Gladiator of the Sea

Tasmania’s most prized game fish

Nathan Huizing

Xiphias Gladius, the gladiator of the sea or more commonly known as the broadbill swordfish is a species regarded by many as the pinnacle of game fishing around the world. Here in Tasmania, the swordfish fishery is a relatively new option for the recreational scene and to my knowledge was first tapped into by Leo Miller in 2014 who recognised the potential, put in the effort studying and applying renowned daydropping techniques and before long a dream was realised when he had his first Tasmanian broadbill swordfish on the deck. A fish that busted open a whole new world of opportunities for the state’s game fishing community. The years that followed saw more and more anglers heading out and adding that big tick to their bucket list as Tassie earned its place on the map as a world-class broadbill fishery. The best part is you don’t need a flashy 10m+ boat to be able to chase these fish. Luckily in Tasmania, the continental shelf is only about a 25km run (give or take) from most of the popular boat ramps along the East Coast and given the right weather conditions this fishery is totally accessible for trailer boats around 5m+!

In 2016, two years after the discovery of this fishery I had the privilege to join a crew from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) on several trips throughout summer and autumn trying to satellite tag several swordfish from various sites along the East Coast of TAS. The project certainly saw some success and we managed to tag multiple fish from St.Helens to Eaglehawk Neck including one incredible day with the IFISH crew managing to get three swordfish boat side in one day! The project was an eye-opening experience for me and was the spark that ignited a new interest and appreciation for a fish that I had previously known very little about.

While onboard with IMAS I met many new faces, one in particular that scarred me for life was that of Locki Nichols’. Jokes aside this is where I first met Locki and got to observe as he displayed his skills and knowledge of deep dropping. It became quite apparent that we both shared a similar passion for fishing and it wasn’t long before a friendship was formed.

Fast forward to the summer of 2017 when I was offered a deckhand position on Locki’s new charter boat the Seawolf. We had some great trips catching everything from tuna to makos as well as various demersal species before we decided it was time to try and tackle our first charter sword. On the 28th of February, Locki had his first booking and we headed out with a fella from NSW by the name of Sam Beattie. From memory, it was only the second or third drop of the day when the arrow squid we had sent down was consumed by something much larger and the Tiagra 80w started singing its song. An intense battle ensued as Sam slowly worked the fish to the surface. A series of very aggressive head shakes had everyone excited and before long we could see the colour under the boat. Eventually, the fish was close enough and the unmistakable profile of the broadbill swordfish showed itself. Locki reached out for the leader and soon had the fish swimming boat side. Sam made the call to release

My first swordfish! (2022) this fish and after a few happy snaps the hook was removed and we all watched on as this epic fish powered its way back down to the depths. It was high-fives all-around and our first swordfish charter couldn’t have gone any better.

Over the next two seasons, the success continued and the swordfish tally exceeded double digits including one unbelievable run where we managed to land five fish in five trips! The deckhand gig was an awesome experience and being able to assist and be a part of some very memorable captures for a number of people was an absolute privilege. To add to that, the knowledge of deep dropping I gained along the way was priceless.

Moving forward a few more years (Autumn 2021) and Locki decided to buy himself a trailer boat. An 18ft Alison. A fibreglass half-cab. A smaller boat than we had previously been fishing out of but a fully capable vessel all the same. The first couple of trips we did were spent chasing southern bluefin closer inshore which provided for some great fun as well as a good opportunity for Locki to get a feel for his new investment and it wasn’t long before he proposed the idea that we go and try our luck out wide dropping some baits into the abyss. It was already getting a little late in the season however we spent the remaining days of Autumn and a month into Winter fishing whenever possible. 2021 didn’t boast the most productive of sword seasons as many anglers found it tough and it seemed luck just wasn’t on our side either as we pulled hooks on three fish before positively identifying any of them. The only fish that made it onto the deck from these trips were a handful of big pink ling taken as bycatch on the sword baits and some respectable school-sized bluefin on the jig as we drifted. As the water temperature retreated and Winter really began to set in we decided to cut our losses and wrap it up for the season. Feeling a little defeated but more determined than ever we eagerly awaited the next season.

2022 rolled around and with it came the East Australian Current (EAC) pushing its way down the coastline bringing a variety of great sports fish from kingfish to tuna, makos and most importantly swordfish. Wasting no time, we got organised and headed out for our first trip of the season. Intending to keep our first sword we had decided to go with a double J hook rig as we felt this was our best bet of bringing a fish into the boat and it had certainly worked in the past. A few hours went by and things were looking a little quiet. That was until about 12 pm when we finally had our first enquiry. Some very tell-tale knocks on the rod tip indicative of classic swordfish behaviour occurred as a fish investigated the slimy mackerel we had sent down some 500 metres. For a short period, the line went completely slack suggesting the fish had picked up the bait and was swimming up through the water column. The call was made to drive off the bait as we wound quickly. Tension soon returned to the line as well as a serious bend in the rod and we were officially tight on our first fish of the season. Locki’s younger brother Sam jumped on the rod and we got him strapped in. About 15 minutes into the fight the fish made a speedy dash for the surface as Sam gave it everything trying to keep some tension in the line. The fish popped up on the surface roughly 80 metres behind the boat as it shook its head again in an attempt to remove its recently acquired lip piercing and unfortunately for us, it did so successfully. While we never got a clear look at the fish but it was definitely doing all the right things. Devastated, we regrouped and got back to soaking another bait, and another one, and another. However, time passed and as we watched the sunset on the horizon we only had a pink ling to show for our efforts.. What we didn’t know at the time was that the next few trips would sadly see a similar fate. Over a series of trips we continued to get connected to some very large fish but as fishing goes sometimes luck just wasn’t on our side and we were left tormented by the ‘ones that got away’ other than a pesky mako that we released.

As peak season approached (AprilMay) a few tweaks were made to our rigs in an attempt to increase our luck. The first was the addition of some lumo Meridian skirts in varying colours we hadn’t yet tried. Colours that we felt made our presentations more appealing. The second change to the rig was a change that I feel proved most important. We decided to ditch the J-style hooks for a circle hook. The BKK Monster Circle 16/0 was the hook of choice. After rigging the baits with a method that can be found on the Youtube Channel ‘Ultimate Fishing’ we headed back out for redemption on the 25/4/22 - Anzac Day. The day prior had been a big day fishing the Australian Bluefin Championship followed by a bigger night on the tins at the Lufra Hotel. Safe to say I was feeling a little rough as we headed out to the shelf and spent the first few hours of the day battling some serious nausea. As the day went on my condition improved as did the weather and we continued dropping baits while awaiting a tide change due just after midday. Anticipating that this may be the bite time, we rigged up a bait that we had been holding onto especially. The backstrap of a striped tuna. We retrieved the bait from our previous drop, repositioned for our next drift and threw the backstrap over attached to two bricks. The bricks soon made contact with the seafloor and after a couple of aggressive lifts of the rod tip, the breakaway line parted on cue. The rod was placed in the holder and we began the drift. No more than 10 minutes into the drift we witnessed a solid whack through the rod tip and before we could even reach for the rod it began to load with some solid weight. As it was a rather large bait the decision was to quickly knock the reel into free spool and let the fish get the bait down properly as crew member Antony Suttil helped me get the Black Magic Equalizer harness on. Locki proceeded to up the drag and wind into the fish and just like that, we were tight. I got strapped in on the rod as Locki jumped on the wheel. As we slowly drove off the fish I got stuck into winding. The thought of being attached to what could possibly be my first swordfish soon had the adrenalin pumping and some shaky legs followed as a result. While there was undoubtedly some weight on the end of the line, there was a lack of headshakes and it just didn’t seem quite right. No more than 10 minutes had passed and we had already gained at least 300 metres of line on this fish with very little activity being felt through the rod the heart began to sink as the consensus onboard was that this was perhaps just another big ling. Regardless I stayed strapped in and continued to winch the dead weight. Before long the topshot began filling up the reel meaning we weren’t too far off meeting this creature of the deep. I reckon we only had about 50 metres of line left to go and all hope seemed lost when all of a sudden a series of BIG lunges caught me off guard! A short burst of power saw some line come off the reel signalling to us that this was no ling. Antony quickly chucked a pair of gloves on as Locki readied the gaffs. The fish that had seemingly only just woken up decided to race for the surface as

I wound as fast as I could to stay connected. All of a sudden a large dark shape appeared only 20 metres away from the boat and as it edged closer the iridescent bronze and purple colours of a swordfish greeted our eyes! Antony latched onto the leader and the fish was soon within reach. I took a couple of steps back as Locki came in and took a swing with the gaff and in it went closely followed by a second gaff and just like that the fish was secured. A seriously euphoric moment for the whole crew with high-fives and hugs all around. A long time coming - my very first swordfish, a fish that I’d dreamt of since my introduction to them over 7 years ago was finally in front of me. On top of that, it was the first sword in Locki’s new boat. Spirits were high and after a few happy snaps, we cracked some stubbies and headed for home in some glass-out conditions. A day I’ll never forget and yet another reason I’ll always remember that special date. Being able to go out on the water and experience moments like that with good mates truly makes you appreciate those who put their lives on the line for this country all those years ago.