The 4 anglers aboard the 35-foot CostaSV heart console fishing boat Wound Tight left the boat dock close to Biloxi, Mississippi, on Sunday at 5:45 a.m. They wanted an early begin to make an over two-hour, 130-mile run offshore to a particular deep-water spot that boat proprietor and captain Drew Alexander has fished typically.
Powered by 4 300-horsepower Mercury outboards, Alexander and his crew zipped over flat seas on the blue chicken day with no wind.
“It’s my go-to spot for swordfish over the past 4 years,” Alexander tells Outside Life. “We received there a bit after 9 a.m., and there have been another swordfishermen of their boats drifting within the deep trench.”
The place is well-known amongst Gulf Coast swordfishermen, he says. However there’s loads of room there for everybody, as a result of the prime spot is about 4 miles broad. There’s 1,100 ft of water on the excessive aspect of the ditch, and it drops off to 1,600 ft on the deep aspect.
“The water was clear, and we shortly arrange two deep swordfish deal with outfits and began drifting utilizing rigged squid baits,” says the 40-year-old D’Iberville native and proprietor of ALJ Upkeep firm. “I’ve most likely caught 100 [daytime] swordfish there over the past 4 years. There’s a lot of bait, and a pleasant present washing off the shallow aspect of the ditch that swordfish love.”
They solely drifted 10 minutes earlier than one among their baits received crushed by a big swordfish.
“Smaller swords underneath about 150 kilos typically dally round with a bait and you must finesse them to hit,” Alexander mentioned. “However this fish simply smashed a squid rigged with a ten/0 J-hook.”
Crew member Capt. Tanner Noakley received to the rod and commenced a rugged two-hour battle utilizing stand-up deal with to convey the swordfish topside. He used a custom-built heavy rod with a Shimano Talica 50 reel spooled with 65-pound take a look at braided line. The wind-on chief was 100 ft of 300-pound take a look at fluorocarbon line.
Quickly after Noakley settled into preventing what they believed was an enormous swordfish, the second baited outfit they’d out received struck and one other massive fish was on. The anglers quickly figured the second fish was a shark — one which prompted a lot of issues as they tried to forestall them from tangling. Alexander and Noakley labored feverishly to maneuver the boat and to maintain the swordfish from fouling with the hooked shark.
Happily, says Alexander, the shark ultimately lower the heavy mono chief and disappeared. That allowed Alexander to make use of his boat to assist Noakley get the swordfish topside.
“However the sword stored diving as quickly as he’d get it close to the floor,” Alexander says. “I believe he raised the sword thrice. Then it lastly drained and we received it near gaff.
Eric McNally (the creator’s son) gaffed the swordfish within the head, and crew member Shane Shepard used a second gaff to regulate the tail.
“The swordfish was executed and so they pulled it alongside our boat,” Alexander defined. “We took a minute to calm down and determine how we’d get it into the boat.”
Quickly thereafter the crew hauled the swordfish aboard the Wound Tight, then stowed it in an insulated fish bag, stuffed with ice to maintain it contemporary.
“As quickly as we received the swordfish aboard, it disgorged its abdomen,” Alexander mentioned. “There will need to have been 10 kilos or extra of squid, baitfish, bones and liquid that got here out that fish. It additionally misplaced plenty of blood inside my boat from gaffing.”
The fishermen headed residence to Biloxi at 2 p.m., racing to get again to a marina to have the fish weighed earlier than 5 p.m., when most coastal companies shut for the day.
They phoned pals and marinas within the space however couldn’t find a licensed scale massive sufficient to weigh the fish.
“I’ve a scale and another locations did, too, however they solely went to 250 kilos,” Alexander says. “We lastly headed over to Marine Mart in Ocean Springs, which is on the water, and so they have a big and nice scale — but it surely was out of certification.”
In entrance of a big group of individuals on the marina, their swordfish weighed 305.6 kilos. It measured 135 inches lengthy general, with a 46-inch girth.
It was simply shy of the present Mississippi file swordfish, which weighed 309 kilos 14 ounces and was caught in June 2021 by Donnie Jackson Jr.
Alexander and his crew consider that their billfish might have been a contender for the state file proper out of the water, however and not using a licensed weight, they’ll by no means know. He had the swordfish inked on a material within the conventional Gyotaku methodology.
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“It’s a superb purpose to return offshore and catch one other one,” says Alexander good-naturedly. “I’ll make sure you [line up] a licensed scale that’s massive sufficient to weigh no matter we catch.”
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