Billfish
Swordfish
Lives deep, dives deeper. Almost never jumps.
80–300 lbweight in the game
270+ lbtrophy size
1/10jumps
7/10speed
How it fights
The swordfish stays down and slugs it out, runs hard, loves to sound deep. Heavier line lands it more often, but fish see thick line and bite less.
Best lures
Fluorescent Head, Large Live Bait, Small Live Bait.
Counts at the weigh-in
Coral Key Classic, Kalea Invitational, Bimini Bluewater Open, Marlin Alley Shootout, The Gulf Five-State Shootout, Big Ledge Blue Marlin Classic, North Drop Moonlight Classic, Mano Channel Open, Big Blue Championship.
Tackle
Line: 80 lb test handles a top-end swordfish of 300 lb. Go lighter for more bites when the fish run small.
Depth: it lives deep — get your lure down.
Trophies: fish over 270 lb are rare. They turn up more for anglers with stronger stats and on the bigger lures.
Every lure, ranked
- Fluorescent Head — loves it
- Large Live Bait — likes it
- Small Live Bait — likes it
- Large Skirt — will take it
- Eyeball Head — will take it
- Plug Head — rarely bothers
- Small Skirt — rarely bothers
- Feather Jig — ignores it
Fight tips
- Sounding: when it dives, lean back and pump steadily. It comes up when it tires.
- Holding: when it sulks, that’s your chance: pump and reel to gain line.
- Face it: keep the fighting chair pointed at the fish. Its stamina is huge — expect a long fight.
