Author: Bullbuster Team
Rigging Your Bait For Swordfish 101
We put together this article to put all of the best youtube videos on rigging swordfish baits into one place. If you are getting ready to try any new type of fishing watching videos is a great way to learn. Below you will find videos put together by some of the best swordfishermen in the world. Taking time and being open to new techniques is the only way to become a better fisherman. We put this article together as part of a series of articles to help you spend more time fishing by bring rigging techniques from around the world into one central place. We hope you enjoy it!** Scroll Down To Learn How To Make Swordfish Rigs!**
What You Will Need To Make Your Rig:
1) Monofilament: Most people fish with 300-400Lb mono although we have heard reports of people doing really well using 130Lb fluorocarbon in the Northeast.
2) Crimps: You will need 2-3 crimps per rig depending on the rigging style you go with.
3) Hooks: Most people use between a 9/0 -12/0 hook J-hook.
4) Wax Thread: Use an 80Lb strength waxing thread to secure your bait to your rig.
5) Rigging Needle: Its good to keep a couple types of rigging needles around depending on what you are working with.
6) Knife: A good sharp knife will help you to cut the thread as well as shaped your bait if it needs it.
May Need:
** In the case of some rigs you may need zip ties.
** For daytime rigs you may need a plastic trolling skirt.
What Bait To Use For Swordfishing:
Swordfish mainly eat squid but they have been known to eat mahi, bottom crustaceans, ribbonfish, small tunas, bonitas, etc. When night time fishing for swordfish its good to mix it up between live and artificial baits. When daytime swordfishing dead baits are the way to go because it will be hard to get anything to stay alive when plummeting rapidly to 1500 + feet. ** Scroll Down If You Want To Get Straight To Rigging **
Check out this article by #BullbusterAmbassador Team Sworda Crazy on How A Diversified Bait Box Is A Key To Success For Swordfish to read more about picking swordfish baits.
Best Videos For Rigging Daytime Swordfish Baits:
This video put together by #BullbusterAmbassador Team Swordacrazy is to get you pumped up before getting started with all of the rigging videos. ** If you want to get straight to rigging SCROLL DOWN **
How To Rig A Double Hook Dolphin Belly For Swordfishing:
This video was put together by Full Throttle Media as part of a great series called In The Spread. Its a great step by step video on how to rig a double hook dolphin belly for daytime swordfishing.
How To Make A Bonita Belly Strip For Swordfish Baits:
This video put together by LMR tackle shows you how to make a bonita Belly strip. The belly strip can be rigged similarly to the dolphin belly from the video above.
How To Rig A Ribbonfish For Daytime Swordfish Baits:
This video put together by SwordPro out of New Zealand shows how to rig a ribbonfish for a daytime swordfish bait.
Rigging Artificial Lures For Daytime Swordfish Baits:
This video put together by Hogy is a very interesting concept. Using an artificial lure for daytime swordfishing can solve the problem of your bait getting whacked off every time you drop and get a hit. This rig is very clean and looks like it is set up to optimize hook sets.
Check Out The Most Comprehensive Guide To Night Time Swordfishing:
Best Videos For Rigging Baits For Night Time Swordfishing:
Below you will find a number of resources for rigging night time swordfish baits. If you would like a comprehensive guide to night time swordfishing, check out our article (An In Depth Guide On Night Time Swordfishing)
This video put together by Judah Clark gives you for setting up for night time swords. These guys run out there and catch a small sword. They put together a great video on the whole process from beginning to end. From leaving the dock to steaking the fish.
Quick & Easy Way To Rig A Swordfish Squid: This video put together by the IGFA features Cpt. Bouncer Smith & Mark Sosin. In the video Cpt. Bouncer shows how to rig a nigh time squid within a few minutes. Note that Bouncer leaves a tag end on the monofilament which he then sends back up through the mantle of the squid in order to secure the rig. He then takes a small zip tie to secure the tag end and the mantle.
Rigging A Double Hook Squid For Night Time Swordfishing:
This video is also part of Full Throttle Media's "In The Spread Series". RJ Boyle talks about his hesitation to use squid as a daytime bait because it can get torn apart more easily than other types of baits.
Rigging A Dead Tinker Mackerel For Night Time Swordfishing :
This video uploaded to Youtube by Riccardo Tamburini features Cpt. Bouncer Smith showing us how to rig dead tinker mackerel. This type of rigging can also apply to other small baitfish such as small bonita and blue runners, and goggle eyes.
Rigging Live Baits For Swordfish:
Good live baits for night time swordfishing include:
- Goggle Eyes
- Blue Runners
- Tinker Mackerel
- Small Bonita (If you have a tuna tube)
- Speedos
Bridling your night time swordfish baits with a 9/0 size hook can increase your hook up ratio substantially. Check out the video below on how to bridle a large live bait. The video was put together by the IGFA for marlin fishing in Central America. The same technique can be used for swordfishing, however we recommend using a 9/0 J-Hook instead of a circle hook when targeting swordfish.
Check out this video (Learn How To Bridle Your Bait & How Bridling Your Bait Can Increase Your Hookup Ratios)
Thank you for reading our article on how to rig swordfish baits. This article was part of our efforts to compile the best rigging videos on the web into one place so that you don't have to go out looking for them. This is part of our efforts to help you spend more time fishing. To save time and money when buying your fishing lines buy your fishing line here at Bullbuster.net directly from our factory. Tight Lines!
Tackle Required For Swordfishing:
Reels: 50 to 80Lb class reels.
Line: We reccommend fishing with 80Lb monofilament and 80Lb braided backing.
Wind-On Leader: A wind-on leader is essential for handing big fish safely when they arrive boat side. The wind-on leader allows a smaller team to handle bigger fish. For night time swords check out our all purpose wind-on leaders (we recommend the 300Lb -400Lb class wind-on). For daytime swordfishing check out our daytime swordfish wind-on leader.
Hooks: 9/0-12/0 J-Hooks
Done Rigging Your Swordfish Baits? Get Some More Tips On How To Catch Big Swords:
#BullbusterAmbassador Double Threat Chartersin Coconut Grove, Fl, has really mastered the art and science of daytime swordfishing. When other boats are getting skunked in Miami these guys are getting doubles and triples. Learn from the best by reading this article on (Tips For Swordfishing In South Florida) . The article is about South Florida Swordfishing but you can apply these techniques anywhere in the world where there are abundant swordfish stocks. We have talked to fishermen in the Northeast who are starting to catch swordfish in the Canyons, they had always been there, but no one had tried these techniques. If you are interested in learning how to Swordfish in the Northeast, get in contact with #BullbusterAmbassador The Tree Guy.
Learn How To Clean & Cook Your Swordfish:
There is no question that Swordfish is one of the best tasting fish on the planet. Swordfish doesn't taste like "fish" its almost like a really tender steak. You can start to sense it when you begin to steak a sword. Your knife slides through the sword like butter.
Grilled swordfish is probably as good as its guns get. Make sure you eat as much of your swordfish as you can while it is fresh. We've made the same recipes with fresh vs. frozen swordfish we've caught and the taste difference is night and day.
Check out our article on (Steaking & Cooking Your Swordfish)
If you would like to see other types of rigging videos take a look at our Tackle & Rigging Series:
If you haven't already seen these articles, check out the Bullbuster How To Cook Your Catch Series:
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