April 20, 2019
It’s that time of year again, anglers are offshore chasing swordfish in Lakes Entrance. Swordfish season has been off to a ripper start. Across social media, we’ve seen anglers catching fish weighing up to 190kg!
Swordfish are usually found in depths of up to 550 metres, typically residing along the edge of the continental shelf, with deep-drop fishing the most common way to target a swordfish. They love it when the water temperature is around 18.5 degrees.
While they are found feeding closer to the surface at night, daytime fishing for swordfish has become popular amongst keen anglers. As the baits are dropped to such deep depths, using lights to attract the fish as part of the bait set up is a must-have when targeting swords. Using a circle hook can improve the chances of post-release survival if releasing the fish.
If you’re a keen Swordfish fisher, make this one in your diaries. Gippsland Lakes Fishing Club in conjunction with the Victorian Game Fishing Club are hosting the 2019 SIMRAD Victorian Broadbill Swordfish Championship from May 11 to June 10 2019.
In April last year, a huge 349-kilogram swordfish was caught off the coast near Lakes Entrance by Matthew Boyle, owner of Hot Shot Charters. It was reeled in after a five-hour long fight on a 37-kilogram line.
