A fishing sage once wrote something about how trolling for marlin is 98 percent boredom, followed by 2 percent pandemonium when the fish takes the bait. Drifting for swordfish can be that way, also. However, it takes only one sword-often only one bite-to make a fisherman's night. Those thoughts were foremost in my mind when I heard my son yell:

"Swordfish on!"

Kyle had heard the drag when the fish hit, but when he grabbed the rod, he could not feel any tension on the rod. He waited for a second hit. It came and he set up on the fish. The 2 percent pandemonium was under way.

I rushed for my camera as he battled the swordfish. This being Kyle's first-ever sword, I wanted a photo. As he brought the fish alongside the boat, I quickly ran to the stern to capture a shot. Just then the fish began thrashing wildly. 

"Get back, quick!" yelled Kinzy Jones, our wireman for the night. "His bill is headed right at you!"

Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, I retreated, missing my opportunity. Luckily for me, the swordfish missed his, also. I could have sworn that this fish, its long, sharp rapier protruding through the water and flickering in the moonflight, was sizing me up for a sucker punch.

"Touch the leader!" Kyle yelled to Kinzy. He did and it was now the fish was a legitimate catch. To keep the fish from hurting itself-or us-as it struck the boat, Kinzy held the leader tightly and let the fish release itself. It could now grow up to be a Goliath swordfish. We watched it swim away into the night.

Returning to the famous flashing beacon at Hillsboro Inlet, I was convinced that swordfish are on the upswing in South Florida. On a previous trip, Kyle, his neighbor Al Peranio and I had fished with Capt. Casey Hunt of Pompano Beach, a local swordfish expert. That night we had boated a very respectable 160-pound swordfish, and pulled the hook on a second fish. That's two fish landed in two trips-very respectable odds for swordfishing.

Reports from other anglers in the area seem to indicate that swordfish are slowly, but surely, making a comeback. Fishermen hope that one day soon the fishery will be restored to the heyday status of the 1970s and early '80s. Over the intervening years, commercial longline fishing had clearly taken a heavy toll on the stocks, with the average size of fish landed (88 pounds, in 1999) falling well below the size at which female swords begin spawning (about 150 pounds). There was a tremendous problem with longline bycatch of swordfish below the legal minimum size; about 75 percent of these are thought to have died after release. Prodded by conservation groups, the National Marine Fisheries Service last year closed the waters along Florida's entire East Coast to longline fishing-a critical step that may have saved this fishery from the brink. Now, as the fish begin to rebound, conservative sportfishing, with tackle and catch levels scaled to the swordfish population, appears poised to grow right alongside the stocks.

Swordfish are remarkable creatures, known to live as long as 25 to 30 years and attain weights of up to 1,200 pounds. Among sportsmen they are famous for their fighting ability and table quality. For many anglers today, however, swordfishing is as much a social event as it is an effort to bring steaks to the grill.

I had arrived at Kyle's house at 3 p.m., just in time to load my gear and hop into the boat and head toward the Atlantic via Hillsboro Inlet, 15 minutes away. We wasted no time picking up some live goggle-eyes (bigeye scad) at Lighthouse Point Marina and heading 30 miles southeast to deep waters roughly due east of Bakers Haulover, a small inlet at the north end of Miami-Dade County. Swordfishing entails drifting with the northbound Gulf Stream, and thus normally begins with a late-afternoon run to the south.

We began our drift, setting out four lines. We dropped three baits down one at a time (so they would not get tangled) and attached balloons with rubber bands to the lines, holding baits at the 400-, 300- and 200-foot levels. Two of these lines had live goggle-eyes, the third a squid. We rigged them on 9/0 J-hooks tied to 300-pound-test monofilament leader and 80-pound mono line on 80-pound-class trolling reels.

At the top of each 12-foot leader, we affixed a luminous glow stick to attract baitfish and swordfish. Also, we placed glow sticks inside each balloon, so that we could see it glowing on the surface. We used 32-ounce breakaway weights to get the lines down.

We baited a fourth line with a tinker mackerel and sent it down to 60 feet. We did not attach a balloon to this line. We staggered the lines, so that the farthest balloon was barely discernible in the distance.

Although most South Florida swordfish angling is done in 1,000 to 1,500 feet of water, most of the bites come within the first 400 feet of the surface. It's always a good idea to check your depthfinder for bottom structure. Our best luck has come in areas that have good bottom structure-peaks, canyons, steeples and other formations. Waterproof Chart #123F (Side B Southeast Florida Trolling Chart Miami and Offshore) shows some good swordfish sites with GPS numbers, including Swordfish Hill: 26-10'N Lat. and 79-53'W Long. Also, many anglers fish the general area between 25-45'N Lat. and 26-10'N Lat., bounded on the east and west by 79-45'W Long. and 79-55'W Long. Put out a sea anchor to slow your drift and to help keep your boat straight during the drift. Keep a log of bites, and re-drift productive areas.

We put out a chumbag on our last trip and chummed up schools of tinker mackerel that are great swordfish baits. In fact, that's the bait that Kyle caught his swordfish on. We also hooked another swordfish that we didn't slow down. It took a tinker mackerel also. I used a lightweight rod, a small hook and a small piece of squid to easily catch a dozen tinker mackerel. My advice is to take along some goggle-eyes, blue runners or squid as backup, but catch the tinker mackerel if they are around-it's the hottest swordfish bait going.

There are two theories on fighting swordfish. The first is to keep the drag on the reel as tight as the battle will stand and to keep pressure on the fish throughout the fight. That way, the angler doesn't spend half the night fighting a swordfish, only to lose it because it was not hooked solidly. A swordfish has a soft mouth. Also, it slashes its prey with its long bill and often gets hooked in the bill or gets foul hooked in the cheek, the side, or in some other area that is likely to pull loose after time and pressure.

The other method is to loosen the drag, take plenty of time and don't put too much pressure on the fish, even if the battle lasts twice or three times as long. In case the fish is hooked in a soft area, the hook has less chance of pulling loose.

While many swordfish today will be in the sub-100-pound class, some big hitters are still around, according to local fishermen. Al Peranio and offshore fishing pal Pat Patterson recently helped three young anglers hoist a huge swordfish from their small boat to the scales at Lighthouse Point Marina. It weighed 425 pounds. "Each year two or three 350-pounders are caught in this area," said Peranio.

Don't try to boat a green fish. Also, take precautions when handling swordfish. Even with heavy gloves, it can be hazardous. Veteran angler Jack Gardner of Lighthouse Point, who has helped catch three swordfish up to 175 pounds, was releasing a swordfish when its bill penetrated his glove and sliced his hand. Swordfish have been known to spear fishermen and boats as well. He also recommends using a flying gaff if you're going to be bringing fish aboard. "Handle them very carefully," said Gardner. "If you've seen the movie Perfect Storm, you've seen swordfish beating the hell out of the side of the boat. They're aggressive; they don't give up easily."