Recfishwest Operations Officer and Perth Game Fishing Club committee member, Levi De Boni is no stranger to billfish fishing off the metro coast. In this article he writes about the exciting emergence of the metro swordfish fishery – the holy grail target species for many sport fishers.
Swordfish have a legendary status among many Perth game fishers, but barely a handful have had the privilege of witnessing one in person…until recently.
Stories of “swords’” prowess go back as far as Greek mythology and for good reason, they are one of the few fish that have been recorded actively attacking people as well as boats and offshore infrastructure.
For years, Perth’s commercial longline fishery has harvested swordfish and bigeye tuna from the deep waters running from the Abrolhos Islands down to Cape Leeuwin including in the waters off the city’s coastline.
Now though recreational anglers are beginning to get in on the act with the realisation targeting these billfish is possible. With at least five ‘targeted’ swords captured in the metro since May, it’s hard to continue putting these captures down as ‘flukes’.
A very exciting development for metro anglers, it means that Perth may have a newly discovered year-round bill-fishery. Early evidence suggests that as the marlin disappear during the cooler months, the swordfish action seemingly only heats up!
Sword convert Dylan Picken said the fish present a fresh new challenge and a great way to mix up your fishing.
“It’s the chase and challenge,” said Dylan, a Perth Game Fishing Club member who has caught more than his fair share of metro marlin, “Few anglers and crews can claim successfully capturing a swordfish. There’s something about catching big fish in trailer boats!
“The miles you’ve got to put in are all part of the journey. I’d rather throw $100 bills over the side chasing big pelagic fish that grow extremely quickly and taste amazing than catching dhufish.”
Fellow sword devotee Anthony Pecotic, skipper of Send ‘n’ Bend enthused, “The anticipation of not knowing what you’re going to pull up…chasing the most prestigious sport fish in the world…the fight of the fish…the fish’s appearance everything about swordfish is absolutely awesome!”
Off the shelf
Perth’s continental shelf drops steeply about 50km offshore, where depths plunge from 200m to over 1000m. A key feature here is the Rottnest Trench (or Perth Canyon), formed during the last ice age when the Swan River carved a deep canyon in the seafloor, now an ideal swordfish habitat.
Swordfish thrive in areas with steep underwater contours, particularly beyond 300m, where bait like squid is abundant. Marine charts show plenty of this bathymetry just 20km west of Rottnest Island. The Leeuwin current, bringing warm water and food from the tropics, creates perfect conditions for swordfish.
Admittedly, having a crack at catching a swordfish isn’t your typical weekend fishing trip and many planets need to align to even consider making the trip out to the sword grounds. A large offshore vessel is a requirement for this sort of fishing and even then, anything other than ideal conditions will leave you wishing you stayed at home.
Anglers who have had recent success have done so by picking the best possible weather well in advance and after days of gear and bait preparation, punching out early in the morning to likely looking ground. Once in position, dropping large baits into the depths and waiting (and waiting) for an enquiry seems to be the key. It seems that most of the swords caught off Perth have been hooked more than 300 metres deep and baits like squid and tuna have been the most successful.
“Find the bait on your sounder in 500-700m,” advised Anthony. “Use plenty of light on the rig and squid is my bait of choice. I have also had success on strip baits such as tuna and dolphinfish.
“Deploy your rig to the bottom using a break away set- up – I use house bricks! Then it’s a case of sit back and stare at the rod tip looking for that illusive tap! We’re still working out the hook of choice as we go but success so far has been on J-hooks.”
Once a fish is hooked, it’s game on, with the average fish for Perth being around the 90kg mark and logbook records from the commercial fleet in the area showing fish upwards of 300kg likely, you really won’t know what sea monster you’ve hooked until it cracks the surface!
“I have encountered most of the wide variety of sport fish available off the west coast,” said Anthony. “But nothing comes even close to the power of a big sword charging back down to the depths, they will pull a blue marlin backwards!
As targeting swordfish becomes an option for some recreational fishers, it is important we honour this remarkable species by following good catch care practices. Understandably, your typical catch-care methods used on smaller species provide some challenges when dealing with these giants, however the same principles still apply. Proper catch care is essential not only to show respect for the animal and the resource but also to ensure the quality of the fish that you take home to the family at the end of the day.
Once a swordfish is caught, it’s important to quickly decide whether you intend to keep or release the fish. If you choose to take the fish, it is vital you dispatch it immediately and get it cold. Placing it in an ice slurry is the preferred option to preserve the meat, this can be done by placing the trunk of the fish in a large fish bag. Alternatively, keeping the fish covered with a wet towel can help cool the fish by shielding it from the sun and removing heat as the water in the towel evaporates however it is recommended that with this method you aim to get back to shore and get the fish iced as soon as possible.
Swordfish are fast-growing pelagic fish, which makes them a sustainable species to target if done so responsibly. It’s important to only take what you need and one of these fish is plenty. By doing this, we can help ensure that the swordfish population off our coast remains healthy and accessible for years to come.
The draw of the swords
With the commercial fleet landing bigeye tuna over 80kg, it’s only a matter of time before one takes a bait meant for a swordfish, adding more excitement to this fishery. Bigeye thresher and oceanic whitetip sharks as well as Gould’s squid are also just some of the weird and wonderful bycatch anglers have encountered.
Necessity is the mother of invention and with the extension of the west coast demersal closure, anglers have been encouraged to seek alternative targets. Modern fish-finding technology has also levelled the playing field for those looking to target swordfish as the features of the seabed as well as bait aggregations can now be visualised deeper than ever before.
With growing interest and more and more anglers having success, the swordfish fishery off Perth is poised to become a major draw for anglers looking for a challenge and a taste of something new. As more fish are caught and the knowledge base grows, a better understanding of the ‘peak season’ for Perth swords will soon be understood as well as the most effective methods to catch them.
Keep your eyes peeled in the new year for a swordfish competition being run over three months by the Perth Gamefishing Club and The Fremantle Sailing Club to celebrate, promote and better understand this exciting new fishery!
