Swordfish are powerful, difficult to land fish that require exceptional fishing equipment. One of the things that makes swordfish so tough is they tend to put your rod inside out, which means you need a setup that can handle tremendous forces during the fight. If you're targeting swordfish with live bait I suggest you make sure your reel is capable of holding at least 100 yards of 80# braid and that you're using a rod with the appropriate power.
The first step in rigging for swordfish is to figure out which style reel you're going to use. There are two major types of reels used: conventional and multiplier. Conventional reels include the Penn International, Penn Senator and Shimano Tekota. Conventional reels are great for beginners since they cast easier than multipliers and handle well when fighting fish. There are many other conventional reels on the market but these three stand out as being affordable yet very capable.
Multiplier reels are heavy duty reels manufactured by companies such as Okuma and Stella. Okuma produces the Calcutta, C3, and C4 series reels while Stella makes the Black Widow line of reels. These reels aren't ideal for beginners since they are much more difficult to cast with than conventional reels but work great when fighting fish. When fishing with live bait I prefer to use a multiplier reel since they can hold more line and it is easier to fight fish than with conventional reels for Swordfish.
If you're using conventional gear you need a rod capable of handling the pressure from big trophy swordfish, such as rods made by Penn or Shimano. Shimano makes two rods that are exceptional for swordfish, the Torium and the Saragosa. Both of these rods have a high power rating but they don't have a lot of back bone. For live bait I prefer using lighter conventional reels so I can feel the bite better as well as make it easier to jig with lighter lures. I use my lightest rod, the Torium in 6'6" with 50# class reels when I'm using live bait.
Conventional gear is great for fighting big swordfish like this one weighed in at over 700 pounds!
If you're planning on using multiplier gear I suggest sticking with Okuma since they have a great selection of multiplier reels built for big fish. Okuma makes a variety of large caliber, high capacity multiplier reels within their C3 series including the Calcutta 300 and 400 as well as the C-40 and 50. The key to selecting a reel is matching the gear ratio with the size of your rod since you want the lightest, most efficient set-up possible. The drag system should be smooth to ensure that it doesn't over or under drag as you're fighting a fish.
I prefer fishing multiplier gear when using live bait since I can feel the bite better and don't have to work as hard fighting big swordfish!
When using multiplier gear select the lightest rod you can handle since it will be easier to jig with lighter lures. I like using Shimano's Saragosa rods when fishing live baits for swordfish because they are lightweight and have just the right amount of power to work well in all conditions. The model I typically use is the 6'6" MH with 50# class reels on it. Okuma also makes a lighter version of this rod that is great for swordfish, the Albacore Trolling Rod which is only 5'4".
My favorite swordfish setup includes a multiplier reel and Saragosa rod!
When using multiplier gear you have to be careful of the amount of line on your reel so you don't over wind the spool. Make sure you double check how much line is on your fishing reel before going offshore and again right before you head out to sea. I would recommend leaving 500 yard reels with just a couple hundred yards on them in saltwater while you're out on the water so they don't get corroded or wind knots since it can be difficult to untangle line in a big swordfish's mouth after you've fought him for half an hour.
Most of these tips will carry over to tuna and other billfish species as well so remember them when tackling the next school of fish on your way to the high seas!
Author's note: I want to give a special thanks to my good friend Justin Lucas for inspiring me to write this article. I was talking with him about different swordfish gear configurations when I realized how many tips there are for fighting trophy swordfish, not just conventional or multiplier setups. This post was supposed to be a quick blog post about the different options but turned into an in-depth article which will help anglers of all experience levels.
