A group of young men reached out to me with one clear goal: put a big swordfish on the deck and learn the process behind it. After more than a decade of running charters and chasing billfish, I’ve reached a point where my job isn’t just about catching fish — it’s about giving back. My role now is to teach, to set a standard for the next generation through patience, discipline and hard work.
We ran south, about 20 miles out the mouth of the Mississippi River, and set up for our first drops. The bait of choice was squid, and within an hour we were hooked up. The fish was heavy and for 30 minutes it gave us everything — until the hooks pulled. The young men got their first real taste of what a sword battle feels like, and even though we lost that fish, I knew it lit a fire in them. We reset and kept working.
After a couple of quiet hours, I made a small move into deeper water, about a mile over, and dropped another squid. By then it was late morning, prime time in my experience for big swordfish on a full moon. Fewer bites, but the ones you get are the right kind. At about 1,300 feet, we came tight again — this time to a fish that would test every bit of patience and grit on the boat.
A three-hour battle
The swordfish showed herself just 15 minutes into the fight, launching out of the water 50 yards off the bow. Right then, I knew what we were dealing with. As someone who’s been blessed to hold the Mississippi state record with a 309-pound swordfish and who won the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic in 2021, I’ve seen what 300-pound fish can do. This one had the same presence.
What followed was a three-hour battle in the worst conditions you can imagine. Thunderstorms rolled off the mouth of the river, and we fought the fish through lightning, wind and heavy seas. The boys hand-cranked the rod, taking turns, staying calm when it would have been easy to panic. We talked through every step — don’t rush, keep the pressure steady, stay locked in. A swordfish of this caliber isn’t just a fight of strength, it’s a mental game.
When the fish finally came boat-side, the reward was a 297-pound swordfish — caught by hand crank, in brutal weather, after three long hours. What impressed me most wasn’t just the fish, but how these young anglers carried themselves. They listened, they learned, and they proved that when you combine patience, discipline and determination, good things happen.
This trip reminded me why I do what I do. The offshore world can be tough, and too often we lose sight of what matters: passing down knowledge, teaching the right ways, and coming together as a community on the water. For me, delivering unforgettable big-game pelagic experiences is about more than the fish in the box — it’s about preparing the next generation to take the torch.
Capt. Donnie Jackson Jr. is the owner and operator of Tails Up Offshore Fishing Charters out of Venice. To learn more or to book a trip, visit Tailsupoffshore.com (http://tailsupoffshore.com).
