Al Pflueger, Jr |
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When asked my fondest fishing memory, the evening of July 19, 1976, fills my mind. After hearing weeks earlier that several anglers discovered a fishery for swordfish off Miami Beach, my excitement level literally boiled over.
We left the dock at Miami Beach Marina just before dark, setting up off Fowry Rock Light when the depth-sounder chart showed 1,000 feet. Our tackle involved two stout big-game offshore rods with Fin-Nor reels spooled with 80-pound monofilament, and 200-pound-mono leaders attached to 12/0 double hooks imbedded in large 1 ½-pound squids. After blindly drifting along until 4 a.m. with nary a strike and feeling dejected, we decided to call it a night. As I started to reel up the last rod, the rod tip bent hard. I dropped back, took the reel out of free spool and reared back, hoping one of the hooks I’d honed to a triangular point found home. It did. The fish pulled unbelievably hard, taking line and towing the boat backwards. I worried aloud that maybe a big shark fought at the end of my line in the dark depths rather than the hoped-for broadbill prize. On the horizon we could see quite a few commercial long-line boats coming at us. The fear of being run over gripped us, and rather than depending on just our running lights, Philpott flashed a Q-beam toward them. In about 20 minutes, the massive fish came to the surface twice, making horizontal runs and explosive leaps. At one point it came near the boat and we could see that the hook had lodged into a pectoral fin, making the fight even tougher. Using the 4-foot seas as leverage, I pumped the rod with all my strength. The swordfish finally gave up after we’d drifted north – and been pulled by the big bruiser – all the way to the waters off Ft. Lauderdale. It measured about 12 feet from tip to tail, with a large girth. Even so, the block and tackle did its job. By the time we returned to the dock at 7 in the morning, people who had heard the news excitedly crowded Junior Ellis’s Tackle Shop at the marina to observe the weigh-in – a 295-pounder. In 1976, very few boats fished for swordfish and only 12 had been caught off Miami, plus this became the first accomplished in an open fisherman. Since that time I’ve caught 11 swordfish and nowadays always release them, but that first one in 1976 stands out by far as the most memorable.
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My First Sword Duel - A famed angler relives a great achievement.
Jerry and Jesse Webb, friends of mine and fellow members of the Miami Beach Rod & Reel Club, caught two swords one night experimenting with various baits and techniques.
Aching to give it a try myself, I invited my pal Al Philpott to come along. Knowing that it would be problematic to fit a big swordfish in my 24-foot open fisherman with an 8-foot beam, I attached a block and tackle with nylon rope from the bow eye over the boat to the transom, with a giant meat hook at the ready. Unlike most other billfish, the dorsal, pectoral, ventral and anal fins remain rigid, making it an extra challenge to fit a good-size one into a small boat. I knew that if I dragged a swordfish back to the dock, it would likely turn into shark food.
