Swordfish off Kayak

[JohnMckroidJr]

Finally a legitimate legal sized Swordfish catch off a kayak! There have been several "want to be" attempts at this in Florida.

One angler spent thousands on fishing charter trips out of Louisiana and the Florida Keys to eventually produce video fighting a swordfish off his kayak. The sword was hooked and landed on the boat. Once dispatched, additional video of the sword alongside his kayak was documented for the illusion of having made the catch off the kayak.

Another angler brought his kayak 20 miles off Pensacola by power boat, to produce a photo of a throwback undersized baby swordfish held while on his kayak.

There have been baby swordfish photographed off kayaks in the Mediterranean sea.

Tyler O'Neil was participating in the Extreme Kayak Fishing Summer Slam I fishing tournament when he made the catch off his Hobie Outback kayak while using 30lb braid on a slow pitch jigging outfit targeting Blackfin tuna.

The Swordfish hit his 300gm jig in 280ft of water less than 2 miles offshore from Pompano Beach. Initially when the fish jumped he thought he had a sailfish, but as the fish got closer to the kayak, he realized what he had! The fish was tail wrapped, and otherwise would have taken much longer to land.

Tyler radioed the help boat, but they were slow to respond, thinking the angler probably had a Sailfish. The photo included here, was taken by Tyler's GoPro. Pumped with adrenaline, and unsure of the legal requirements, (an HMS permit is required in Federal waters, but is not in State) the fish was released.

The legal size for a Swordfish is 47 inch lower jaw fork length. Based on the photos, this fish was a keeper! Congratulations to Tyler for accomplishing a Swordfish catch without any outside assistance!