How to Catch a Swordfish With Bait
- 1). Plan to go far offshore in a large boat in order to have a chance to catch swordfish. You will need to go at least 10 miles offshore in depths of as much as 2,000 feet where swordfish and other large fish can be found.
- 2). Use a heavy-duty spinning rod and reel set-up loaded with between 50- to 80-pound test monofilament line.
- 3). Connect a swordfish rig to the end of the fishing line, equipped large circle hook, such as a 20/0 hook. Hook live mackerel through the back by the dorsal fin (in order to keep it alive); you can also use live or dead squid hooked through the top of the head.
- 4). Allow the boat to drift (or use a sea anchor to aid in slowing your drift) and cast your line. Let the bait do the work for you. Check it periodically to make sure that it is still there. Replace when necessary, such as when a bite has been taken out of it.
- 5). Leave a rod in the boat's rod holders until you hear the reel scream. Climb into a deck chair and get strapped in before removing the rod.
- 6). Plan on fighting for several hours depending on how much the swordfish weighs. Raise and lower the rod tip in conjunction with the swordfish's movements; at some point, unless you are fishing in the dead of a starless night, you should be able to see your prey once it breaks the surface.
- 7). Have a fellow angler use a gaff hook to bring the swordfish aboard once you get it near the boat.
Source...