Why do swordfish feed at night

Bait selection for swords is usually pretty easy with squid and strip baits of bonito and mahi bellies being top options. There are many different baits that can be used when catching swordfish. Peeples will use the full spectrum of bait choices but keeps no secrets when it comes to his favorite. Captain Shane Toole, who runs Necessity Sportfishing out of Orange Beach, echoes the importance of rigging baits for abuse and points out that while squid makes up a majority of what swordfish eat and is a top pick, it also requires extra care in rigging and proper stitching is paramount if you want to be successful.

When it comes to my own personal preferences for catching swordfish, I use both strips and whole squid, but a swimming Mahi strip is a huge confidence bait for me. Both Peeples and Toole favor the Mustad hook for connecting and staying tight. This particular model of hook has a closed throat and requires less pressure for penetration. Leader types and lengths will certainly vary depending on whom you ask. I prefer short, six foot leaders of pound monofilament , attached to feet of pound wind-on leader.

The long length of mono gives a tough anchor point for LED lights and floss loops used to attach weights. Battling and landing a swordfish should be on every anglers bucket list. Peeples also uses a long wind-on leader, but drops to pound monofilament. He uses the smaller monofilament for less drag in the water column and the ability to splice directly into his main line, made of 80 pound, hollow core braid.

Toole sticks with a shorter and heavier, 75 feet of pound wind-on leader but also keeps a short trace leader of pound monofilament. Regardless of leader style, 65 and 80 pound braided main lines are the norm for appropriate strength and their thin diameters. Reel selection is a matter of finding the best balance of power and speed.

This two-speed reel offers plenty of line capacity, torque and the necessary speed to stay tight on a charging broadbill. Toole prefers the lighter Shimano Talica 50II. While many enjoy the sport of fighting a swordfish man-to-man, some anglers opt for electric swordfish reels to prospect the deep waters where swords lurk. Rod choice is where the pickiest of sword hunters get even more picky and rightfully so. This rod has all of the features to look for in a good swordfish rod with quality components and the right amount of sensitivity.

One of the constant debates amongst experienced anglers is proper reel drag settings when catching swordfish. A popular mindset is that swords have soft mouths and require lighter drag settings than what you might use on marlin or big tunas. Toole prefers starting heavy to drive the hook home and then easing a bit after the hookset, going back up if necessary. Getting the swordfish into the boat can be a dicey affair.

Peeples does the opposite when catching swordfish, setting his reels at pounds while waiting for bites. I prefer my drags around the same settings as Peeples, and will continue to add pressure if the fight drags on without progress.

Even with stout settings, anglers need to be ready to experience some of the most intense power in sportfishing. Swordfish will routinely take hundreds of yards of line throughout sounding runs and rapid ascent through the water column, with an occasional series of leaps. While swordfish that anglers catch average between Lbs you need to be ready for the big girls.

You need to have gaffs on your boat to handle a big fish and subdue it. You need gloves to handle their bills because they are the sharpest of all billfish. Glove are important especially when handling rat swordfish small swordfish because they tend to come up green full of life and energy and will swing their bill around. We have a team member that received a serious injury to his finger when handling a 20Lb rat sword.

Wear your gloves! The video below posted by "A2Swords" also features a clever design, using swimming noodles to create a great swordfish indicator buoy. You will see a similar buoy in use in the video in the setting up your drift video below.

Swordfish have amazing eyesight. Some nights this may make the difference between catching a nice sword and getting skunked.

Below is an excerpt from our article on rigging night time swordfish baits. In the video Cpt. Bouncer shows how to rig a nigh time squid within a few minutes. Note that Bouncer leaves a tag end on the monofilament which he then sends back up through the mantle of the squid in order to secure the rig.

He then takes a small zip tie to secure the tag end and the mantle. Good live baits for night time swordfishing include:. Check out the video below on how to bridle a large live bait. In the video he uses a wax thread, but you can also use rigging bands.

Before you get out to the sword grounds, you should have all your rods rigged with buoys on and everything. Once you get out to the sword grounds and the area you would like to fish. This is usually in a depth range of between feet depending on where you are fishing. See our article on Using Google Maps To Find Good Swordfishing Spots stop your boat and figure out which way you will be drifting depending on how fast the current is moving and the direction and strength of the wind.

Set your first bait on a buoy and drive away from away from the direction that you are going to be drifting. Drop the second and third buoy out in this manner. You should have about 50 yards between each buoy while you are fishing. The closest buoy should be about 50 yards from your boat. Once you have set up this drift you can drop one or two tip rods straight down from the boat. Its good to alternate your rods in your rod holders so that you have one tip rod, one buoy rod, one tip rod, one buoy rod.

This helps to keep your lines from tangling as well as to give you and understanding of which bait is which. At this point if you are fairly new to swordfishing we recommend clearing your lines, one fish is a lot to handle.

If you are more experienced crew and have a good captain, you may want to leave a few of your buoys out while fighting this fish to see if you are ready to handle the mayhem and adrenaline rush of a double header. Smaller swords often travel in small groups, while larger swords can be more of loners. You see one of your swordfish lights close to the surface and moving around. The is the classic and signature style of many big swords. Grab the bait and swim around at the surface.

At this point it is imperative that you figure out which rod the fish is on because it can cause a big tangle. Get your crew to reel on all the rods, or the specific rod that has that color light.

We have lost a number of big swords because of this and we don't want that to happen to you. Get this in your head, drill it in your head, drill it into the head of your crew. You don't want to pull the hook on a big fish after fighting it for two hours. Trust us, it will suck! The reason we say drill it into your head, drill it into the heads of your crew is that you and your crew needs to be mentally prepared for a big fish.

You should probably have this point of drag marked on your reel with red tape, we are serious. Be patient and fight it out. Your eyes will adjust to the dark in a matter of minutes, especially since there are a lot more stars out there then on land near big cities. The moon will also be on your side for this one. This combined with the lights can be deadly for the end game on the fish as they may come up and swim right by the boat.

Before your send out any baits make sure you are ready to take the shot on a big fish. Make sure you have your gaffs and harpoons ready. Many times you may hook a big swordfish immediately and have your first shot at it within the first 5 minutes its hooked.

In whatever conditions you find yourself, you want to make time over the bottom. If you are using a bottom machine the maps the seafloor topography, you will notice that a lot of bites come on the backside of the structure. The swordfish lie in wait for prey to be swept by in the current.

You can watch this behavior in almost any predator that lives in current. Working structure requires precise coordination between captain and angler. Communication will be key, to ensure your bait is near the bottom as you move past structure, but not so close that you get snagged. For daytime swordfish, most captains use one of these two basic techniques, driving into a strong current or bump-trolling in light current to cover territory.

The last thing between you and a fish 1, to 2, feet away, or more, is your bait. Finer quality baits and bait rigging techniques win out over poorly rigged baits. Swordfish have incredible eyesight. Their advanced eyes allow for exceptional vision, even in the dark of the depths. Their vision is the best of all billfish and perhaps out of all pelagic species.

Their ability to detect bait in the deep, as a result of bioluminesence, is uncanny. Even from a good distance away, swordfish know you bait is there.

If a bait looks too generic or unappealing, they will avoid it. However, if you rig right, you will get tight. Whether you are fishing with squid, belly strips, or other dead baits, presentation is critical to enticing a swordfish to bite.

How you rig your swordfish baits is a huge determinant. Swordfish are known to attack a bait repeatedly before eating it, so you need something durable. If you bait come to pieces after the first attack, you are finished. Finely sewn baits last longer and allow for multiple shots from the sword. This is especially key when you may not even notice the bite.

If you want to learn more about swordfish bait rigging and how to rig specific baits, check out our Broadbill Swordfish Bait Rigging video. You will learn how to rig baits like squid, ladyfish, mullet, dolphin belly, tinker mackerel, bonito belly and more.

You would think the bite from a swordfish would be a savage attack, reflecting in wild movements from your rod. To the contrary, the bite of a huge daytime swordfish is very light. At times, it is almost imperceptible. The angler might see the rod tip barely twitch. Given the fish may be whacking at the bait and not gobbling it down and running off, to the untrained eye, the subtle movement of the rod tip may go unnoticed.

When you combine the motion of the ocean and the rocking of the boat, many swordfishing newbies never see it. Since swordfish will try a bait by swatting it, if you miss the bite and the bait just stays in place, the sword may swim off. Part of getting the swordfish fired up entails moving the bait up or down, as if it is fleeing the scene of the attack.

In our swordfishing videos, we will show you what to look for and how to react. There is a lot the goes into swordfishing. The boat setup, the harpoons, the rods and reels, baits, the fuel cost, snacks and beverages, having a good crew that communicated well are all factors that you must deal with.

Having the right knowledge on how to catch swordfish makes all the difference. What we do at In The Spread is provide you with access to the experience and knowledge of some of sport fishings very best fishermen. If you want to improve your skillset of are just getting started, we have a collection of Swordfish Fishing Videos that will put you on the path to success. Take the time to acquire all the knowledge you can and go get tight.

Swordfishing The Fine Art of Deep Dropping In the modern era, swordfishing has traditionally been a nighttime endeavor. Vertical Movements of Swordfish Swordfish are among the few fish species known to traverse extreme thermal barriers on a daily basis, spending prolonged periods hunting both at the surface at night and at great depth during the day.

Structure and Bait Find the bait, find the fish. Swordfishing Techniques From a technical perspective, nighttime swordfishing is a bit more straight forward than daytime. Dropping Baits to Swordfish Daytime swordfishing requires dropping baits to extreme depths, to reach the fish where they are feeding.

The Drift Whether you are dealing with current or not, the idea is to cover ground, as you move your bait up and down a hundred or so feet off the bottom. Swordfish Baits The last thing between you and a fish 1, to 2, feet away, or more, is your bait. The Swordfish Bite You would think the bite from a swordfish would be a savage attack, reflecting in wild movements from your rod. Learn More about Swordfishing There is a lot the goes into swordfishing.

It has skill sets that must be learned and when you go with a good guide you should always be able to learn something. A little subtle change sometimes can make all the difference to you as an angler and allow you to be more successful and have more fun. Read more.