NFR Swordfish

Non-fishing related
J

Jim in Anacortes

Life of the Party
This is one of my favorite fish to eat. Harpooned, Swordfish cooked on a bbq is top notch. They use airplanes to spot the fish so that a boat can chase them down and use a long plank for the "harpoon man" to "stick the fish" while the captain steers the boat from the crows nest.
The most "macho" fishery on Earth.. IMHO.
Driving a harpoon into a 500 pound fish is ...well...bad ass.
And this fish is a monster of the deep with it's horrific sword ...the only thing that it fears is the Orca.
Swordfish quality varies greatly.. gill netted ones are often dead several hours before being iced down....Unknown-13.jpeg Unknown-14.jpeg
 
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Trust me ..a good, quality Swordfish steak on a smokey grill is good eating. With mashed potatoes and green beans... Oh yea.
I used to have dozens of the "swords" from these fish. They are most impressive. Thinking about a 500lb fish, slashing those swords around in the dark, deep depths....all fish deserve to be eaten with respect. But for me....this one is special.Unknown-15.jpeg
 
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When was the last time a swordfish "attacked" a surfer?

www.instagram.com

Ken SkinDog Collins on Instagram: "Breaking News🚨‼️ another otter attack at Steamer Lane Santa Cruz Ca. Mission Hill Surf Club was paddling out when an aggressive otter jumps on a kids board. And then circled around the inside where the otter was goi

90 likes, 5 comments - skin_dizzle on September 29, 2026: "Breaking News🚨‼️ another otter attack at Steamer Lane Santa Cruz Ca. Mission Hill Surf Club was paddling out when an aggressive otter jumps on a kids board. And then circled around the inside where the otter was going for another attack...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
Swordfish are one of my favorite fish! I have about 4 shirts with them on it.

Watch ultimatefishingtv to see some crazy swords and learn about them. Several episodes have them attacking the boat and swinging at anglers leaning over the boat.

They are mysterious fish that spend much of their time extremely deep (see the eye) and they come to the surface to warm their body and bring up their metabolism and that is when they get harpooned.

There are true leviathan specimens of swords that never get landed, they pull too hard and have crazy stamina. They are described as fighting like a tractor while a marlin fights like a Ferrari.
 
DimeBrite said:
View attachment 193538

www.sportfishingmag.com

Swordfish Caught on Fly Tackle from Shore | Sport Fishing Mag

A Maldives fishing guide explains how he successfully sight-fished a swordfish from shore on fly fishing tackle. What are the odds?
www.sportfishingmag.com www.sportfishingmag.com

A great fly fishing story from the Maldives.
Click to expand...

Ok…if that’s real, that’s incredible. I hooked a sailfish in the Maldives (from a boat) with a spinning rod tossing large poppers for GT’s along a deep drop-off near an outside reef…had her on for about 3 minutes before she tossed the plug on one of her many jumps
 
Paige said:
Otter your sure about that?

Big Otter disagrees, parking lots are void of evidence.
Big Otter knows all!
Big Otter trusts no one!
Click to expand...
Bigotter2).jpg
 
2. It is not a real picture, it is wasteful AI slop
3. Non-sensical harpoon, not attached to a line
4. Line floating over the side of the harpooner platform/pulpit, attached to nothing
5. Harpooner is squating on the pulpip, trying to harpoon a turd he just dropped over the side, instead of handling the harpoon in a proper fashion/direction towards the fish
6. Random assortment of orange/red floats, one dragging, one on the rigging/martingale/dolphin striker below the boom
7. Boom instead of a catwalk, no lines around the top, no realistic support/bracing
8. "Fish" wake looks like a boat wake, splashing/spray on breach looks off.
9. could keep on going....but back to number 2, there's tons of real pictures and stories about harpooning for swordfish...what's the need for more AI slop?

If you want to learn about some recent cool and relevant research on real swordfish check out the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (PIER) website. I have collaborated on some of their projects over the years, including tagging, physiology and development and testing of deep-set buoy gear. Consider donating to their research as well, which is top notch and highly relevant to fisheries and fisheries management for swordfish and other recreational/commercial fisheries.
pier.org

Swordfish Studies - Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research

pier.org pier.org
 
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I very much appreciate the input. Of course the AI slop images are comically inaccurate. Duh! And yes Swordfish is sold at Safeway...but not all Swordfish steaks are the same. Duh! If you really want to learn about harpooning Swordfish ...you go out to sea...sit up in the crows nest with very high dollar optics, learn the difference between how a shark swims and how a Sword swims and scamper down to the plank, with your heart pounding, the plane overhead, you place the harpoon in the palm of your hand and drive the spike home. You can easily miss, and thousands of dollars are lost.. or you can hit the fish and become a very valuable "harpooner".
 
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There is no "school" that you can go to that teaches this "trade". For me, it was a boat named "Outlaw" in Dana Point harbor in 1979.
Learning to throw the harpoon at kelp and various floating objects was a hoot. We had separate gear at the ready for the sharks. Good times for a long haired hippy teenager.
 
Images from movies such as "Jaws" portray harpooning. In reality, the act of harpooning a fish is far more exiting. You first see the fins slicing through the surface. Closing in on a "sleeping" fish while standing at the end of the plank, with a heavy harpoon and driving it into the fish and watching it pull out the gear is, IMHO, "macho" as hell. While waiting for the fish to tire out, and the floats to surface, the boat continues to search for fins on the surface.
 
I love the taste of a swordfish steak! Not so thrilled about the high mercury content, though, so I make it a rare treat.
 
"Today, there are only a handful of harpoon boats still operating in California. It’s a disappearing art form—one that survives thanks to passionate, generational fishers like the Hermanns, who balance old-school technique with modern conservation.

The next time you cook up a piece of harpooned swordfish from Get Hooked, know this: it wasn’t just caught. It was earned. By a crew that waited hours for the right moment. By a throw that had to be perfect. By a fish that was hunted with purpose and respect.

And that makes it something truly special."
 
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Also, the mercury issue is very real...but the West coast fish are far different than the East coast fish. In short.. a harpooned Swordfish from the west coast is one of the best seafoods you can slap on the grill.
 
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