# Swordfish in shallow water/report



## Trble Make-rr (Sep 30, 2007)

Trolled for several hours from the Edge to the Nipple to Yellow Gravel then back to the edge. Not a single knock-down. No grass, several tiny flyers and clean water. 
Now for the swordfish......we stopped about 10 miles SW of the Oriskany. Our spots were covered with kingfish. Couldn't get a jig past them. I saw what I believed to be a swordfish dorsal fin about 75-100ft away. It was a dark fin and no shark. It stayed on the surface circling and the fin kept moving till we hooked a king. I'd say it was a big fish and stayed on the surface for several minutes. Anyone ever encounter a swordfish doing this in about 300ft of water?


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Probably a blue marlin...


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## Trble Make-rr (Sep 30, 2007)

What's odd was that it stayed in that general area and I didn't see a bill. At first I thought a hammerhead but it was definitely a black dorsal


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## atlantacapt (Oct 2, 2007)

could it have been a headfish (mola mola)? was it cruising of just kind of sitting in one spot?


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

atlantacapt said:


> could it have been a headfish (mola mola)? was it cruising of just kind of sitting in one spot?


Sunfish are lighter color.... 

Danny, where ya on the sauce....:001_huh::whistling: You didn't throw anything at it to see ifin it would eat?


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

I've heard of one being caught jack fishing on the edge. I've seen one finning two different times, once in canyon and once nw of spur. dorsal and tail were both up.


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## NOsaints (Aug 8, 2011)

Any bigger kings?


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

was alcohol being consumed during this special moment


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## SnapperSlapper (Feb 13, 2009)

I have hooked a blue in 300', know of a white caught in 120', and there are sails caught all the time in less than 100' of water. The place to catch swords is 1200-1800'; which isn't far from 200' of water. And fish have tails so they can swim.

I would guess some of the people talking about alcohol have never seen a marlin or swordfish in person, so I would take their opinion with a grain of salt.


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## Trble Make-rr (Sep 30, 2007)

We've seen a sunfish before. This was not a sunfish. I don't drink alcohol, stopped many years ago. I'm convinced it was a billed fish.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Could've easily been a sword. Back before WW invented daytiming, the old timers hunted them by looking for them sunning.


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## Bluewater Report (Jul 14, 2014)

I've seen two swordfish sunning in the gulf, both near the Elbow. They were both lazily gliding along the surface with their dorsals and tails out of the water. Based on the fish's behavior, I agree with the first response in the post; more likely a blue marlin. Cool sighting regardless of what it was.


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## sniperpeeps (Mar 5, 2011)

If it was a sword, you would see both the dorsal and tail. A sword dorsal is unmistakable, just google a few pics and look at their dorsals versus a white Marlin and Blue Marlin, might give you a better idea of exactly what you saw. Could have been either of the three really. We got a white Marlin in 65' of water earlier this year, fish go where they want!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## syrupdawg (Dec 4, 2013)

One of my fishing buddies swears he had a sword swim under the boat when he bottom fishing near the Madison Swanson box last year. I asked if he was sure it wasn't a Marlin and he said the bill was definitely longer than a marlin


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## cloring (Mar 1, 2016)

First week of June while trolling Trysler Grounds we saw what appeared to be a Blue Marlin take several leaps out of the water. It was a good ways away, but I'd bet money on it.


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