Florida crew lands 683-pound swordfish

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MARATHON, Fla., April 5 (UPI) -- A Florida boat captain said it took him and his crew more than 2 hours to land a 683-pound swordfish off the Florida Keys.

Billy Rabito Jr., captain of the Marathon-based Mystique, which is owned by Katherine MacMillan, said the giant fish bit a 5-pound bonito hooked to 80-pound braid spooled on an electric Shimano Tiagra reel Tuesday and it took the crew about 2 hours to bring the fish to the boat and additional time to haul it aboard, Keysnet.com reported Thursday.

"I feel blessed to have hooked that fish, keep it hooked and get it to the boat," Rabito said. "Daytime fish can often come unhooked, so it's the opportunity of a lifetime."

The swordfish was weighed on a scale recently certified by the International Game Fish Association and the state of Florida, but it is not eligible for a state or IGFA record because it was caught using an electric reel.

The official state record holder is a 612.75-pound broadbill caught off Key Largo in 1978, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.