For the last few years, a small group of anglers have made several attempts off Richards Bay to catch broadbill, but have not been able to land one, despite having several hook-ups. In March this year, we came very close to achieving our goal when we fought a fish for 45 minutes and had it within 20 meters of the boat when the 300Lbs trace parted. This just made us more determined than ever. Hours and hours were spent researching the different techniques of catching swordfish and after many discussions and debates, we decided to try and catch a broadbill in the day.
This was no easy task and required very specialised tackle and a lot of preparation before we could even put to sea to attempt this. First, we needed to obtain the correct line for the job which was 3200m of 80Lbs hi visibility braid. This bulk spool was divided into equally to fill 3 reels. The reels we used were 12/0 Everols with a 2 speed gearbox. Because the braid is so thin, the reels needed backing to allow for the greatest spool diameter to aid in retrieving line at a higher speed. The reel was fitted to an 80Lbs bent butt marlin rod.
With the rod, reel and line out of the way, we needed to look at the terminal tackle. Again, after much debate we settled on a short double line attached to a long 300Lbs wind-on leader. This was then attached to a 4m section of 400Lbs trace via a ball bearing swivel. Two 9/0 longliner hooks ended the trace. A 4 LED multicoloured deepdrop flashing light was attached near the splice and a lightstick was attached near the swivel as well as half way up the leader. A heavy weight was attached to the trace in such a way that it would break free on the strike.
The key with these sacrificial weights was keeping them cheap! We settled on pvc piping filled with cement and tipped with a welding rod for an eye to attach the sinker line. The average mass of these weights was 6kg (the stronger the current/wind, the larger the weight). These worked like a bomb!
Right, with all the ground work done, we needed the right weather to put everything into practice. In June, the winter morning dawned with not a breath of wind and the mist was lying across the bay at Sodwana. This promised to be an exceptional day for deep dropping.
With all the gear packed, my Dad, Denis, Hannes and Michael Duvenage, Divan Coetzee and I launched Hannes boat “Lihann” and headed north to “Big W”. This is an area well known for the billfish that congregate there. Big W is the area where the contours converge creating canyons which result in upwellings that hold bait and we decided that it was the best place to make a drop.
The water was warm and a deep blue colour. The current was not very strong and the swell was almost non-existent. I threaded a fresh squid on the trace and flipped it over the side and fed the rest of the trace out, checked the bait was not spinning and attached the lights and then the 6kg weight. I lowered the weight into the water until the rod took the load. With the rod in the fighting chair, I slowly let the rig down into the depths. It took about 15 minutes to get to the 600m marker. My dad pulled the motor into neutral and the angle of the line changed from a few meters out behind the boat to almost straight up and down providing a good bend in the rod. I dropped the rig a bit further and the sinker hit the ground. I took about 10 turns on the reel to lift the weight to avoid hooking the bottom.
From what we had read, we should expect the rod tip to jiggle a bit and then it would either pull down as the fish moved away or it would come up as the fish swam up to the surface. We drifted for probably 1km and as we neared the 580m depth on the sounder, the rod tip bumped slightly then bent a bit before returning to the original position. We all assumed it was just a swell and continued watching the tip for a bite. Every now and again, the tip would indicate that the weight had touched the bottom and I would take about ten turns on the reel to lift the sinker off the ground. After about 10 minutes of this, the 500m marker came out the water. The rod still indicted that the weight was bouncing on the bottom. We checked the sounder and it read 580m. There was obviously something not right. I told Michael to get into the chair and start winding the rig back to the surface to see what was wrong, but the rig felt strange. I thought it was just the resistance of the 500 meters of line in the water.
After half an hour of winding, with 80m of line left in the water, the line started to angle to the surface. I was expecting a bottomfish to pop up on the surface at any minute. A few seconds later the sinker broke free and there was still some pressure on the other end. The line kept coming up and just when we expected to see the belly of a popped bottom, a long slender bill, followed by the bronze body of a broadbill broke the surface and launched itself into the air! Broadbill! Broadbill! To say there was chaos on the boat was an extreme understatement! There were shouts of joy all round but we still had a long way to go before we could celebrate. There was a mad dash for gloves and gaffs as the fish jumped a few more times. It fought on the surface for a while until the gill hookup started taking its toll.
Michael slowly worked the fish to the surface and finally the start of the trace and deepdrop light broke the surface. I unclipped the light and Michael continued retrieving the leader. When the swivel reached the tip, I took the trace and very gently brought the fish closer. Divan and Hannes both stood poised with the gaffs ready for action. Slowly but surely the fish came closer and eventually it came circling out from under the boat. Hannes and Divan let fly with the two gaffs in the head and the shoulder. With one movement, the three of us pulled the fish into the boat. There was a moment of complete silence as we all stood there looking at the fish in disbelief. Then the silence as shattered by shouts of triumph. Could this really be happening? As we came to terms with reality, we realised we had done it! Our first broadbill ... and in broad daylight! What a feeling!
Words can’t describe how we felt at that moment. All the hours, days and weeks that we spent planning and preparing for this day had paid off. This was an important fish for South African anglers and it has opened the door to daytime deep dropping for broadbill swordfish. This is truly a fish that will never be forgotten.
