520lber caught!

[stan4massey]

Ian,

 

they could well be in the Beaufort Dyke now but certainly in August / September. Give it a bash at the top end (350mtr mark). Given the effect of the gulf stream the angling books of the 1930`s through 1950`s classed them as an indigeonus UK species. No reason to doubt they still are.

[Davy Holt]

Ian Burrett:

Originally posted by Davy Holt:

[qb] You might have Davy, but a skate isn't going to zoom of for a quarter of a mile at speeds up to 40 mph with 700 lb of weight behind it.

Hiya Ian,

 

I wasn't even attempting to compare a skate to a Broadbill, only pointing out to Dan that 30lb of drag pressure is not to far fetched to apply for a length of time

 

njoimia.. 15lb of drag on an International 80.. that's almost free spool on a reel like that

 

Scott, I doubt very much the Broadbills are around in enough numbers to make it a realistic target for recreational anglers. If they had been I'm sure our lovable commercial fishermen would not be wasting their time sailing to the south of England to catch Bass.

[Norrie]

stan4massey:

Ian,

 

they could well be in the Beaufort Dyke now but certainly in August / September. Give it a bash at the top end (350mtr mark). Given the effect of the gulf stream the angling books of the 1930`s through 1950`s classed them as an indigeonus UK species. No reason to doubt they still are.

Hi Stan,

I had a quick look in my "library" of sea angling books, I came across this ...printed in 1937...by Eric Cooper.....

"How about some of the other big-game fish that are known to appear occasionaly on the coast? Of these the swordfish is the most interesting. In books dealing with marine biology published many years ago,frequent reference is made to swordfish round the British Isles. The fish have been seen off many places on the East coast,as well as in the Bristol Channel and of Lamorna. A few years before the war, a tunny angler in speaking to a foreign trawler,was told that one or more swordfish had been seen at the beginning of the summer near the Farne Islands. It is hoped that some time in the near future,one of these fish may be caught on the rod in British waters."

 

Jabee,...fancy a go for them.....near you as well....

[Davy Holt]

Norrie,

 

Great White's have been "seen" around the UK as well, it's just a pity people see what they want to see and not what they are actualy seeing.

 

There is no way our lovable commercials would leave a valuable commodity like Broadbills alone if they were around in any numbers.

[Ian Burrett]

Hi njoimia and welcome to AN

Thanks for the input

 

Our waters fall to 8 degrees and in the trench mentioned probable rise to 13 or 14 at peak, which is usaully around this time of year.

 

Davy sais the commercial lads would have found them, but i am not so sure. When i fished for them in Kenya the baits were set very shallow 10 -15 ft if i remember right.

 

Would the longliners setting baits on the bottom pick the odd one up, or do they only feed on the surface.

 

What is considered their staple diet. Here we have shoals of Herring, Mackerel and occasional shoals of scad or horse mackerel

[Norrie]

Davy, So what would they be seeing, if not Swordfish ????? Surely someone must have been making correct sightings some of the time, or is everyone making incorrect sightings...... If they havent been seen before, how come one managed to get into the Clyde.....surely it didnt swim all the way across the Atlantic under water...... Aha, got it, it got a lift on the QE2.....

 

[ 13. October 2005, 09:14 PM: Message edited by: Norrie ]

[Davy Holt]

Norrie.. just because someone says they seen a certain fish.. it don't mean they have correctly identified it.

 

It is quite possible they did see Broadbills but it's just as possible they didn't.. no one will know.

 

Given the Commercial Pressure our waters have been put under over the last 20 odd years, you would expect quite a few "accidental" captures of broadbills which in turn would alert the commercials to them being there in reasonable numbers.

[Norrie]

Davy Holt:

Norrie.. just because someone says they seen a certain fish.. it don't mean they have correctly identified it.

 

It is quite possible they did see Broadbills but it's just as possible they didn't.. no one will know.

 

Given the Commercial Pressure our waters have been put under over the last 20 odd years, you would expect quite a few "accidental" captures of broadbills which in turn would alert the commercials to them being there in reasonable numbers.

I take yer points...but as there has been one washed up, surely that means that they are there....mibbes not in numbers, but there all the same...is it along the lines of a "Stray" fish or two, like birds being blown off course ???? :confused:

 

The book I quoted was written in 1937, and the author was quoting (I think) WW1, and books written around that time....around the time that the Tunny were showing up..before the heavy commercial fishing that is happening now..I have some books written around then, and will see what they say .....

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

3 in a hundred years.. I think that passes as "strays"

 

Oh and BTW Fish cant read books

[stan4massey]

Norrie,

 

from memory I think Clive Gammon also wrote a book where the idea of broadbill in UK waters was simply accepted as a matter of fact, nothing unusual whasoever about it. I can see where Davy is coming from with the commercial guys not fishing for them but on the other hand the cost of setting up a boat for lining for swords, correct handling and on board storage and the likes could well be prohibitive. That there not taken accidentally proves nothing, certainly not that they are not here in numbers. It is difficult if not impossible to prove a negative. There is the other point that whilst in some areas and sea conditions they are fished for shallow, (sight fishing off venezuela in daytime) in other areas and conditions baits can be set from 100 to 800 or 1000ft. How many commercials are working they depths? Everyone is entitled to an opinion for my part I am happy that they are off our coasts in numbers sufficient to make for an entertaining outing. If you had mentioned taking bluefin off Donegal say ten years ago you would have been laughed at.