# Swordfish terminal tackle



## Kim

I know I'm asking this question in the right place. What's the trick to keep your bait from twisting the leader up on your main line when deep dropping for Swordfish??

Kim


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## HaterAide

A slow, controlled drop. Wal-mart has those little line counters for cheap too. A great way to really know where your baits are sitting at.


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## Capt. Myles Colley

Make sure you are using ball bearing swivels


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## xyzzy

Ball bearing swivels a must -- I also use a clear plastic straw on the end of the leader form the main line, also make certain your bait doesnt spiral downwards.


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## Ron Mexico

I use 50 to 100 feet of 200 to 300 pound leader with ball bering snap swival on one end and a three way on the other end. The three way is attached to a ballbering snap on my main line. Off that three way I have about two feet of fifty yo thirty lb mono attached to my waight. On the other end I snap my prerigged baits to (the say way you would attach at night). But the most important thing is to keep your boat in gear when dropping the bait. Once you hit the bottom spin the boat and reel in any slack. This has worked well for me. However I have yet to put one in the boat during day light hours.


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## BlueH20Fisher

If you're deep dropping for daytime swords to the bottom then drop the bait with sash weight by the hook, rigged to break off once you're to the bottom. At night time, a three way swivel and semi-slow drop.


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## Chris Couture

Over 50% of the swords we've caught have been while the line is going down or moving. Drop it slow and if it stops dropping or something seems weird, reel, reel, reel!!!! Usually you will be able to say "Fish on" if you reel fast enough to set a hook!!!!


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## Chris V

The 100% sure fire way of making sure it doesn't spin and tangle is to swim it down. Then you can untwist it if needed.

We always lower them at a controlled pace to prevent spin and this works best. I've experimented with different leader setups but I'd rather lower it a little slower than have a 50ft. leader to deal with. Ditto what chris said, a lot of swords will hit while adjusting baits. Some guys will drift the same baits without checking them at all the whole night. You never know whats happening down there with smaller fish and squid pecking at your bait and I think that the movement of lights throught the water column while checking baits will increase the odds of a bite.


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## -=Desperado=-

Spreader bar with the weight tied to the bar with real light line to break away.Point the boat up current and drop in and out of gear till it gets to the bottom.Use floss to tie the spreader bar to the main line or you can slip some dacron over the leader about 5 inch pieces to give you some loops to tie the spreader bar to.we use 300 lb mono leader and put the bar at the end of the leader.i dont think swords are leader shy.Make sure you use a light even during the day 1200 feet down is dark.


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## -=Desperado=-

> *tunapopper (8/22/2009)*The 100% sure fire way of making sure it doesn't spin and tangle is to swim it down. Then you can untwist it if needed.
> 
> 
> 
> We always lower them at a controlled pace to prevent spin and this works best. I've experimented with different leader setups but I'd rather lower it a little slower than have a 50ft. leader to deal with. Ditto what chris said, a lot of swords will hit while adjusting baits. Some guys will drift the same baits without checking them at all the whole night. You never know whats happening down there with smaller fish and squid pecking at your bait and I think that the movement of lights throught the water column while checking baits will increase the odds of a bite.




One of the biggest reasons i got a semi rocky boat with 40 foot riggers.The riggers with the right rock is gonna make swords go nuts.


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## Ocean Master

Desperado....

Could you elaborate a little more on your Swordfish rigging. Make it "Swordfishing for Dummies". We would all appreciate it.


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## Buzzbait

Absolutely. I would be curious on this spreader bar you speak of.


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## -=Desperado=-

> *Buzzbait (8/24/2009)*Absolutely. I would be curious on this spreader bar you speak of.




Its simple.get a 5 foot aluminum rod and make 3 loops in it by bending it into small circles.take your leader and thread it thru dacron and than back out and in to make a loop exactly the same length as your rod.you want 2 on both ends so you can tie the spreader bar to the leader.now get some bricks or something else real heavy and tie it to middle of the rod.The bar will keep the line from wrapping around the weight when your dropping it.If your dropping in 1000 feet of water point the boat into the current.watch the compass and strat dropping.every 10 seconds thumb the spool and wait for the bump.make sure the guy driving the boat does a reverse so the line will sink and not drag behind the boat.15 pounds of weight will fall pretty fast as long as the boat is pointed against the current and going in and out of gear close to the same spot.Once you are on bottom the line will not bump anymore when you hold the spool as long as the driver is doing his job.



make sure the line you tie the weight to the bar is light enough to break when the fish hits.If you do it right the bait will trail behind the spreader bar from the current.


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## Buzzbait

Thats pretty wild stuff there Desperado. Have you been successful with this method? 15 lbs of weight sure sounds awlfully heavy.


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## Chris V

I'm assuming the rig Will is describing is to be used for daytime swording which requires a lot of weight to hold your baits near vertical. The weight is rigged to breakaway either by some short hard pulls of the rod or when a fish is hooked up.


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## Buzzbait

I understand the principal but 15lbs is alot of weight. Also sounds like alot of crap in the water to get fouled, etc. Never done any deep dropping for swords so I was just curious about the rig and any success stories from around this neck of the woods.


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## Chris V

My rig is basically the same rig I use at night with some slight modifications. Now bare in mind thatI have not done a lot of daytime swording, but from the little drops I've made, this seems to work fine and without tangling. I always use a baitfish of some sort instead of squid since tilefish, barrelfish and other assorted deepwater things will go to town on it. Mackeral, blues, mullet, etc. should work fine. We anchor the hook in the head of the bait which is no secret way to rig either and use either homemade rebar drop weights or bricks and cinder blocks tied to the bend of the hook with light mono or a #64 rubber band. As you probably already know the weight is to break off but the weight I fix to the light above the trace leader is usually attached with cable ties rather than rigged as a breakaway so that it doesn't detach while popping off the sash weight. I like to keep my rig as simple as possible and have fewer connections.


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## gator7_5

what does 15 pounds of lead run?55 bucks? Thats alot of dough to breakaway.


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## Kim

Ok after hearing from all you guys and from some other friends that fish for Swords on a regular basis, I have decided how I'm going to rig it. I'll most likely try it out next week and I'll let you guys know how it works. Going with a 25 foot leader with a 12/0 hook, hook will have a ball bearing swivel as well as the leader tag end. The light will be clipped to the tag end at the swivel. The weight will be 18 inches of 2 " PVC pipe filled with quickcrete and have a 12 lb mono break away line. The floats will be attached to the powerpro with snap clips. To get them to hang onto the powerpro just fold a balloon up a few times and lay it over the line and on goes the clip. I'll let you know how it works.

By the way Chris you are absolutely right about weird happenings as the bait is being lowered. We figured out we were getting hits on the way down. As best I can figure they were slashing with their bills. Made the weights drop off and lost a few lights but the rods never bowed over. We'll know better next time.

Kim


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## -=Desperado=-

> *Kim (8/25/2009)*Ok after hearing from all you guys and from some other friends that fish for Swords on a regular basis, I have decided how I'm going to rig it. I'll most likely try it out next week and I'll let you guys know how it works. Going with a 25 foot leader with a 12/0 hook, hook will have a ball bearing swivel as well as the leader tag end. The light will be clipped to the tag end at the swivel. The weight will be 18 inches of 2 " PVC pipe filled with quickcrete and have a 12 lb mono break away line. The floats will be attached to the powerpro with snap clips. To get them to hang onto the powerpro just fold a balloon up a few times and lay it over the line and on goes the clip. I'll let you know how it works.
> 
> 
> 
> By the way Chris you are absolutely right about weird happenings as the bait is being lowered. We figured out we were getting hits on the way down. As best I can figure they were slashing with their bills. Made the weights drop off and lost a few lights but the rods never bowed over. We'll know better next time.
> 
> 
> 
> Kim




the pvc pipe is unnecessary and to time consuming.plus dont get caught with the pvc and explain to fwc they are breakaway weights.

Go to lowes and get 5 lb bricks.there 25 cents a piece.tie as many as you need together with heavy mono.Depending on the current.the setup i described was for daytime dropping only.i would never use lead for breakaway.

25 feet of leader is not enough with braid.i would use at least 100 feet of 250 or 300 lb mono to avoid tearing the hook out of the fish with a long fight.you need some kind of stretch.use the sebile knot when you tie the mono to the braid put your dacron loops where you want the weights to go.This is a fool proof setup and guaranteed to hang some big ones.

If your using lights make sure you have a full spectrum also.we tried to use some cheapos but they busted.


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## Kim

I did forget to mention that there is a topshot of 150 mono going into the braid.

Kim


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## Cast-N-Call

I forgot who used to produce the wonderful illustrations on here, but I thought I would give it a shot. Easier to visualize something for me. Chris, please fell free to let me know if I left anything out, you are the swordfish master to me.

Desperado, can you produce a sketch of your spreader bar rig, like I said I am a visual learner.


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## Kim

Betty them are some fat Swords, that's what I'm hoping for!!!!

Kim


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## Chris V

I'd let you know if you left anything out Catlin but I'm not hurting my eyes trying to read that tiny, chicken scratch you call writing. I suppose it looks about right. ???


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