412 POUND SWORDFISH out of Jupiter Inlet | Full Day Breakdown w/ Captain Chris Holsinger

We were planning to fish a tournament that day, but I couldn’t get any of my buddies off shift early enough. By the time we got to the dock, it was already around 9:30, so I didn’t even bother declaring. We left out of Jupiter Inlet around 9:30–9:45 and headed out to our usual area, fishing in about 1,500 to 1,600 feet of water. We had three Lindgren-Pitman SV-1200 electric reels down on ShorePro Tackle Royal Slam sword rods rigged with Team Unleashed Leaders—one about 700 feet off the bottom, another around 350, and the tip rod sitting about 70 feet off bottom. It was a pretty green crew. One of the guys had never been swordfishing before, and the other had only been a few times and was still learning. But the weather ended up being way better than forecasted. It was supposed to be 10–15 out of the southeast with some chop, but it laid down slick calm, which made for a really nice day to be out there.

We fished all day and didn’t get a single bite. There weren’t many boats around either. Late in the day, we were getting ready to make what we said would be our last drift. The moon major was coming up, and I told the guys, “I know we’ve beat this spot to death, but we caught a 236 here last week and I know there are big fish here.” I track all of my bites, and about 92% of my fish over 150 pounds come within an hour of a moon major or minor, so I had a lot of confidence in that window. We reset the drift right on the number, and about 15 minutes in—just shy of the moon major—my buddy who had never swordfished before was locked in on the rod all day. He looks at me and says, “Hey, the buoy’s dunking.” I looked over and all I could see was the tip of the buoy before it disappeared completely underwater.

It stayed down for about 20 minutes, which is never a bad sign. That buoy sinks at around 24.5 pounds of pressure, so I didn’t want to add much more drag. I just kept it light and slowly worked toward getting on top of the line. Around the 25-minute mark, the buoy popped up for a split second and then went right back under. A few seconds later, the fish jumped way out in the distance—probably over 1,000 feet away. We could see the splash and knew right away it was a good fish. We were guessing at least 250, but you never really know until you get closer.

Once we got tight on the fish, it started settling into that typical pattern, and we went into pinwheels. With the Calcutta 263, it’s a huge advantage in that part of the fight. You can make tighter turns, react quicker, and you’re not dragging the fish around in big circles like you would in a larger boat. We worked the fish up slowly, doing pinwheels from about 300 feet up to 200, just taking our time. With the crew being green, I was rotating guys on the rod and managing the boat at the same time. Eventually we got the lead off, and not long after that the fish came up about 100 feet out in front of the boat with its fins out of the water.

I told the guys I was going to take a shot with the harpoon. We pushed up on the fish, and right as I was about to throw, I heard, “The hook pulled!”—which obviously isn’t what you want to hear at that moment. I looked back and saw the rod still bent over. Turns out the lights had just gotten hung up in the rubber bands, and the fish was still on. I handed the rod off, got things sorted out, and we kept fighting. From there, the fish settled back down and we went right back into pinwheels, just slowly working it up.

As we got into that 10–15 foot range, the fish started to dig again, so I put some heat on it—probably 40 to 45 pounds of drag—and took a couple wraps when we had the opportunity. I could see on the ReefScope camera that the fish was hooked clean in the corner of the mouth, which gave me the confidence to push it harder, especially with the sun getting low and a green crew onboard. We made one more good pinwheel, got the fish right where we needed it, and I told them not to throw until I said. When the shot opened up, he stuck it right in the gills. I ran up with the second harpoon and put another one in, and that was it—the fish was done right at the boat.

At first glance, we thought it was maybe 300, 350 pounds. But once we got it in the boat and took a short measurement, I had a feeling it was pushing 400. It ended up weighing 412 pounds. For that crew, especially with one guy on his first swordfish trip, it was pretty special. The second it hit the deck, one of my buddies looks at me and goes, “I’m selling my house, selling my boat, buying more LPs, and doing this every day.” That pretty much says it all.

We got the fish in the boat without dropping the door and laid it across the back. It barely fit in a 90-inch fish bag, but we packed it with ice and made the run back in. Ended up weighing it by tying off to the lift and lowering the boat until the fish came off the deck.

It was a little bittersweet not fishing that tournament day, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to complain when you land a 400-pound swordfish. That’s why I always trust the data, trust the moon, and never leave fish to find fish when you know they’re there.

We were fishing out of the Calcutta 263, running Lindgren-Pitman electric reels on ShorePro Tackle Royal Slam Sword Rods, and using the ReefScope camera to stay dialed in during the fight. That setup, combined with tight boat control and understanding the fish, is what made it all come together.

If you’re looking to experience this kind of fishing or want to learn the ins and outs of daytime swordfishing, I’d be happy to take you out.

Contact Captain Chris Holsinger:

Phone: 561-307-3986

Email: crholsinger17@gmail.com

Instagram: @captainredbeard_ch

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Website: www.oleredsfishingservices.com