San Diego anglers Luc Ofield and Dave White have been shut fishing friends for almost three a long time. They’ve realized to depend on one another when chasing even the most important and meanest saltwater fish. On Oct. 20, the 2 pals headed offshore to chase big Pacific swordfish, arguably the orneriest of all billfish.
“We left about 10 a.m. and ran out in good climate to the 9-mile financial institution in 1,200 ft of water,” Ofield tells Out of doors Life. “We arrange 4 deep swordfish baits utilizing entire squid baits on double 11/0 circle hooks, with coloured strobe lights on the leaders. Then we began drifting with baits down about 1,000 ft.”
Nothing occurred for a number of hours. However at 2:20 p.m. they hooked their first and solely swordfish, and it was a whopper.
Ofield was on the rod, and he fought it utilizing 130-pound stand-up fishing deal with, which included a bent-butt rod and a Shimano Tiagra 50W reel. He’s used one of these gear all his life and is extra snug with it than different methods (like sitting in a preventing chair).
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“The fish took a bait about 1,000-feet down, and I knew immediately it was an enormous one,” says Ofield, the proprietor of Angler’s Alternative deal with store in San Diego. “I assumed it was solely a 300 or 400-pounder.”
However three hours right into a dogged, deep-water battle, Ofield realized the swordfish was totally different than others he’d hooked. The fish stayed round 200 ft, the place Ofield thinks there was a thermocline the fish most well-liked. It will circle their boat, after which as quickly as Ofield would deliver it to the floor, the fish would dive deep and circle once more. White, in the meantime, stayed on the helm the entire time.
“With out Dave’s nice expertise working his boat and maneuvering it to maintain the fish from tangling within the boat, we by no means had an opportunity to land the sword,” says Ofield.
The billfish by no means jumped throughout the battle. However three hours into the battle it lastly got here close to the floor.
“It was down about 20 ft in clear water and swam by us slowly – simply checking us out,” Ofield says. “The stare from an enormous swordfish is unsettling, with that large eye and lengthy and highly effective invoice. They’re spectacular.”
Photograph courtesy Luc Ofield
Ofield compares the swordfish’s stare to how famed author Robert Ruark described cape buffalo:
He checked out me as if I owed him cash. I by no means noticed such malevolence within the eyes of any animal or human being, earlier than or since.
The large swordfish then went again to diving and circling the boat. It did this dozens of instances over the subsequent two hours. Lastly, roughly 5 hours into the ordeal, the fish (just like the anglers) started to tire. Round 7 p.m., Ofield determined he’d put most strain on the fish and convey it near the boat, and together with his reel’s drag maxed out at 49 kilos, White received the boat in place to gaff the fish.
Sadly, Ofield had forgotten his oversize gaff — the identical one they use for large tuna and marlin. All that they had have been a pair of smaller flying gaffs with ¼-inch ropes.
“I assumed we had a couple of 50-50 probability of getting the fish, however miraculously every thing labored out. Dave left the boat controls and put a flying gaff into the decrease a part of the fish and turned the sword over — that disorients them.”
At that time, Ofield set his rod down so he might hit the fish with one other flying gaff. Their plan was to then haul the swordfish onto the boat’s stern swim platform. However the fish was so big, they may solely match its head within the boat.
“We tied the fish off to boat cleats with ropes and put a tail rope on it. But it surely was nonetheless very a lot alive,” Ofield stated. “I knew we needed to kill it quick or we’d lose it. I made a decision to stab it within the coronary heart with a knife. That did the trick, and it bled out very quick and died.”
Photograph courtesy Luc Ofield
By then it was absolutely darkish. After all of the commotion loading the swordfish, there was plenty of blood within the water, and Ofield was anxious about sharks coming to assert their prize. Luckily, no sharks appeared, only a lone seal that got here as much as examine their catch.
With the large swordfish tied to the boat, they needed to run at minimal pace, so it took at the least two hours to get again to the marina. As soon as there, they put the fish on a licensed scale at a neighborhood marlin membership, which registered 663.8 kilos. That weight crushes the present California swordfish document, a 520-pounder caught off San Diego final 12 months. Ofield plans to submit all of the required paperwork to the state this week.
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Ofield says he was so drained after his five-hour battle with the swordfish that he was nauseous throughout the experience again to San Diego. All his physique muscular tissues ached for days afterwards.
“However after I take a look at the pictures of that swordfish, and all my aches and pains go away,” he says. “I’ve caught plenty of marlin, tuna, and swordfish, however this one is the highest catch of my life. Nothing can beat this.”