Swordfish are vigorous, powerful fighters and impressive jumpers. When hooked or harpooned, they have been known to dive so quickly that they have impaled their swords up to their eyes in the ocean bottom. Anglers normally fish for them by trolling and drift fishing, and have had a slightly increased catch rate since the mid-1970s, when night drifting with squid for bait was adopted.
As mentioned, swordfish often bask on the surface with their dorsal and tail fins protruding from the water, so anglers intent on fishing during daylight will actually scan the water looking for a fish to present a trolled bait to. Swordfish are finicky, however, and are easily frightened by an approaching boat. They rarely strike blindly; typically, the bait must be presented carefully and repeatedly before the swordfish will take it. Once a swordfish has been spotted, the speed of the boat should not be changed appreciably and the bait should be eased quietly and gently in front of the fish. Squid is the most popular bait, although Spanish mackerel, eel, mullet, herring, tuna, and live or dead bonito are also used. The soft mouth makes hookup uncertain, and the slashing bill can make short work of an angler's line or leader. Sighted swordfish are most often attracted by a trolled, rigged squid or baitfish on a long line. This must be done in such a manner as to keep the boat from spooking the finning fish but still bring the offering in front of it. This often results in avoidance by the swordfish. When it does attract the sword's attention, a strike can result, but the slashing fish often does not inhale the bait and is frequently not hooked. Casting live bait to surface-finning swords is also practiced. One reason why swordfish are not actively pursued in daytime is that they rarely feed actively during daylight, and thus are not often interested in anglers' offerings. Because this sport usually takes many sightings and presentations - which is not common in some places but is more common in others - the odds are not especially good. The odds of catching swordfish are generally better for nighttime anglers, although the option of fishing at night far offshore does not appeal to many anglers and probably restricts greater angling activity. Depths run a wide gamut, from 60 to 80 feet below the surface to 1,200 feet and much more, depending on geographical location, water temperature, and moon phase. Often, baits are staggered at various levels, and light sticks are employed at least 6 feet above the baits to call attention to them, with balloons attached to the line with rubber bands to help indicate pickups. Tackle for swordfish can be as light as 30- to 50-pound outfits with lever-drag reels, primarily in shallow water, but ranges up to 130-pound tackle for deeper water and larger fish. Line capacity is of great concern, as swordfish may be hooked exceptionally deep and run a long way. In their fight they may also rush the surface at any time and leap out of the water, then continue with blistering runs. Some of the most epic angling battles have occurred with swordfish, which fortifies their reputation as the "Gladiator of the Sea," which is the translation of their Latin name. Although the average swordfish caught today is small, landing one is considered by many to be the highest achievement in angling --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website mancing-l at http://www.MancingL.com --> Fishing information, online chat, forum discusion, clasifiedads, etc MancingL Archive at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] Fishing@Indonesia a MancingL sharing picture forum at http://communities.msn.com/FishingIndonesia Millis ini terselengara berkat dukungan PT. Metrocom Global Solusi The Prefered IT Solution Company - http://www.metrocom.co.id ** Save Bandwidth... potong berita yang tidak perlu **
