Daytime Swordfishing | Advanced Deep Dropping Made Easier
Daytime swordfish has slowly evolved into one of the more popular forms of offshore fishing. I seems like everywhere you look, swords of all sizes are being caught. What used to seem almost unattainable is now rather common place. Fishermen of all skill levels are now boating fish. Swordfish have been brought to boat for many, many years, but most fish were caught near the surface or by commercial long line operations. The idea of deep dropping baits to the ocean bottom, during the day, and soaking them there until the Xiphias Gladius eats it, seemed almost foreign in the early 2000's. How things have changed. Widespread availability of modern braided lines and the sharing of technical fishing knowledge have made all of this far more possible.
How and where you fish for swordfish in the daytime has been made far easier with the introduction of In The Spread instructional fishing videos. We pioneered the educational fishing video market for big game fishing when we released our Daytime Swordfishing video several years ago. We quickly followed up with videos for Broadbill Swordfish Bait Rigging and Big Swordfish Tactics. We opened the fishery to the everyday fisherman and helped the crews that had bottom fishing experience understand how to deep drop baits thousands of feet down to the bottom and hook these giants. Learning techniques for catching daytime swordfish is now just a few keyboard clicks away. We can help make deep dropping for daytime swordfish a whole lot easier for you.
Fishing for swordfish is nothing more than extreme bottom fishing. Yes, it is technical to greater or lesser degrees, depending on where you are fishing. The key is understanding what you are dropping on. Hitting targets that are 1,200 to 1,800 feet below the surface, where you may have out a half mile of line can be daunting. With that much line out, it can be difficult to even see the bite. The margin for errors is slim. This type of fishing requires quite a lot of specific tackle and related gear, as well as a heavy time investment. The costs are higher than most other types of sport fishing, but the reward is well worth it. Don't let these obstacles stand in your way. Use the available knowledge to help build your confidence or fine tune your skillset. The biggest hinderance for most fishermen is just getting out and giving it a shot. Yes, it can be intimidating and yes, you will struggle. After you drop that first bait and hit the bottom, many of your fears will dissipate. You will soon feel comfortable fishing for swordfish and you will probably hook up soon after.
One very valuable bit of advice I learned early on was to be prepared. Have you gear ready and have lots of extra gear on your boat. The last thing you want to do is run way out and broken off a few times only to realize you don't have extra leads or weights on the boat. Take extra line, leader material, baits and any other terminal tackle that you use. Make sure your gaffs and buoy lines are ready to go before you drop the first bait. Once you hook up, there will not be time to start readying things. Be smart.
Swordfish are structure oriented fish. They will use seamounts, rock piles, divots in the bottom, break lines and other bottom topography to hunt for food and seek shelter from the current. This is fishing 101. Knowing the bottom in your area will greatly help you discover new fishing grounds and quickly get on fish. I know guys that don't use electronics like bottom machines and only use charts and their gps. They fish a shit ton and mark every spot where they get a bite or hook up. Their list of spots is mind blowing and they catch more fish than most. I also know guys that use super advanced bottom machines to paint the bottom. They know every nook and cranny on the bottom. This allows them to drop on very specific points of structure. No matter which direction you want to go with it, keep track and drift productive areas several times.
The challenge is how you hit those bottom spots. Deep dropping baits requires attention to detail. The last thing you want to do is get you presentation tangled up your lead or leader of both. A steady hand and understanding of how to stretch your line out is key. Even without current, it is not advisable to just drop your bait over and let it descend in free spool. Using your boat to help stretch out your rig is helpful. If you want to know more about this, check out out video and take advantage of the diagrams and explanations on dropping in weak current scenarios.
The real challenge comes when you are dealing with heavier current. Currents are the surface and currents below the surface are not always the same. If you are not accounting for how quickly the water is moving, you can find yourself with way too much line out or driving over your rig and breaking it off. The main thing you want to keep in mind is getting your rig stretched out behind your boat before letting it drop to the bottom. What you want to do it first drive with the current and then turn into the current, stemming it, in order to hit the bottom with real precision. The concept may seem difficult, but it doesn't have to be. If you are just getting started or looking for a little more skill edge, please take the time to watch our videos. We really go into great detail on how all of this works.
Once you get your head around what is happening below the surface, you are well on your way. The best advice is to get out and start dropping. Experiment over and over. Also, use the best gear you can afford. It may seem nuts, the cost of some of the gear, but once you are into the sport, you will realize your investment was well worth it.
Learn from the best and practice proven tactics and techniques. Watch high level instructional fishing videos, like ours, wink, wink. Talk to guys that have lots of success. Like I said earlier, there is not much room for error in daytime swordfishing.
Seth Horne
Chief Creator
In The Spread Fishing
