made me slow to react. I have never intentionally killed a billfish before, but swords are good to eat and I wanted to eat this one.
We still had forty feet of line out and three lights clipped to the line in that forty feet. Mate got the first one off the line and again fish charged toward boat, leaving slack in line. Reel caught up and fish dove and was 25 feet under the stern and mate picked up harpoon and made a perfect shot, 25 feet deep. Those guys on Wicked Tuna are amateurs compared to this mate. It was pure bedlam. Mate holding fish on harpoon line, captain screaming “get a gaff in him” and yelling a dozen instructions at me what to do with a reel I was not reel familiar with. My buddy made a perfect gaff shot - right in the eye. We got fish pulled up on gunwale at stern of boat and it was going wild slashing with bill. Captain hollered at my buddy to get away from bill and when he did, gaff came out. Fish was teetering on gunwale for what must have been ten seconds before he fell in boat. Big game fishing is often described as hours of boredom interrupted by minutes of pandemonium - and we experienced both.
Finally got the fish subdued and on ice. Had grilled swordfish steaks last night. Fewer than 200 people have caught a certified royal slam - all nine billfish. I had intended not to pursue the final spearfish, since I wont have all my catches certified some happen so long ago (47 years ago) - but after sending pic to my daughter, she is already making plans for a trip to Kona - one of the few spots on earth where spearfish are caught with any regularity.
That is me on the right and buddy who delivered the good gaff shot. And the last five minutes of a trip can be just as good as the first five minutes.
Last week I booked two days on a charter out of Islamorada, Florida. Swordfishing is fairly unique in that it is done at extreme delths. We were fishing thirty feet off the bottom in 1800 feet of water with 12 and 14 lb weights and lights above the bait, along with electric reels. Fishing that deep without electric reels is almost impossible. It takes five minutes to reel up the weight from that deep with an electric reel - 15 min if you had to do it by hand. Never the less, I had reservations about turning a reel on and sitting back and drinking beer while the electric motor winched the fish up from the deep. I didnt know how wrong I was about my preconceived notion.
It is extremely boring fishing. You sit and watch the rod tip for a very subtle bite - less noticeable than a small bluegill - for hours. Ten hours a day. First 10 hour day, no bites. Second ten hour day, it was late afternoon and no bites. We had two rods out - capt told mate to reel one rod up, and when it was up, told me to reel mine up and was time to head in after ten more hours of tip watching. Mate was unhooking weight and lights off the first rod getting ready to stow it when it happened. My rod tip dipped an inch. Dropped the weight the thirty feet to the bottom as instructed and let it lay for five seconds. Then I put the reel in gear and when it came tight, the rod bowed over but the electric reel gained no line. I had to pull the line with one hand to take enough pressure off the reel so it could recover line. This went on for fifteen minutes and gained a few hundred feet. Finally started seeing the rod tip jerk a little bit. Reel was getting so hot I could barely touch it.
Anyway, 45 minutes later, we reach the snap for the weight. You have to stop the reel and ease back on the drag so if the fish took off, the mate could let go of the line and let the fish run. He finally got the weight clip unhooked and fish ran to the boat, leaving slack in line. The electric reel can not recover line as fast as a person can. Getting slack in your line is not good, but when the reel caught up, he was still on. He was up on top running all over now. Captain was screaming directions and the reel was awfully confusing to me because I had only used a hand crank before, which made me slow to react. I have never intentionally killed a billfish before, but swords are good to eat and I wanted to eat this one.
We still had forty feet of line out and three lights clipped to the line in that forty feet. Mate got the first one off the line and again fish charged toward boat, leaving slack in line. Reel caught up and fish dove and was 25 feet under the stern and mate picked up harpoon and made a perfect shot, 25 feet deep. Those guys on Wicked Tuna are amateurs compared to this mate. It was pure bedlam. Mate holding fish on harpoon line, captain screaming “get a gaff in him” and yelling a dozen instructions at me what to do with a reel I was not reel familiar with. My buddy made a perfect gaff shot - right in the eye. We got fish pulled up on gunwale at stern of boat and it was going wild slashing with bill. Captain hollered at my buddy to get away from bill and when he did, gaff came out. Fish was teetering on gunwale for what must have been ten seconds before he fell in boat. Big game fishing is often described as hours of boredom interrupted by minutes of pandemonium - and we experienced both.
Finally got the fish subdued and on ice. Had grilled swordfish steaks last night. Fewer than 200 people have caught a certified royal slam - all nine billfish. I had intended not to pursue the final spearfish, since I wont have all my catches certified some happen so long ago (47 years ago) - but after sending pic to my daughter, she is already making plans for a trip to Kona - one of the few spots on earth where spearfish are caught with any regularity.
That is me on the right and buddy who delivered the good gaff shot. And the last five minutes of a trip can be just as good as the first five minutes.
