Swordfish Surprise: How a Billfishing Trip Turned Record-Breaking

The crew of the Trade Desk, a 60-foot Hatteras, set out from Orange Beach for a three-day billfishing adventure. Little did they know, a casual thought about swordfish would soon become an Alabama Saltwater Record Book entry!

The Crew and the Goal

Robert Fritze, his dad Ron, and buddies Harold Wells, Jamie Boyd, Wes Hagler, and Robert Parks planned the trip for marlin and sailfish. "We saw where people were having success," said Fritze, "We headed southwest, thinking about deep-dropping, but it wasn’t the main goal, so we just pushed on.”

Dolphin, Wahoo, and a Spooked Marlin

Near the Delta House platform, the crew found a less-than-productive rip. They continued south, catching dolphin (mahi mahi), a wahoo, and some barracuda. A blue marlin even followed a barracuda to the boat, but vanished.

The Night Bite

As darkness fell, they jigged for tuna and prepped blackfins for bait. Fritze took the first watch, setting out a squid and light setup for swordfish.

Hooked Up!

After a while, the swordfish took the bait. "I grabbed the rod and got in the chair," Robert said. “He was down about 300 feet when he bit. It took about 30 minutes until we saw the fish the first time... Then he came back up, and I saw the bill coming out of the water... My buddy, Harold, said, ‘That’s a tank.’”

The Battle Begins

The fish dove deep, peeling off line. “He peeled drag off for a good bit, and then it was a slow, steady going away," Fritze recalled. After a grueling 4.5-hour battle, the crew finally had the massive swordfish boat-side.

Mayhem on Deck

Lacking proper gear, they used ropes tied to gaffs to secure the fish. “I got out of the chair and fell down immediately," Fritze said. “We finally got him in, and we were dumbfounded by the fact we actually got him in the boat.”

Heading Back

Without a fish bag, they headed back, facing a storm on the way.

Record Breaker!

A crowd awaited them at Orange Beach Marina. The scale read 550.3 pounds! "I tackled my dad," Fritze said, overwhelmed.

More Fishing!

Instead of celebrating, they refueled and headed back out, catching barrel fish, tilefish, and more dolphin. Jamie even caught his first sailfish.

A Lifetime Fish

"It was the fish of many lifetimes," Fritze said. "Doing it with my dad meant a lot. All we’ve ever done is fish.”