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Swordfish Seducer |
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| Written by Capt. Mike Genoun | |
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With favorable weather patterns and calm sea conditions now prevailing, an increased number of midsize boaters will venture offshore into the Gulf Stream currents in search of a grueling brawl. While their chances of finding a fight under the cover of darkness are currently greater here in southeast Florida than anywhere else we know of, crucial elements to their success will still be careful preparation and proper execution, not to mention being well equipped with adequate tackle, accessories, and essential terminal gear. We all know 50lb. - 80llb. class stand-up outfits coupled with rod belts and shoulder harnesses are the norm when going up against such arduous fighters in a near abyssal arena, but regardless of how long your list of shiny tackle and name brand toys, it all boils down to the all important rig directly connecting you to your prized pumpkin. Not unlike many fisheries, ask ten professional sword slayers what their rig of choice is, and you will surely get ten different answers. Common elements will include a source of arti- f i - cial light, some form of sinker or sash weight, and obviously a leader system capable of handling the job. Though regardless of similarities, each ex- perienced captain will utilize his own unique rigging technique w h i c h has proven successful. I’ll be the first to tell you that if a particular approach is working well for you, by all means stick with it, and please continue to share your tips and tricks with all of us. In the meantime, experimentation, coupled with a steady stream of information coming from the region’s leading swordfishermen, has helped us comprise an effective swordfish rig that has time and again proven its worthiness. Let’s take a closer look at each element of the rig and see why each is so crucial to success. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll begin at the hook. Hook choices vary greatly when it comes to making a solid connection with broadbills. Penetrating an extremely tough bill while also holding fast in the soft tissue surrounding their mouths, makes selecting the perfect swordfish hook a bit of a challenge. Key elements to look at include shape, color, size, and strength. For decades, swordfishing has primarily been accomplished with standard J-hooks, though circle hooks are beginning to make a bigger showing. Double hook rigs and/or treble hooks of any sort should be avoided at all costs as they can be extremely damaging to juvenile fish destined for release. Although swordfish are well equipped with phenomenal eye sight, hook color is not as vital as in a number of other fisheries. I still recommend you take the necessary precautions to insure the odds are stacked in your favor by fishing hooks with a black or dark finish. Hook size can vary depending on bait size, but anything super-sharp in the 9/0 to 13/0 range should find a home just fine. What’s most important is hook strength. In the world that they live in, swordfish are incredibly powerful apex predators with phenomenally strong jaw muscles, and with the possibility of a 300 plus pound monster always looming, you may want to choose hardened hooks constructed of carbon steel which are strong enough to pull an elephant. Next on the agenda is leader material. Even though swordies are nocturnal hunters designed with penetrating night vision, they are not line shy. Commercial longliners have been successfully raping our oceans with 500lb. leader material for decades. For recreational purposes, 500lb. leader is too stiff and should be considered overkill. A length of 250lb. fluorocarbon will do just fine. Leader length should exceed the estimated length of the fish you may encounter. Eight feet is ideal and with a wind-on leader system, allows the designated rod man to fight the fish to within gaffing range. After crimping on the hook (knots have no place here), complete the opposite end of the leader with a grommet or other form of protective chafing material. Seducer Now that the final leader portion of the rig is complete, it is connected to a heavy duty ball-bearing snap-swivel which has been crimped to the tag end of a 300lb., 25 ft. wind-on fluorocarbon leader. The windon leader, which is connected to the main running line via a simple loop-to-loop connection, improves bait presentation, eliminates the need for conventional long leaders, and provides safe handling of fish at boat side. Once a broadbill has been landed or released, the rig is removed from the swivel, and in an effort to eliminate tackle failure from the equation, a fresh rig is applied. You’re back in the game in mere seconds. Here’s a tip: prior to crimping the snap-swivel on the end of your wind-on leader, slide a large glow bead on the line which will help prevent damage to tip top guides. The next component to shine is the light source. It’s no secret that swordfish, and their primary forage of squid and mackerel, are all attracted to artificial light. Currently, there are a wide variety of swordfish lights on the counters of your favorite tackle shop, both chemical and battery operated. We have experienced some level of success experimenting with just about every type in just about every color combination. What we’ve found to be the most effective and versatile, are coincidently also the most affordable. Two color (Green/Blue) snap-on chemical light-sticks always seem to attract the attention we’re looking for. Starting at approximately ten feet from the hook, space not one or two, but three light-sticks at somewhat even intervals. What you’re left with is a sort of daisy chain effect. Multiply that by four or five rigs, and along with your Hydro-Glow, you’ve set an inviting spread swordfish will undoubtedly find worthy of investigating. Last, affix the sinker in breakaway fashion directly to the dyneema portion of the wind-on leader, so as not to jeopardize the integrity of the fluorocarbon. A rubber-band or short trace of plastic coated phone wire easily accomplishes this task. Finally, as the spread is set, floats are affixed in the same fashion at predetermined levels above the sinker. To simplify the process, pretie loops by half-hitching short pieces of braid at 50 foot intervals on all your swordfish outfits. The pre-positioned loops assist inexperienced anglers and make the chore of setting baits at exact depths a breeze. It’s easy to instruct a newcomer to the Dark Side to feed the bait out to the fourth loop, rather than down to 200 ft. Once a hooked sword blasts-off on its first run, both the float and sinker typically break away, and if any light-sticks remain on the line for the duration of the fight, they’ll simply slide down theleader and out of the way. Utilizing this system, an anglercan lead a swordfish of any proportion to within range of the gaff or harpoon without the assistance of a leader-man. The rig is a perfect choice for dead and live baits, which by the way, should be bridled to provide the most appealing bait presentation and to insure maximum hook penetration. In closing, we wish you and your crew nothing but safe and successful experiences on the sword grounds this spring, and please be conservation minded. Though this fishery is exciting, it is still extremely fragile. See you on the 49.5’. Rigging Components • Lindgren-Pitman Carbon Steel 9/0 Black Swordfish Hook - Offset Point • ProFish Co. Magnum Ring & Grommet • Hi-Catch 300lb. Ball-Bearing Escape Proof Snap Swivel • LP Duralume Twin Blue/Green • Momoi 300lb. Wind-On Leader  |
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