So Cal Swordfishing

[Keith Poe]

Originally Posted by Keith Poe

Question for you, Do you think big game fish know where they are or just haphazardly travel and end up in diffrent ares?

predators migrate with sst and in currents and many seem to head for the main freeway west when satelite tagged in the so cal bight.

I belive the currents tell them where they are and they know where they were born as they return to the nursery to pup.

My point here is they should also remember where the best feed locations are.

The so cal bight is for the most part an area that holds a large amount of prey smaller prey for pup mako thresher blue salmon sharks etc. and that is why i belive this is a nursery.

The large model shark predators are usually caught off shore near the freeway.

Now that the sharks have been greatly depleted allowing the humboldts to expand their range as they have fewer predators to keep them pushed up in the hot waters of the gulf of california
I belive the larger predators are taking notes and will start to venture in side closer to feed on the fat turkey slow 15 mile an hour humboldts verses 50 miles an hour some predators can achieve.

Local caught swordfish have made humboldts their primary target and that is a fact.

Associate this with the swordfish similarities to light levels in the sun and moon phases
along with live baiting with humboldts.

Use the sonar to read the depth of humboldts and fish there just above the others to keep the baits swimming for the others to keep your line tight.

[Keith Poe]

We have covered where swordfish are and why but I would like to elaborate a little more on some of the points to further our understanding for many reasons important to us all.

If you are just checking in on this you should go back and at least read the last few post on page 4.

1997 & 98 El nino sword fishing was a lot like albacore fishing.
The warm part of the even the albacore & swordfish were push up in mass at first then eventually displaced by warmer water pushing them out.
In 98 was la Nina and we saw it persist for a few years after with really good swordfish numbers way above normal.

Bare with me I want to go a little south for a minute but well be right back on point.

The humboldts were in the hypoxia level in the gulf of california where it was really warm and they could hide deep where few predators could attack them especially deep cold water species like blue sharks.

The 83% by catch rate of comercial fishing has severely impacted the sharks in the north eastern pacific.

Without so many predators to keep the humboldts at bay they have greatly expanded their range.

Weather that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen but with their ravenis diet I hardly belive it's a good thing for many species of smaller fish.

How ever this is good in my opinion for swordfish as they have an easy meal ticket in their range of the west coast/eastern coast of the north eastern pacific.

Some might point changing climatic conditions but anyone could hardly argue the demise of many top predators in the eastern pacific.

Now then back on point not that we were not here is the meat and potatoes.

Why are swordfish landing data relatively stable ?

OK OK I'll tell you"

Remember the satelite tracking showed the similarity's to light levels?

Two thirds of the time swordfish are out of range for comercial gear and sharks are in range
all the time.

As far as sportfishing for swordfish is concerned heeding the light levels is key and their main prey on sonar as well as etc if you have been following along you understand and I am getting dangerously close to many things i do not want out there concerning targeting swordfish sport & comercial.

Weather better break or i might spill the beans.

[Keith Poe]

Opah I have not researched much on them yet but can tell you they are in far greater numbers here at night than swordfish.

Why is this not known simply because no one targets them at night here as there are certain conditions to target them much the same as other species.

If you are sword fishing at night you really should soak baits like dines or mini macks in the first thermocline level and the second usually at 60 and 120'

They go deep during the day like swords and bft luvar big eye threshers.

Salmon sharks are all so available here now with the others but mainly opah then swordfish the others are a bonus and would target salmon sharks trolling during the day just like threshers just far from shore usually but possible as close as the break wall.

In Alaska where they attack salmon in the greatest numbers they are usually hiding deep to attack schools of salmon hiding right next to shore where it's 300' deep 1 foot from shore.

Anyone care to guess why salmon sharks travel back and forth to alaska to baja ?

Winner winner winner you guessed it they are following the salmon and that means the salmon are also here now.

Most people belive this is the off season in so cal ?

[Keith Poe]

Check out this link but you will need the latest java scriptt to open it and then in the top right hand corner of the map click on the (base) then on (topo) and you will see the bathymetric chart overlay with wind direction swell SST air temp etc.

Really good 411 for confused sea upwelling etc. and searching for critters and understanding the terrafin chlorophyll & currents with their new altimetry charts to potentially see eddies & currents that congregate predators.

The dark bathymetric line on the outer shelf out side is the super predator freeway.

SoCal Java Buoy Map


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[Keith Poe]

Man I can hardly wait for the survival suit PBL & working vest to arrive before the next trip.

Looks sweet out there.

The Davidson current is still working strong allowing for swordfish in the so cal bight with comercial pressure ending in the US by the end of January.
The Mexican fleet will still be targeting them as the Mexican fleet for swordfish is winter and spring.
How ever the Hawaiian fleet targets them year round in the north pacific gyre north of Hawaii and out side the US EEZ 200 miles off shore
and lands their catch in in places like San Pedro. The Mexican fleet usually works out of Ensenada and usually lands their catch there.
Lots of species off shore right now from BFT big eye threshers threshers mako salmon salmon sharks opah luvar.

As soon as i get my safety equipment delivered I will be going off shore targeting swordfish primarily and reporting back.

Check out the free SST from Terrafin and the swordfish with humboldt on top of it.
There is allso a noaa sst chart and a conversion link here to to convert the Celsius to farenheight. Online Conversion - Temperature Conversion

[Mikey Mike]

Hi Kieth

The humbolts are in shallow water at Mission Bay. Day boats are targetting them. Yer swords may be at Scripps/La Jolla Canyons or Loma Canyon.

[Keith Poe]

I decided to wait for optimum conditions to reach the boarder before investing my resources
and clean the shop and do allot of work on the boat for now as she needs some TLC.

Going to install throttle & trans levers in the transome to steer with the auto pilot and maneuver with the throttles & trans lever by hand while stand up and foot from the fighting chair.

Installing new fish finder to read 6000' deep, new radar analog, two new fuel tanks possibly a fourth.

Radar & light arch with ACR PBL, working vest & survival suite all part of the ditch bag with water proof bags with hand held VHF, GPS, black berry etc. The ditch bag seconds as a emergency disaster bag.

Found a place locally to get 5 year shelf life rations locally off the shelf in Gardena and already have alot of fire power & ammunition.

Just a few other things like new vinyl on the helm & tossed the wind shield side panels for new 1/2" lexan and vinyl canopy an 1/8" aluminum diamond plate side boards as the paint always needs re-doing every other season but not any more.

I belive i am going to build the radar arch out of 2 1/2" grey electrical PVC conduit.
Should be interesting i will take some pictures when it's done and show you how ugly it is lol just about 50 dollars in parts.
Just like things to be strong and economical on the hard core working skiff.

I have a punch sheet I am burning in my mind of all the swordfish research to use when it's time and just tune it up here and there.

I belive I should have enough information from the research to possibly have a fair shot at catching Elvis but time will tell this spring.
if Elvis will enter the building.

[Fishin Fool]

My hat is off to you Mr. Poe...I have had numerous stories told me about catching sf on pole and bait by fishermen and they mention it casually...yet personally I have had only a couple opportunites to bait one let alone hook one and every time i see one on the surface my heartrate doubles...anyway i hear using dead humboldt is almost as good as using live...two years ago we were just preparing to head home to sd a day and a half out on a tuna trip and the sun had dropped below the horizon when the humboldt came to the surface who knows why out in the middle of nowhere and we put a hundred or so on the deck...probably sf around also...anyway i know they are from the beaches at huntington all the way out..i always seem to be two days behind where they are ..i always have my sf rig ready...i certainly hope you can find one

"i fish therfore i am"

[Keith Poe]

Me to Fishing Fool, Thanks

[Keith Poe]

Wanted add some relative 411 to this thread.

Marlin at Night