iStockphoto / lillophoto
A San Diego angler named Luc Ofield just broke the California state fishing record for swordfish, which previously stood at 520-pounds and was set last year by Mason Karafa, and he smashed the record by over 140-pounds.
The record-setting fisherman, Luc Ofield, is the owner of Anglers Choice Tackle Store on Rosecrans St in San Diego just a few blocks away from the Americas Cup Harbor. From there, it’s about a 9 to 18 mile to get out to the fishing grounds for swordfish in San Diego, to the world famous Nine Mile Bank or south to the Coronado Islands.
Swordfish prefer deep water and historically fishermen have targeted them at night though the best swordfish captains in the world have found their best success in Islamorada and Venice, Louisiana while fishing during the day. Ultimately, because swordfish live in deep water, preferring depths of 800-1,200 feet where light is barely able to penetrate the water, swordfish captains have come to realize nocturnal vs diurnal isn’t as important as ‘follow the food source.’
Luc Ofield told Fox5SanDiego he caught the fish at 11:30 at night following a whopping 4+ hour battle with the fish. After getting it to the boat, he took it to the The Marlin Club in Shelter Island which has a certified scale open to the public where he was able to weigh his pending swordfish record which tipped the scales at a spooky 666 pounds, aka ‘the devil’s number’ to some.
The San Diego Marlin Club shared photos on Instagram and Facebook of angler Luc Ofield with his pending swordfish record. At 666.2 pounds this fish is an absolute beast!
Another here:
More photos of the record-setting fish can be seen here on Facebook:
The previous California state record for swordfish was 520 pounds, 0 ounces. That fish was caught by angler Mason S. Karafa just last year while he was fishing out of San Diego on the Nine Mile Bank using live bait.
For context, the IGFA fishing world record for swordfish is an absolute UNIT. That fish was caught in Chile back in 1953 and weighed 1,182 pounds. Iquique used to be a global hotspot for swordfish fishing but dried up decades ago.
Swordfish is one of the pelagic species I have yet to catch myself. I booked a swordfish-yellowfin tuna trip back in August in Venice, Louisiana but the conditions were too rough the first day to go out for swordfish so we stayed in the Mississippi River area fishing for redfish and triple tail. It was great, a cool experience, but I’m still chasing my first swordfish.
The second day though, fishing for yellowfin tuna on the oil rigs off Venice was absolutely incredible. I went out with Triple Tail Charters and cannot recommend them enough for yellowfin tuna. It was such an epic day we had fish on the lines every time bait went in the water. A perfect day of fishing.