Solo Angler Boats 529-Pound Swordfish Off Maine Coast

A Biddeford tuna fisherman went looking for bluefin and ended up with what could become Maine’s first state-record rod-and-reel swordfish. Max Mourmouras, a 27-year-old merchant marine, landed a 529-pound broadbill solo on August 21 while fishing 10 miles offshore in Saco Bay, according to Outdoor Life.

A Tuna Bait, a Different Predator

Mourmouras was working 200 feet of water aboard his 32-foot boat “Retreviah” when the swordfish took an 18-inch squid bait suspended halfway to the bottom — a setup meant for bluefin. He’s no stranger to big fish, having caught a couple of large bluefins this year including a 600-pounder, and he typically fishes alone.

The hookup didn’t read as a swordfish at first. “At first I thought it was a shark, but 20 minutes into the fight it jumped 70 yards from my boat,” Mourmouras told Outdoor Life. “You never forget something like that.”

A 90-Minute Fight, Solo

His boat was anchored with the line tethered to a surface ball float, a rig that let him detach quickly and chase a hooked fish. That paid off — he had to leave the anchor and pursue the broadbill, maneuvering around other boats in the area while it stayed in relatively shallow water.

Unlike a tuna, the fish held near the surface throughout, and Mourmouras fought it on heavy 130-class tackle. He battled it for about 90 minutes, staying directly above the fish to keep control.

“It was hard to maneuver the fish compared to tuna,” he said. Swordfish have a reputation for charging boats and spearing transoms, but this one wasn’t aggressive toward the angler or the boat.

Two Harpoons to Seal It

Landing the fish took more than the rod. “Finally, I harpooned it with a detachable dart head. But when I pulled on the line to the dart, it came out. So I had to battle it again with my rod to get it close again for another harpoon,” Mourmouras said.

Roughly 30 minutes later he connected with a second harpoon carrying a detachable dart head — a rig that functions much like a flying gaff used for marlin and other big gamefish.

“I slowly pulled him close to my boat and I got a tail rope around it,” he said. “Once I had him with a dart line and tail roped, plus my fishing line, I had control of the fish and called my friend Tim O’Brien for help.” O’Brien, fishing for tuna nearby, helped get the broadbill aboard.

Certified Weight and a Record Bid

Mourmouras ran the fish to Norwoods Marina in Saco, where it was weighed on certified scales at 529 pounds. Officials from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries were on hand to inspect the catch, which the angler describes as a rare shallow-water swordfish.

He has submitted an application to the state for what would be a first-ever swordfish rod-and-reel record.

The fish has already been processed for meat, and Mourmouras kept the head and tail. He’s considering a skull mount of the head and bill. “The tail width is huge, about 4 feet from tip-to-tip,” he said.

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