This avenue of gamefishing has seen me gain a lot of knowledge through research and practical experience in the field, as well as arguably developing the best bait rigs and dropping systems currently available. I enjoy sharing my knowledge through my online business SwordPro, too. 
Daytime dropping techniques have made if a lot easier for everyday fishermen to target these fish, especially with all the technology available today helping small boat owners find areas to fish for these amazing fish.  

Finding swordfish areas

The night before heading out on the water in search of swords, I take a few minutes to study the GPS charts and look through all the sea mounts and trenches in the areas I intend to fish. Areas ranging in depth from 300 to 600 metres in my fishing area can offer some potential, as will steep drop-offs and/or any sort of structure. (I have fished a lot out of Whangaroa and around the Garden Patch area, where there are some amazing structures and areas to fish for broadbill.) Once you motor over these areas with a good sounder, you may see good amounts of baitfish present, indicating you should drop down and try your luck. 

Making swordfish rigs

There are two very different camps regarding hook choice when making up rigs: circle hooks or J-hooks. Personally, I much prefer circle hooks in either a single- or double-hook configuration (depending on the size/length of the bait I’m using). Once tight to the fish, there is much less chance of the hook pulling out, compared to J-hooks, because the circle hooks generally hook up in the corner of the fish’s mouth, which is one of the stronger parts on a swordfish. I also get fewer foul hook-ups elsewhere on the sword’s body. 

Deep water lights are essential – no light, no bite. LED Diamond Lights, deep-drop lights, and submarine lights are available in a range of colours and all seem to work well. 

The light should be hooked approximately four metres up from the hook so it doesn't interfere with the swivel. I usually run two submarine lights clipped together, with several more smaller LED Diamond

Lights held further along the line by rubber bands. In addition to the extra brightness produced, the two bigger lights add drag when a swordfish heads for the surface after biting, helping the circle hook to become located.  

Use fresh baits for swordfish

Before even thinking about heading out to the swordfish grounds, you need good fresh bait if possible. I try to catch mine on my way out - perhaps skippies, kahawai, kingfish (still have to be legal-sized) or yellowtail mackerel. Whole squid and freshwater eels, caught beforehand, work too. 

I have caught skipjack all year round off the Garden Patch area, so run five skippy lures to increase my chances of getting multiple hook-ups and the job done faster. Around three or four skipjack tuna are usually enough for one session. 

I find a strip of fresh fish, such as skipjack belly, works really well when rigged up inside a bulb-type squid skirt. In addition to protecting the bait, the bulb squid provides a visual and olfactory stimulant, so if the swordfish whacks the bait with its bill and smashes the rear strip off, the remaining bait left inside the skirt still has enough smell and flavour to attract another bite. 

I start by cutting a strip of belly off the baitfish and sliding it up inside the bulb squid using a rigging needle and rigging floss to attach it to the hook. 

I also like whole skipjack tuna as baits. I cut the tail and fins off, tie the mouth and gill plates shut with rigging floss, then position the circle hook about 5cm down the tuna’s tail stump. A rigging needle is used to lace my rigging floss through the tuna’s backbone to hold the bait securely to the hook. 

Swordfish dropping techniques

There are quite a few dropping techniques used for broadbill. The following are the two I currently prefer. 

There is quite an art to setting your bait; it takes a lot of patience - it takes 12-15 minutes to set the gear correctly. If you drop too fast, the bait will tangle around the mainline and the fish will not bite. To help achieve good presentation, the boat should be kept ticking forward very slowly as the bait’s being let down very slowly. If may take a few attempts to get this right, and expect some frustration to begin with, but once sorted, it works very well. 

Another technique I’ve been using with great success involves running an 80-Wide game reel filled with 200lb braid. The braid is tied to a 450lb snap-swivel, which in turn is connected to my SwordPro-rigged leader. 

Twenty metres of mono breakaway line is tied to a heavy sinker (often a 1.5-litre milk bottle or similar filled with sand or stones), and the other end to the baited hook. The strength of the current determines the weight of the sinker and the mono break-away used. When the swordfish whacks at the bait, the breakaway sinker is released. 

This particular system is much less likely to tangle and can be dropped straight down in free-spool. However, you must keep the line vertically up and down while fishing this rig, so regular reversing is often required.

These rigs and dropping techniques will increase your chances of hooking a swordfish. Once I have the fish at the boat, I use my SwordPro flying gaff, harpoon, or tag-and-release dart, depending on whether I intend to take it home to eat or let it go to live another day.  

There will be a lot of trial and error, but it is well worth the reward once you land your first one – or that fish of a lifetime!