# Hello and Swordfish Question



## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

Hello,
I am new to this forum and had no idea it existed. A guy from the FS forum told me about it and am amazed at all the reports and info on here. What a great site!!

Anyway, I am looking to try some daytime swordfishing out of Destin. Just by going through some threads and searching around it sounds like a few guys are doing it. I am not looking for special numbers, but I was just hoping for a general area of where they are doing it??? It sounds like a lot of guys that are night fishing are hitting the Nipple, but that seems a little shallow for daytime swords at less than 800ft unless I am reading my chart wrong??

I am not wanting to go on a wild goose chase, but I am looking at "The Tip" and "The Spur" on the chart I have. I have also heard "The Steps". Like I said I am not looking for anyones specific numbers, just a general idea of where the guys who have been successful have been trying for them. I thank you in advance for any help in the right direction. Very cool forum you guys have here!!


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## Bow Down (Jun 8, 2011)

Spur
29.27.320
86.56.300

steps
29.18.500
87.40.000


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

Thank you sir, I greatly appreciate the info. I have both of those spots on my chart. Just out of curiosity have you tried daytiming in these areas?? Does anyone do this out of Destin with regular catches or is it hit and miss??


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## Bow Down (Jun 8, 2011)

i have not tried daytime but have at night. im out of pensacola.


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

10-4, thanks for the info!!!


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

I've done the daytime thing twice out of destin. Caught one at daylight once but none after 7am. It hit the deep bait from the night, at 500' in 1200' of water. We were around the tip of the spur. Caught lots at night though...around same area, there's no reason they wouldn't be there in the day. Would have done it more, but the guy I fished with passed away a couple years ago, swords were his favorite target.


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

Wow, sorry to hear of your loss. Sounds like he had the fever like us. I greatly appreciate the info guys. I think that is where we will be trying, looks to be about a 75 mile run, does that seem about right??


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

Should be more like 60-65 on a 195 from destin if I remember right.


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

Thats what I want to hear, thanks man!!! You guys are great, a lot of other forums dont like to help out the new guy. Its greatly appreciated.


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## Bow Down (Jun 8, 2011)

For the number i gave you it would be a 200 heading for 58nm from destin


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

It just keeps getting better, any way you can make it even shorter  . In all honesty, could I save some distance leaving from a different port??

58 to the Spur right??


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## Bow Down (Jun 8, 2011)

KINIB said:


> It just keeps getting better, any way you can make it even shorter  . In all honesty, could I save some distance leaving from a different port??
> 
> 58 to the Spur right??


correct spur. i believe it in the middle of p'cola pass and destins pass so no closer...


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

Thats fantastic, thanks a lot for the info!! Will post a report after we get all our ducks in a row and make the voyage. Plan is to daytime all day, night drift then hit it again until about noon the following day and make our way in. I appreciate it guys!!


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## skinn30a (May 16, 2011)

Don’t waste your gas bro. We tried about a half dozen times at the Spur without so much as a bump. That said, we have had limited success westward towards Petronius. The things that work down in South Florida just can’t be applied here – lack of a predicable current and prominent bottom structure makes it nearly impossible to pattern fish.


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## jordars (Jun 30, 2009)

skinn30a said:


> Don’t waste your gas bro. We tried about a half dozen times at the Spur without so much as a bump. That said, we have had limited success westward towards Petronius. The things that work down in South Florida just can’t be applied here – lack of a predicable current and prominent bottom structure makes it nearly impossible to pattern fish.


This brings up a question, does anybody swordfish by making drifts of the rigs? Or just drift the large open water areas (steps, spur, double nipple, etc.)?


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## BlueH20Fisher (Mar 20, 2008)

Tried at rigs before, at night, too many sharks to be putting squid out sitting still. We always use a sea anchor, some drift, tried both, but we have much better luck with the chute. Had the best luck at the "mountains" N of the spur. Went a couple weeks ago with some friends, set up at dusk, only one other boat in sight, beelines it to us and trolls circles around us, sets up 1/4 mile upcurrent and drifts by 100yrds from us...weird, but I guess he's had luck there too. 1/2 by 10:30, and out of room with one around 200. Hear the bite's pretty solid still...


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

skinn30a said:


> Don’t waste your gas bro. We tried about a half dozen times at the Spur without so much as a bump. That said, we have had limited success westward towards Petronius. The things that work down in South Florida just can’t be applied here – lack of a predicable current and prominent bottom structure makes it nearly impossible to pattern fish.


What do you mean by prominent bottom structure?? Too much structure?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

skinn30a said:


> Don’t waste your gas bro. We tried about a half dozen times at the Spur without so much as a bump. That said, we have had limited success westward towards Petronius. The things that work down in South Florida just can’t be applied here – *lack of a predicable current and prominent bottom structure makes it nearly impossible to pattern fish.*


Are you referring to day fishing or night fishing?


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

Day fishing is what I am referring to.


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## skinn30a (May 16, 2011)

I’m referring to our daytime efforts in the vicinity of the Spur. I think that day timing there nearly impossible because the fish follow the bait into the canyon during the day. Bait location is contingent on the deep-water current which was very hard for us to find much less predict since it often runs differently than the surface current. We found ourselves randomly picking a piece of bottom to fish and ending up fishing all over the place and unable to develop a pattern of any sort. We spent a considerable amount of money and time running around before calling it quits. It’s just too far of a run to make for such a slim chance of catching a fish especially when you can’t replicate it again and again. Conversely, in south Florida the same spots consistently produce daytime swordfish because the same structure has the same current day in and day out. Predictable aggregation point = predictable success.

I think that our next move will be trying to figure out how to catch them on the troll at night. This may also be an exercise in futility but we can cover more ground than we can drifting and it’s something new and different. Has anyone had any success with this?


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## KINIB (Jun 7, 2012)

skinn30a said:


> I’m referring to our daytime efforts in the vicinity of the Spur. I think that day timing there nearly impossible because the fish follow the bait into the canyon during the day. Bait location is contingent on the deep-water current which was very hard for us to find much less predict since it often runs differently than the surface current. We found ourselves randomly picking a piece of bottom to fish and ending up fishing all over the place and unable to develop a pattern of any sort. We spent a considerable amount of money and time running around before calling it quits. It’s just too far of a run to make for such a slim chance of catching a fish especially when you can’t replicate it again and again. Conversely, in south Florida the same spots consistently produce daytime swordfish because the same structure has the same current day in and day out. Predictable aggregation point = predictable success.
> 
> I think that our next move will be trying to figure out how to catch them on the troll at night. This may also be an exercise in futility but we can cover more ground than we can drifting and it’s something new and different. Has anyone had any success with this?


Although I have not tried it, I have a buddy in S FL who does it from time to time. From what I understand the hook up ratio isnt very good. I also hear that there is nothing like it when a sword hits a trolling bait at night. I can tell you that those guys will sometimes troll until they get a bite then mark that area for the drift. This way they know they are in the right zone. Glow lights in the skirt at 7 kts. Thats what I have heard, but like I said I have never done it.


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