Billfish Feeding
Posted on 01. Feb, 2012 by AFTCO in General Fishing
Anglers have known for some time that that broadbill swordfish do in fact use their bills to help them secure a meal. For example, Southern California anglers have watched firsthand as swordfish cut their mackerel in half with a quick flip of the bill. While sailfish are best known for their above water antics, Guy Harvey also depicts them below the water Marlin and sailfish, however, were a different story. There had long been a debate as to whether or not marlin and sailfish actually used their bills to stun and then eat a bait, or did they simply use their bills as a balancing mechanism to assist in their swimming motion? When a marlin or sailfish rises in the spread and attempts to eat the trolled lure or rigged bait, the bill moves violently in that effort. Some have thought that the fish were attempting to hit the bait with their bill while others have speculated that the bill played no part in the effort and simply followed the movements and direction of the fish’s excited and hungry mouth. Even slow motion video of surface feeding billfish could not conclude this long standing debate. Feeding sailfish as witnessed firsthand by Guy Harvey This long standing debate ended during an underwater filming expedition where Guy was able to not only witness firsthand, but also film on different occasions both marlin and sailfish using their bill’s to stun and catch meal.
