Reviving Billfish

Last summer we had an unfortunate incident with a swordfish we brought to the boat.

It was about 8:30pm and we had been set up for about 45minutes when we had our first bite, the second balloon at 150' baited with a dead squid started to scream. My brother Rocky was on the rod and the instant he pushed the drag up to strike, which on our rods is set at 25-30lbs of drag, the fish stopped and Rocky cranked the fish in effortlessly. Less then five minutes later we had a small swordfish boat side. We couldn't see the hook and since this fish was brought to the boat so quickly we didn't want to put this green fish through any trauma. Rocky handed me the pliers and I clipped the leader as close to the swordfish's mouth as possible. The swordfish kicked away and seemed to be fine, then less then a minute later on the other side of the boat we spotted the swordfish belly up. We pulled in the drift anchor and moved the boat to the swordfish. Rocky grabbed its bill and brought it along boat side. I put one engine in gear and Rocky held the fish's bill underwater in the hopes of reviving this small swordfish. After a minute or so of attempted reviving, the swordfish just became even more copper colored, stiff and lifeless. We realized there was no hope of reviving this fish so we brought him in the boat. Once he was in the boat we inspected the fish and the hook which we decided to cut was just a little bit inside the corner of its mouth and not bleeding what so ever. Since this fish was brought to the boat in minutes and received no trauma from the fight or from us upon release made us believe that this fish must have had heart failure.

Incidents like this are rare, especially when the fight time is kept to a minimum. But, they do happen and it reminds us that even though we are conservation minded and try to practice good catch and release, there is always a chance that a caught fish will not survive after being released.

There are many things we as fisherman can do to try and ensure a healthy release for any billfish we catch. For one, whenever we get a green billfish to the boat which we are planning on releasing simply cut the leader as close to the fishes mouth as possible and as quickly as possible. Holding any large billfish along boat side is one of the most dangerous things we can do in the sport of fishing. When a mate leans over the gunwale to hold a boated billfish, especially on a boat with high freeboard, he or she can seriously injure themselves and the fish. Billfish struggling along boat side often damage their eyes, bills and gills banging against the side of the boat. This is why simply cutting the leader as close to the fish's mouth, is much safer for the fish and the people on board.

Any attempt to remove the hook from a billfish can do much more harm then good to the fish. Poor attempts to remove the hook from a struggling fish can cause sever bleeding and bruising to the fish. So, unless you have a smaller billfish at the boat and you can clearly see that de-hooking the fish will be an easy task due to where the hook is placed, simply cut the leader as close to the fish's mouth as possible, it will have a much better chance of survival.

In the event you try and de-hook a smaller billfish, attempt to de-hook the fish while its head is underwater. Once a billfish's head is above water it will violently thrash its head.

When you are about to release a billfish if it's not struggling to get away, is not lit up and has a copper color, grab the fish's bill holding the bill and the fish's head under water then put the boat in gear so water will run through the fish's gills. Once the fish starts to kick on its own or starts to struggle, gently let go of the bill and let it swim free.

Never consider a billfish dead, always try to revive the fish as it may just be exhausted from a long battle or unconscious from lack of water (oxygen) running through its gills.

TightLines,

Captain Vinnie La Sorsa
Swordfishing & OffShore Charters.

http://www.GoodFellasCharters.com

---

Where To Find 10 Fly Fishing Tips In A Single Paragraph

When looking for information on how to fly fish, fly... Read More

Fishing Equipment Tips

Cheap SinkersSpark plugs make excellent disposable sinkers. Need some cheap... Read More

Fishing Team Gear Helps Teams Market To Sponsors

Competition between offshore and inshore anglers has skyrocketed within the... Read More

Planning Your Fly Fishing Trip

When planning for your fly fishing trip in Wyoming, there... Read More

On The Road...With Jack Karpawack

Jack Karpawack here.I've taken to the road...Life can be simple,and... Read More

The Secret About Night Fishing Line

The Best Type Of Line For Night FishingHere is a... Read More

Fort Lauderdale Sport Fishing Charters - The Perfect Way To Get Away

Whether it's the peaceful and serene beauty of being on... Read More

Fishing Charter Need To Know

There are several elements that go into creating the ideal... Read More

The Wet Fly Swing

The wet fly swing sounds like something one does at... Read More

Organization is Key to Successful Fishing

Talk to a professional angler like Kevin Schweder(2003 PWT Rookie... Read More

The Joys of Trout Fishing

The thrill of trout fishing! It is the best, isn't... Read More

The Yellowfins from HELL!

Hi Lee Palm/Red Rooster crew(San Diego - California).. Keep my... Read More

The Ubiquitous Woolly Bugger

The ubiquitous Woolly Bugger, never quite spelled correctly to my... Read More

Spinnerbait Fishing Tactics for Spotted Bay Bass

Like most fishermen my age I originally learned about spinnerbait... Read More

Just What Is the Stream Trout?

The term stream trout is actually a term used to... Read More

Finding and Catching Fish has Never Been Easier With the Garmin 250 Fish Finder

The Garmin Fishfinder 250 is Garmin's latest addition to their... Read More

The Frugal Fisherman: Part II

For those of you that don't know this, fishermen by... Read More

Fishing Fall Bass - Early Fall Fishing for Bass in the Northwest as the Seasons Change

You have just rolled out of bed, poured you coffee... Read More

Why Water Skiing and Fishing Dont Mix

With the fourth of July weekend freshly behind us, I... Read More

Butterfly Jigs Create Buzz with American Fishermen

A big buzz within the fishing community that is spreading... Read More

Three Main Trout Senses

An angler should therefore become familiar with the three main... Read More

Lucky Hat

Do you have a lucky hat?It was a beautiful warm... Read More

Its Raining... Time to Go Fishing!

Ah, fishing in the rain. You may not like the... Read More

Introducing The Two Guys With Flys

Just when you thought you had seen it all. Just... Read More

Find and Catch More Fish, Quickly and Easily, with the FISHIN BUDDY 2255

"Wherever you like to fish-lakes, reservoirs, rivers or streams, you'll... Read More

Ice Fishing in the Wisconsin Winter

It's late December... temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice... Read More

Understanding the Effects Moonlight on Swordfishing

In order to better understand why swordfish concentrate their feeding... Read More

Catch More Fish - The American Way

These are busy times we live in.Running a full time... Read More

The Major Benefit Of Night Fishing

Number One Benefit to Night FishingI think the best thing... Read More

Breeding Crayfish

In the text below I shall try to give a... Read More

Techniques of Wet Fly Fishing

Many anglers who are new to fly fishing consider dry... Read More

A New World Record Bass

Many people go to Florida to fish for that trophy... Read More

Rock Fishing Techniques

Many shore anglers avoid fishing rock marks because they are... Read More