Sailfish
Sailfish can become huge, in fact catching one that is over 7 feet long is not rare at all, and besides their great length, they can weigh over 100 lbs. They are recognized by their huge and distinct dorsal fin that travels almost the entire length of their body, this fin prominent and is so sail shaped, that it gives the fish it's name.
Sailfish are generally colored bluish-gray in color over the majority of their body area, with blue stripes and other markings, their huge dorsal fin is usually dark blue to almost black in color. They have a very long, upper sword like jaw or beak as it's often called, that can grow to be a few feet long, rigid and quite sharp.
Sailfish were once one of the most prized fish to catch by sports fishermen, and they usually ended up as being mounted and displayed on the wall of a den, sports bar, office, man cave, or some other location for visitors to see, but over the years they were fished so much that their numbers dropped a lot, now days most fishermen that land a sailfish, take photo's of their catch, and measurements, then they let it go back into the water.
When hooked, Sailfish perform some of the most amazing acrobatics of any fish, often appearing to run or swim across the surface of the water, being suspended by just their tails, and at other times, leaping completely out of the water, sometimes doing complete flips and crazy turns and other movements. This fish uses every bit of it's huge size and strength to give any angler a nice battle.
When fishing for Sailfish using bait, two popular methods are still fishing or trolling using live baits, and some of the favorite live baits for Sailfish fishing amongst numerous anglers are; ballyhoo, yellowtail snapper, herring, tuna and needlefish. If live baits are not available you may have as much success trolling, using the same baitfish, cut into strips, and you can also try trolling for Sailfish using squid.
When fishing for Sailfish using lures, you may wish to try using lures that simulate the live food they desire, such as artificial baitfish lures, as well as imitation squid.
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