swordfish shootout

Some beastly fish hit the scales at Capt’n Butchers!

A swordfish tournament in East Central Florida — it can’t be done. Daytime swordfishing is just for the anglers in South Florida, they said. Well, have I got news for you. The team at Strike-Zone Fishing in Melbourne said we can and we will, and they did… and it was awesome!

This past weekend 21 boats competed in the first annual Swordfish Shootout here in East Central Florida. Angler’s fished both Friday and Saturday to try and catch the biggest overall fish and take first place in the tournament. If You Ain’t First, You’re Last! However, that’s not the case because the tournament rewarded second and third place finishes as well.

swordfish shootout

The weigh-in location was Capt’n Butcher’s Seafood Restaurant & Marina in Sebastian. What an incredible venue for the weigh-in and awards! I have to say, the staff at Capt’n Butcher’s was fantastic and helped make the weigh-in go smoothly. It’s such a cool location, too. Cold drinks, great food, boat accessibility, and they even recently started carrying live bait. That’s a recipe for success to every angler’s heart.

As usual, the team at Strike-Zone didn’t disappoint. There were raffle items for those in attendance but the highlight of the day was certainly the fish. There were some amazing fish weighed, such as the first place 364 pound swordfish caught by team Signed In. What a beast!

You need to put this tournament on your calendar for next year, I can only see this one getting bigger and better!