Fridays sunrise found us around 60 miles offshore with beautiful conditions, light winds and seas less than 2ft. The baits were deployed and it wasn't long before one of our reels was screaming. Brian got the rod to the chair and began battling the fish. 10 minutes or so later we had our first fish of the weekend boatside. I grabbed the leader and Bill sunk the gaff home in a nice Yellowfin Tuna. High fives all around and the baits are reset for round two.
We were seeing tunas all around but they weren't interested in our offerings. Activity was everywhere, there were whales swimming all around the boat, tunas busting the surface, birds working over bait. You couldn't ask for a better scenario. The fish, however, must have missed the memo about eating our baits. We spend the majority of the rest of Friday covering water and not getting bites. 
Just before sundown we got a flurry of strikes but were unable to get a hook to stick. We stopped at our overnight swordfishing grounds to shower, eat, and get some sleep, preparing for another full day of fishing on Saturday. We set out the Swordfish rigs, ate a great surf and turf dinner of steak and shrimp, cleaned up, watched the squid, flying fish and baby dolphinfish swimming around the boat, and everyone prepped for bed. By the time we had settled down it was pushing midnight, I managed a really nice nap earlier in the afternoon, so I took the first watch.
I started getting things ready for the next morning, rigging baits and checking tackle, cleaning up the cockpit and looking up at all the stars. Around 0215 the 130# class rod got hit, took about 6 ft of line and stopped. I got to the rod and let the fish start making off with the bait, the drag lever went to strike and I started winding, and that big rod started bending.
As the clicker clicked away, I made my first attempt to rouse the troops, I screamed "FISH, FISH, FISH!!!"
This did not phase either Bill, nor my Dad, both of whom were asleep no more than 12 feet away in the OPEN bridge.
"I'M HOOKED UP AND NEED HELLLLLPP!!!"
Again, no response.
"YOU SORRY (deleted for the sake of underage readers) GET UP AND HELP MEEEEEE!"
This WAS responded to, first by Bill with a mighty "huh?", followed shortly by my Dad with, "whaaaaaat?"
"I HAVE A FISH ON, GET DOWN HERE!"
I get back "OH!!!", in stereo.
By now I am standing on deck trying to tame a 130 with nothing more than a bear hug and knock knees while an angry fish pulls in the other direction. I wish I had a picture of that, I had to look ridiculous. As the half-asleep cavalry nears the battlefield, stretching and yawning, I can see the light, he's not far away now! There's really no time to get into the chair so I wound the light to the rod tip, standing there like some contorted stork in a tug of war with an ox. Bill grabbed the leader and pulled the fish boatside. We get our first good look...SWORDFISH!!! Sweet! I get the rod back in the holder and rush over to help Bill. As the most alert person on board (everyone else has made it out by now) I'm the logical choice to deal with this fish. I reach out, grab the fishes bill, make sure all of my crew is out of the way, and hoist my prize into the boat. What am awesome feeling, I was stoked!
We measured the fish as just shy of the Federal minimum of 47" (from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail) so back in the water he went. High fives and more yawns and they were all ready to go back to bed... and I was wired! I re-set the baits and stayed up for the rest of the night, waiting for the reels to sound again. It didn't seem very long before the eastern sky began to lighten. I pulled the baits, one of which was cut off, and readied all the rods to start trolling.
By 0500 most everyone was up, the engines were started and baits were set. Most of Saturday was uneventful...especially for me, I held on until around 0815 before I checked out for my nap...'til 1300. Later in the afternoon a nice Dolphin pounced on the long line, followed by a Wahoo about 45 minutes later. 1700 and we needed to go to make the scales with a little time left over, just in case.
Although none of our fish were huge, our 56.2 lb Tuna held on to First place!!
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