Islamorada Swordfish Charters
The Gladiator of the Sea | 10 Hour Expedition
Daytime Swordfishing in the Florida Keys
An Islamorada swordfish charter is a 10-hour daytime deep-drop trip that targets swordfish in 1,400 to 1,800 feet of water using heavy electric gear. DirtyBoat runs these expeditions for serious offshore anglers, but beginners can absolutely do it if they want the real deal and are ready for a full day offshore.
Swordfish are one of the most sought-after fish on the planet. Anglers chase them for the prehistoric look, the raw strength, and the fight they put up at the surface.
Who It's For
Anglers who want a true offshore expedition, trophy potential, and heavy tackle work instead of a casual short trip.
What To Expect
A long run, a handful of quality drops, deep water, electric reels, and a lot of anticipation between bites.
What's Included
The crew, heavy tackle, licenses, bottled water, ice, and fish cleaning. Bring food, weather gear, sunglasses, and tip for the mate.
The Drop Zone: 1,800ft
We venture offshore to Floyd’s Wall, a well-known canyon for swordfish. We drop carefully rigged heavy baits with 10lb+ sinkers to depths of 1,400′ to 1,800′. Swordfish lie on the bottom during the day, so we take the fight to their doorstep.
The Bonus Action
While there is no guarantee when hunting gladiators, the journey is filled with anticipation. As we traverse the deep blue, we keep a sharp eye for diving birds and floating debris that signal life.
The Ride Home: Running back through Mahi territory often turns up acrobatic schools, so the action keeps going until we reach the dock.
State-of-the-Art Armory
You can typically expect 4-6 drops on a standard charter. To make them count, we run some of the best gear on the Atlantic:
- ⚡ Lindgren-Pitman SV-1200 Electric Reels
- ⚡ Shimano Tiagra 50W Hooker Electrics
- ⚡ AVET 50W with Dolphin Assist
- 📡 Garmin 3KW Chirp Transducers
"We leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of the leviathan."
From the DirtyBoat Catch Log
DirtyBoat Catch Log: Record Fish
463 lbs, The Monster
26 miles offshore. Daylight fading. Waves stacking up. Captain Kit was 15 minutes from calling it when crewman Jack Philip said a prayer, and then the rod went off.
What followed was a 2.5-hour battle with a fish they thought was 200 to 300 lbs until it surfaced. Mate Jose Boza fought it alone. Mate John McConnell put the harpoon in her. The DirtyBoat drifted 3 miles with that fish before she came to the boat.
She weighed 463 pounds on the scale at the marina. Featured in Keys Weekly as one of the biggest swordfish ever caught out of Islamorada.
"I'll be lucky if I see a fish like that again. It just goes to show there are some true sea monsters." Captain Kit Carson
463 lbs, 26 Miles Offshore
First Mate John reaches for the gaff as the dart sets, with the 463lb swordfish pinned at the surface after a 2.5-hour battle.
Reserve the Hunt
10-hour daytime expeditions. Choose your date of destiny.
That day's either booked solid or off our regular schedule. Call us: we keep a waitlist for last-minute openings, and we work with a fleet of sister boats that can run if we can't.
📞 Call (305) 209-5594 See Sister-Boat Fleet →Check Affiliate Private Availability
If DirtyBoat is booked, we can still get your group on the water. Our partner fleet (Miss Penny, Just Cuz, Blue Heaven, and Islamorada Luxe) is vetted to the DirtyBoat standard. From deep sea fishing to private sandbar trips and sunset cruises.
Voyage Intel
-
Duration
Full 10 Hours
-
Crew
Up to 6 People
The Supplies
- 🔱 Weatherproof clothing
- 🔱 Polarized sunglasses
- 🔱 Heavy Rations (Long Day)
- 🔱 Boots or Non-marking shoes
- 🔱 Bounty for the Mate (15-20%)
The Armament
- ⚔️ All Electric Reels
- ⚔️ Heavy Baits & Leads
- ⚔️ All Federal Licenses
- ⚔️ Iced Provisions (Water)
- ⚔️ Full Catch Cleaning
Articles of Agreement
The Payment
Swordfish expeditions require significant preparation. Online bookings are paid in full. Cash is king at the dock.
The Mate's Share
Customary gratuity for our battle-hardened crew is 15%-20%.
Voyage Cancellation
- • 14+ Days: Full refund (less 6% fee).
- • 7-13 Days: 50% refund.
- • Weather/Captain Call: Full refund or credit.
Islamorada Swordfish FAQs
Real answers to questions I actually get on the dock.
What is daytime swordfishing?
Daytime swordfishing was pioneered right here in the Florida Keys. We deep-drop weighted baits to 1,400-1,800 feet at Floyd's Wall: a canyon 26 miles southeast of Islamorada: where broadbills lie on the bottom during the day. Chemical light stick draws the fish, electric reel handles the lift. 10-hour expedition.
How deep do you actually fish?
1,400 to 1,800 feet, sometimes deeper. Squid or bonito belly strip on a 12/0 circle hook, 10-15 pound sash weight as a breakaway lead, chemical light 30 feet up from the bait. The Lindgren-Pitman SV-1200 electric reel does the work: you couldn't manually reel that depth all day.
Where is Floyd's Wall?
An underwater canyon 26 miles southeast of Islamorada, at the edge of the continental shelf where the Gulf Stream flows hardest. 1.5 to 2 hours each way on the 42' DirtyBoat 2.0 with twin Cummins diesels. That's why these are 10-hour trips, not half days.
What's the best month?
Year-round, but December through April is most consistent. Winter weather windows are shorter, but when seas allow the run, the bite is on. Summer trips run when seas are flat. I won't push a bad-weather day for swordfish: the run is too far.
How much does it cost?
$2,700 plus $500 fuel for up to 6 anglers: the heavier fuel reflects the 52 miles round-trip to Floyd's Wall. The 10 hours include captain, mate, Lindgren-Pitman electrics, all the deep-drop tackle, bait, light sticks, licenses, ice, and fish cleaning.
What gear do you run?
Lindgren-Pitman SV-1200 electric reels (the workhorse for deep-drop swordfish), 12/0 circle hooks, 10-15 lb sash weights as breakaway leads, chemical light sticks, and bonito belly strips or whole squid for bait. Everything is tournament-grade: same setups we use at the Master Angler tournaments.
How big do they get?
Most charter swordfish run 60 to 200 pounds. The big ones come out of these waters every season: DirtyBoat landed a 463-pounder featured in Keys Weekly in 2023. Bycatch on these trips includes blue marlin, big-eye tuna, oilfish, and snowy grouper. You never know what's coming up.
Keep or release?
Swordfish are legal harvest. Federal and Florida law allows 1 per angler per day, 47-inch minimum (lower jaw to fork). We release smaller fish and keep legal-sized fish anglers want to take home. Fight time averages 30 minutes for an 80-pounder; can hit 4+ hours on a 300-pound class fish.
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