6 Swordfish Released — Personal Best on the Miss Penny

Some days the ocean gives you everything.

Rolled out at 7 AM aboard the Miss Penny with owner Jack, Captain Chad, Captain Shawn, first mate Jose, and second mate Mark. This trip was special — it was Mark’s last day on the water before the Navy came to pick him up for boot camp. If you’re gonna send a man off to serve his country, you send him off catching swords. No other way to do it.

Lindgren Pitman reels loaded and ready, box of bait from RJ Boyle in the cooler. When you’re going swordfishing, you don’t cut corners on the rig.

First Drop

Hit our first drift around 8:30 in about 1,600 feet of water. Thirty minutes in — bite. Missed him. The kind of miss that makes you grip the gunnel and stare at the rod tip like it owes you money.

We kept drifting. About 20 minutes later I said, “Let’s reset and go back to where we had that bite.” The crew said nah, keep pushing. Fair enough.

Jose Called It

Fifteen minutes later, Jose says the magic words: “Reel ‘em up, we’re resetting.”

Ran a couple miles back down the road, dropped back in — and it was game on. The bite turned on like a switch.

The Numbers

• 6 swordfish released
• 12+ bites throughout the day
• Multiple doubles — two fish on at once, rods bent, crew scrambling
• Zero keepers — every fish went back to fight another day
• Personal best on swordfish count for me

Mark wrote “SEAMEN” on the buoy. He meant “Seaman.” Future sailor can’t spell his own rank yet. We didn’t have the heart to correct him — and honestly, it was too funny to fix. Fair winds, brother. Go make us proud.

None of the fish made keeper size, but honestly? Didn’t matter. When you’re going 6-for-12-plus on swords with doubles making the cockpit look like a rodeo, you don’t need a fish box full of meat to call it a legendary day. And for Mark? Six swordfish on his last day as a civilian. Not a bad way to ship out.

The Gear That Made It Happen

Lindgren Pitman electric reels doing the heavy lifting on the deep drops. Quality bait from RJ Boyle. And a crew that knows when to reset a drift — even if it takes them 15 minutes longer than the captain to figure it out.

The Takeaway

The daytime swordfish bite off Islamorada is on fire right now. If you’ve been thinking about booking a sword trip, stop thinking. The fish are there, the conditions are right, and the deep drop bite is as hot as it gets.

Big thanks to the Miss Penny crew for an unforgettable day on the water. And to Mark — fair winds and following seas, sailor. You left the dock a fisherman and you’ll come back one too. This is what it’s all about — tight lines, good people, and swords coming up from the deep.

Ready to chase your own swordfish? Book a swordfish charter on the DirtyBoat →