AA jackpot

[Lake]

First place jp on the Angler goes to a swordfish. Interesting. Seems like most jp's don't include billfish.

 

[Bill W]

Maybe the posted jackpot rules exclude marlin. Swordfish are not related to marlin.. A catch of a lifetime for sure...

 

[luckylogger6]

I was just on the boat at the beginning of the month. I could have swore I read the JP rules hung up in the galley stating no "billfish". Also says captain's call is final. looked like he caught it on bait or iron and maybe everyone agreed to let him have 1st place. I would love to hear the story behind the fish.

 

[Pangamaster]

Sounds like he caught the jackpot ....whether it was the money kind or not! What a score! Fish of a lifetime!

 

[Baller]

Who cares about the JP when you catch a Swordie...!!!!

I know I would have cared less if they allowed the fish in the jackpot or not...

Big congrats to the lucky Angler (Pun intended...)!!!!

 

[screamingreel]

Many individual trips have different rules for the JP depending on what is agreed upon by the group/charter master.

If I caught a swordfish, I would not care about a jackpot. If I was in second place with the largest eligible tuna when it was posted billfish are excluded from the JP, I would care .

Congratulations to whomever caught it. Awesome catch!!

- Jeff Burroughs

 

[walkerman]

Maybe because folks commonly eat swordfish, as opposed to not eating other billfish.

 

[NoLDR]

Would never count on the trips I have been on. Perhaps it was a Charter trip and everything counted?

Brad

 

[T.O.T.W.]

They must've sawed off the bill to prevent a giant tuna kebob in the RSW.

Or maybe just to get it on the scale...I still like the thought of that thing coming out of the hold with 4 YFT stuck to its bill.

 

[Pangamaster]

Been on lots of trips where Marlin were landed....can't even remember one where a Swordie was landed....seen lots of hook ups.....none landed....a sword is in a class by itself. Think Melville!

 

[larryl]

Money was not an issue in this case, as the pot went to the crew, who did a wonderful job to bring the fish to gaff....fish was in a death spiral forever just out of reach.....my friend also was recovering from bypass surgery from April....

 

[hilltop]

epic! truly epic!!! my jps go straight to the crew, so doesn't make any difference to me regarding the billfish qualifying factor. stoked beyond words on a swordy!

 

[bluewaterbum]

On every boat I've been on, when the crew helps to bring it to gaff, then it wouldn't have been a jackpot fish. Doesn't matter the health of the fisherman. I have a bad shoulder and back and have had fish disqualified because of deckhand help.

That said, to the angler great catch, would love to catch one myself on day

 

[Phil]

Pretty amazing catch. I don't have the number of trips some of you guys have, but have been long ranging for 18 years - have only seen two swordfish on deck and both were crew-caught on deep drop at night.

larryl - what did the angler catch the fish on? Bait or jig? I'd bet the cameras came out on that fish when it hit the deck!!

 

[larryl]

50lb with sinker and big circle hook and sardine...Avet Hx...going for big BFT in the grey light....they thought it was a shark at first. Crew was awesome...Brian (aka Landfill) who is 6 ft 4 in 240lb finished it off under watchful eye of Capt Ray who manuvered the boat...it was a team effort and great to watch....my friend Russ also got a 500lb marlin at Clarion on the Excel when Grabowski was the capt. Crew deserved the JP...

 

[wils]

Great story!!!

I always love how internet experts dictate how JPs are to be played out on OTHER PEOPLES' trips. Sometimes, onsite realities supersede internet "rules". I "lost" JP to a troll fish one trip. My buddys son was stuck in the corner on a troll fish and needed help.
2 things wrong here: "troll" and "help"
2 things right superceding the "wrongs": "son" and the lesson that the JP goes to the crew.

 

[jer dog]

Went looking for a thread that would answer my question rather than start a new one.
My 1st 16 day trip at 45 had me seeing a 65+ guy with a broken TLD 30 win the jackpot after much help from the crew. Didn't seem right at the time but was told you will be an old coot someday and this guy is a regular. Now some 20+ years later I am an old coot with hands that can cramp up at times. Will not be entering the jackpot on an upcoming trip because I recognize I may need help on a big cow and learned a valuable lesson from that old guy in the mid 80s who after receiving help went on to claim the jackpot. I vowed at the time this won't be me someday as it wouldn't be fair to the younger guys who all agree to play by the rules.
I give all the jackpot money to the crew anyway and I believe this elderly guy in the mid 80s may have done the same but that's not the issue, playing by the rules is the issue and I wondered how any captain with a boat full of elderly people will break this news to them that in no way shape or form will an assisted catch count in the jackpot with the exception of working around the anchor. Any thoughts? Should guys in their 70s catch a break? When I was 45 I agreed they should. Now that I am pushing those same numbers I will not be looking for any considerations and thus perceptive enough to recognize my possible limitations. So sitting out on the jackpot will remove me from all this drama and the animosity I would feel should this situation repeat itself. Am I missing something?

Gary you're making the right call.
I turned 60 last year, and I have a bad back, and
had surgery on my Colon , so
on a couple Trips last year,
with the BFT around, I didn't enter,
and I did hook one,that I had to hand off,
getting old Sucks.

 

[Steve K]

How bizarre to resurrect a four year old thread regarding a Swordfish and the JP, to try to relate to getting older and needing help finishing off a fish. In this case, Gary, I think you would have been better off starting a new thread.

I’m sure many of us have seen cases where the amount of crew help given to either help out during the fight or to finish off a fish, still resulted in the angler winning the Jackpot. I’m not quite there yet, but one of these years, it could happen.

 

[ZZZZZ]

Swordfish is a exception along with crew help

On my 3rd grade birthday. We were on the Mascot 6 overnight at the Coronados in early October. I was muscled out of the stern and I could not compete with the adults fishing GOOD grade yellows. My paps does not flyline so no help there. I saw a Huge Anchovy when the bait was Sardines. Tied a dropper loop above the flyline hook and added a torpedo. Sent down the Giant Chovie from the bow and a 51.1lb BSB ate it. Fought the fish and thought it was a grouper. Fish got thrown onto the deck.

There were adults trying to DQ my fish from the JP, what dicks. Shamed me. Because it was a bottom fish and a BSB in mexico. Technically BSB do eat bonito and cuda and they do live in the kelp. Like a WSB. The fish was skin mounted

Made Western Out Door News that probably really pissed them off

Would let it go today but geeez on a kids birthday. Let the kid have it grumpy men

 

[FishRock]

Seems like the Jackpot just leads to someone getting pissed for no good reason. Only reason I enter is to add some cash to the pot for the crew. I did keep my winnings the first time I won it with a cow to cover processing costs but have donated everything else since then.

If you DQ'd anyone who got any crew assistance then I bet there would only be one or two fish on any given trip that would qualify. Assuming the only assistance you could get was from the crew to gaff the fish.

 

[okie man]

only one I don’t understand is kite fish not counting! If you hold the rod, work the baits and hook the fish on your own it should count if everyone gets a rotation. Hell on my trip, I got less time on the kite than anyone! Fought the fish myself and was hooked up to a bait fish before they could drag my cow to the scale!

 

[Cast Gold]

only one I don’t understand is kite fish not counting! If you hold the rod, work the baits and hook the fish on your own it should count if everyone gets a rotation. Hell on my trip, I got less time on the kite than anyone! Fought the fish myself and was hooked up to a bait fish before they could drag my cow to the scale!

What boat is this? Sounds like it should allow kite fish to count for JP if the angler is holding the rod when it gets bit.

 

[ZZZZZ]

I think its because its like winning the lottery. But not on a even playing field because not everyone can fish the kite at the same time. It does take paying attention to fish the kite good and to keep the baits tap dancing on the surface without choking the bait out from being above the water or allowing the bait to be too deep. In a rolling swell it takes effort and not spacing out day dreaming. There is kite jail and then there are anglers who create kite jail for themselves. When kite jail is created it can be frustrating for those next in line pay attention and get bit

I have 5 cows with 3 of them over 280lbs and a dock weighed 198lb. One cow came on the kite which was a 209lb. It was a tough fish and I will never forget when the captain told the crew to stay with the cow. And they came over to me. It was a squeaker cow but the captain knew

 

[stella marina]

Fish on!

 

[Steve K]

I like fishing the kite. My first two cows were both on the kite, 10 years ago. I’ve fished a boat that allows kite fish to contend for the jackpot, and I’m OK with that, IF, if everyone has a turn on the kite. Fished a trip on the boat at Guadalupe and only five guys had a turn on the kite. JP winner, 110 lbs, yep, you guessed it. On the kite! That ain’t right!

I fish the Angler quite a bit. Kite fish, like troll fish, are DQ from the JP. Why? Because not everyone gets to fish the kite or troll at the same time. Works for me.