R.J. Boyle has made a name for himself catching broadbill swordfish in the Gulf Stream during daylight hours. His approach to daytime swordfishing combines patience, precise technique and deep knowledge of currents and gear, allowing him to locate and land giant fish in waters that are often 1,700 to 1,800 feet deep.
Even with 10 pounds of lead, a bait can take an extraordinarily long time to reach the bottom in that depth. The suspense of waiting for a massive swordfish to take the bait — and the chance to see a powerful animal fighting in full daylight — seems to make that drop feel even longer. It’s the same feeling you had as a kid: the trip to the movie theater seemed to take forever, while the ride home flew by.
It’s almost absurd to imagine finding a single swordfish in so much water, much less hooking it and hauling it to the surface. Swordfish are powerful, stubborn and famously difficult to land. Yet skilled crews working off Hillsboro Inlet in South Florida routinely find and catch swordfish in the dark depths beneath the Gulf Stream, bringing those fish to the surface in daylight for anglers to witness.
Dr. Ruben Jaen is widely credited with developing the daytime deep-drop technique used on rod and reel to target swordfish. Fishing Venezuela’s La Guaira Bank, Jaen frequently pursued swordfish to complete a “grand slam” or “super slam” of billfish species. Modern daytime deep-drop methods have evolved considerably from Jaen’s original approach, but they retain the same core principles: get the bait to depth quickly, keep slack out of the system so bites are felt, and be ready to retrieve line aggressively when a fish is hooked.
How Boyle Mastered Daytime Deep-Drop
Dropping bait 1,800 feet is one challenge; doing it while the boat is being pushed north at 3 to 4 knots by the Gulf Stream is another. That moving current makes the bait trail and changes how equipment behaves, creating three main obstacles: avoiding tangles on the drop, maintaining control of the boat (often by pointing the bow south while the craft creeps north), and being able to hook and retrieve fish after a strike.
When Boyle first began daytime swordfishing, he would feel bites but struggle to set hooks. Through trial and error, he discovered that separating the bait farther from the 10-pound sinker significantly improved hookup rates. Over months of experimentation he refined the technique for high-current conditions and began returning to the dock with consistent evidence that daytime swordfishing in the Gulf Stream works.
Boyle even developed a practical guideline for how much line it takes to reach bottom under specific conditions. For a 1,750-foot bottom with a 3.2-knot current using a 10-pound lead, his measurements show that:
- 65-pound braid requires about 2,100 feet of line to hit bottom;
- 80-pound braid needs roughly 2,250 feet;
- 100-pound braid takes approximately 2,400 feet.
Figuring out those numbers took a long time, but they now help anglers make reliable choices for gear and line length when fishing in strong currents.
Background and Work Ethic
Boyle’s unassuming personality — tall, good-natured and a bit playful — belies a focused, detail-oriented angler. He almost reached the professional ranks as a pitcher in the Miami Marlins’ farm system before turning to a career on the water. He worked his way up through deckhand positions out of Hillsboro Inlet, learning the trade and refining his skills on a succession of sportfishing boats.
In the early 1990s Boyle landed a pivotal role as first mate on the 72-foot Donzi Concrete Machine, a high-end sportfishing yacht run by Captain Bill McMurray. The demanding schedule and high standards on that vessel taught Boyle discipline and precision: from managing line connections to inspecting leaders and keeping hooks razor-sharp. Those lessons are evident in his meticulous approach to swordfishing today.
Boyle has since built a reputation for consistency and hard work. He’s landed thousands of swordfish — including fish in the 600-plus pound range — and continues to head out roughly 100 days a year. He emphasizes preparation and attention to detail over flash: careful rigging, frequent gear checks, and a willingness to put in the hours at sea.
Alongside his fishing career, Boyle has long explored his artistic side. During long runs to and from fishing grounds he sketched scenes from life at sea and eventually began selling shirts and original artwork. He still paints swordfish bills by hand and offers authentic pieces that include details about the fish and where it was caught, signed with a certificate of authenticity under the R.J. Boyle Studio name.
Boyle now runs a sturdy, character-filled 1987 31-foot Ocean Master named Datsnasty, equipped with twin 250-hp Suzuki outboards. He credits the boats he’s worked on and the long hours at sea with shaping his skills and outlook. “My goal every year is to fish one more day than the year before,” he says. “I’ve got the best job in the world, and I can look anyone in the eye and say I’ve earned it.”
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June 2013 issue