Swordfish fishing

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are probably the most sought after sport fish in the world. They live in the sub-tropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Meditarranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Swordfish can grow over 3 meters in length and weigh more than 600 kg (1350lb).

Swordfish are vigorous, powerful fighters; once they're hooked up deep down below, they can all of a sudden jump out of the water and immediately go back to the abbyss.

By their big eyes you can tell these billfish like to live and hunt deep below the surface. They use to stay near deep canyons, near ridges, craters or areas with pinnacles. Swordfish come to the surface at night and prefer deeper waters during daytime.

Top Swordfish Fishing destinations

Swordfish can be caught in the sub-tropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Meditarranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Here, they can be found at dropoffs, near deep canyons, ridges, craters, wrecks, or areas with pinnacles.

Famous places for swordfish fishing are the Messina Straits in Southern Italy, Mallorca in Spain, Croatia, in the US from Massachusetts through Texas, down into the Caribbean, California, Mexico etc.

Spain

Balearic Islands

Mauritius

Mallorca

How to fish for Swordfish

Swordfish are traditionally a bycatch while chunking for tuna at night. Swords can also be caught trolling, but the best technique to target them is dropping baits deep beneath the boat.

The challenge is getting baits down 500 meters (1640 ft) in 3 knots of current. Huge weights (5kg // 15lb) and strong braided line are used to keep the bait near the bottom. On the leader, a squid or fish is mounted on a single hook (sometimes with an octopus skirt stitched to the bait).