This enormous 600-pound swordfish caught off Islamorada measured 175 inches long.
Capt. Nick Stanczyk and his client, Patrick, started fishing for swordfish by 8:45 a.m. on a morning they won't soon forget. Capt. Stanczyk chases swordfish regularly. In fact, he's fished this coast for 12 years in search of a giant swordfish. He didn't know that after so many trips he would hook into a 600-pound swordfish.
On this day, the two anglers landed what will be probably the biggest fish (other than a shark) of their lives. According to Capt. Stanczyk's Facebook page, they fished for several hours without a bite. He even mentions that 20 miles east, one of his relatives had already released two.
Finally, they hooked one.
Stanczyk battled to keep the boat away from the fish as it swam in circles near the surface. Amazingly, the fish swam so fast, the captain maintained the boat's speed within 10-15 knots while Patrick fought the fish. After two hours of fighting the beast, the captain darted and gaffed the enormous fish.
Still, the fight was far from over at that point. Because they knew the fish weighed over 400 pounds, Capt. Stanczyk hooked up the block and tackle in order to pull it into the boat.
After 30 minutes of dragging the behemoth into the boat, they high-fived and headed to the marina.
Upon arriving to the marina, they discovered the live weight of the fish weighed an astonishing 600.5 pounds. The fish boasted a fork length of 112 inches and a girth of 58 inches. The tip-to-tip measurements totaled 175 inches.
Needless to say, they landed the fish of a lifetime!
Like what you see here? Read more awesome hunting articles by Nathan Unger at the Bulldawg Outdoors blog. Follow him on Twitter @Bulldawgoutdoor, Instagram @Bulldawgoutdoors and subscribe on YouTube @Bulldawgoutdoors.
NEXT: WHAT GIANT FISH ATE THIS AUSTRALIAN BLACK MARLIN?
https://rumble.com/embed/u7gve.v3tsdx/
