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Posted on 03/28/2026 2:44:52 PM PDT by DFG
A Florida fisherman changed his luck recently in a big way.
Captain Jose Rodriguez Jr. of Cudjoe Key, Florida, takes clients out four to five times a week on a Florida Keys fishing charter to reel in trophy fish.
But he’d never come close to catching a monster 500-pound swordfish.
On Feb. 18, Rodriguez, along with a Pennsylvania family, landed a giant 480-pound swordfish, one of the largest of its kind caught in the Keys in recent years.
“It was definitely a fight and a struggle,” Rodriguez, who helps run the family business, Above & Below Fishing Adventures, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“We fought the fish for five hours, and it took us at least another half hour to control the fish on the side of the boat before we could pull it over the side,” he said.
The Florida Keys are known for drawing large species like swordfish, but landing one of this size requires specialized deep-sea techniques and is considered rare.
“Everyone’s in search of a nickel, which is 500 pounds, but it rarely happens in the Keys,” said Rodriguez, 25.
When he started the fishing trip, it seemed like a “normal” day, he said. A Pennsylvania couple had chartered the boat to celebrate their son’s high school graduation.
As Rodriguez first spotted the swordfish, he knew it was large, but he wasn’t sure how massive it would be.
“Not everyone’s prepared to catch a 500-pound fish.”
“Then my mate and I got a really good eye on it, and we basically sealed the deal,” he said.
At first, the Pennsylvania family didn’t realize the importance of what was happening, he said. But the two children aboard were big supporters.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Pretty exciting. Is the water clean there?
I only eat wild Alaskan fish, Water there is still fairly clean. My Safeway has both cod and salmon available in freezer. Well-priced too.
Probably east side of the Keys. Good drop off near shore.
Little fuel, big fish.
I catch them dressed that big!
They drop the hook down to 1000ft and wait for them to bite.
Whoa.
PA fisherman story Ping!
Check if Miami is emitting a brown stream into the ocean - they used to dump raw sewage which was killing the marl and coral in the upper keys. Key West was fine, however.
Just do not eat farmed salmon!! Make sure the fish you buy is UNDER the ice, not on top - on top, the fish will begin to rot - the salmon should have no smell nor any other sea food.
Here is what they look like swimming on the surface in Southern California.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQAyMfZCSHj/
We had a vacation house in the east side of the Keys decades ago. Key Largo. Husband and his friend Mike had some fancy boat, very fast, right under the house. They liked to go fishing and I liked to shop. Bought a lot of darling clothes there
If that huge fish had come along when I was there, I’d be on its side. It would feel like killing your grandfather. But then, I’ve always like animals better than people. No, my grandfathers weren’t fish but maternal one was Head Rigger at Ingalls huge shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi during WW2. He ate a lot of fish.
Now my family consists of my cat, Daisy and me. I eat fish but she hates it.
We’re gonna need more lemon wedges.
Mmmmm, swordfish!
sidebar:
SHARK BECOMES SNACK! 500-pound goliath grouper eats shark as Florida fishermen watch - ABC15 Digital (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjBT9o9xzhM
I hooked a pretty big one off Islamorada once. It stripped my reel and kept heading for Cuba..😏
I loooove swor5dfish- one of my favorites next to tuna steaks
Someone in Cuba really needed that swordfish for food. People there are so poor.
We’re a long ways from Spencer Tracy taking 3 days to haul it in just to have all the barracuda tear up his work.
We’re a long ways from Spencer Tracy taking 3 days to haul it in just to have all the barracuda tear up his work.
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The last book I hope to read is: The Old Man and the Sea.
“They drop the hook down to 1000ft and wait for them to bit”
No swordfish are surface feeders notice the article correctly said they spotted the fish before it was hooked they went after it. Drones are illegal, ever wonder why offshore fishing ships in this area have very high flying b bridges wonder no more they post a spotter up there to spot the fish just under the surface by the shadow and then chum and troll it in.
Our cars don’t like fish, either. 🤔
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