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The Fishing News
00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abb0000 with Steve JunkerEach week during saltwater fishing season Steve Junker checks in with the folks at On the Water magazine and others to find out who's catching what where around the Cape and Islands—and how they're doing it. 00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abc0000For a detailed weekly Fishing Forecast, check out On the Water.00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abb0001

Deep Dropping for Swordfish at the Edge of the Continental Shelf

Andy Nabreski
Dr. Jon Pilcher works an electric reel with a swordfish attached 1,800 feet of down, in the waters of the Northeast Canyons.

In the last few years, offshore fishermen from the Cape have started to adopt a technique more commonly used in southern waters. It's called deep dropping, and it means fishing more than a quarter-mile deep, using electric reels and as much as eight pounds of sinker weight.

Andy Nabreski, at On The Water magazine, talks about the technique of deep dropping for swordfish, and about the slow rebound of the swordfish population, following overfishing in the 1960s.  We've also got a round-up of the local fishing action, including strong fluke fishing off Nantucket. Give it a listen. 

On the Water has a detailed article about how to rig for deep dropping here.

Steve is Managing Editor of News. He came to WCAI in 2007. He also hosts the weekly News Roundup on Friday mornings and produces The Fishing News.