OUR HISTORY
THE BOYS FROM BUD N’ MARY’S CAUGHT THEIR FIRST DAYTIME SWORDFISH IN JANUARY OF 2003.
BY 2006 WE STARTED CATCHING IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS
The Stanczyks
Islamorada offers the finest and most consistent swordfishing charters anywhere. Capt Nick Stanczyk and Capt. Scott Stanczyk of Bud N’ Mary’s Marina are two of the pioneers of the daytime swordfishing technique. We have worked through the years to refine our methods to maximize the chance of hooking up with a swordfish.
The Stanczyk family is credited with pioneering Daytime Swordfishing in the United States. Captains Scott and Richard Stanczyk, along with Capt. Vic Gaspeny, caught their first ever daytime swordfish in January 2003. In 2006 we started catching impressive numbers and had the confidence to take clients out on charters. We don’t catch them every trip, but your chance of success is as high as it gets when fishing with us.
The Technique
In the daytime we typically fish depths in the 1400′ – 1800′ range. We have all sorts of different tackle set ups including IGFA legal conventional outfits and rigs, electric assist reels, and just plain electric reels. If you are partial to any particular type of tackle please let us know beforehand so we can rig accordingly. In the daytime we typically fish 1-2 rods for swordfish depending on the conditions (current, seaweed, etc).
What To Expect
The swordfish grounds are anywhere from 25-45 miles from Islamorada. Being that distance we only offer FULL DAY charters when targeting swordfish. The typically run to the swordfish grounds is an hour to an hour and a half. We fish in 1400-1900′ of water along the continental shelf. We use both electric and conventional reels, so it’s completely up to the you on what sort of tackle you want to use. We fish 1 – 2 rods down near the bottom while drifting in the Gulf Stream. With the current we have anything from 6-12 lbs of lead on the rig. Typically we fish a flat line with a smaller bait and certain times of year (late spring through early fall) mahi are a common bycatch while waiting for a swordfish bite. Most of the time when a swordfish strikes the bait the rod tip only bounces an inch! There is a lot of line out with a very long leader, so seeing the initial bite and reacting to it is very important! We may take the bait away from the fish to make him more aggressive or we may drop it back to try to feed him. Hooking a landing a swordfish can be tricky!
The Catch
There is no indication the size of the fish when he hits the bait. It may be 50 lbs or it may be 500 lbs! A lot of the swordfish swim to the surface when hooked, and once they see the daylight the fight begins! The fight can last 15 minutes or go on for hours! If the fish is of legal size we can keep it for you to eat, or you can release it. We encourage tag and release on small fish, and on any fish if we already have one in the boat for dinner. Swordfish average 50-150 lbs, but you never know when you will catch that giant 400lber!
THE FLEET
WE HAVE MULTIPLE BOATS AVAILABLE FOR DAYTIME SWORDFISH CHARTERS AT THE WORLD FAMOUS
BUD N’ MARY’S MARINA IN ISLAMORADA, FLORIDA KEYS.
Broad Minded
$3,000 per day with Capt. Mike Varney
The new “Broad Minded” is a 2021 42’ Freeman Boatworks. It’s one of the best riding and most comfortable center consoles around. It has double row seating plus rear facing seats so you always have a place to sit. It’s powered with quad 300 Yamaha Outboards and runs up to 60 mph! It’s equipped with top of the line Simrad Electronics and has an amazing JL audio sound system. We can take up to 6 people on it and have plenty of cooler space for your food and drinks. There isn’t a bathroom on it but we do have a 5 gallon bucket.
- FAST
- 4 PERSON CAPACITY
- WALK AROUND
- VERY STABLE WHEN DRIFTING
- MORE FISHING TIME
Water Damage
$2,500 per day Capt. Danny Lombardo
Water Damage is a 2016 37' Freeman with a custom gap tower designed for fishing the Florida Keys. It received a major refit in 2023 including a pair of brand new twin 425 hp Yamaha Outboards. This was Capt. Nick Stanczyk's original 37' Freeman and the boat that caught the 757 lb swordfish in 2019. It's a catamaran so it drifts great and the ride is superior to a traditional mono hull. For seating there is a co captains chair, a coffin box, a yeti cooler, as well as a couple bean bags. We can take up to 6 passengers so grab your friends and let's go fishing!
Call (305) 664-2461 for Availability
Catch 22
$3,000 Per Day
The Catch 22 is a 54′ Blackwell run by Capt Scott Stanczyk. Scott is credited with being the first captain to catch a targeted daytime deep drop swordfish in the United States dating back to January 2003! The boat has a large cockpit with a fighting chair, a bridge, and a tuna tower. The cabin has AC with two large bench seats, a galley, and a bathroom. The Catch 22 can accommodate up to 6 passengers.
Call (305) 664-2461 for Availability
Other fish we catch
The more time you dedicate to swordfishing the better your shot of success, but other fish are still a possilibity while fishing offshore. Spring through early fall we catch mahi coming and going to the swordfish grounds, even while we are swordfishing. Blackfin tuna can be caught on the humps that time of year. We do some deep dropping for tilefish, grouper, barrelfish, queen snapper based on the time of year as well. And have a few pictures showing the other fish we catch.
Swordfishing has very little bycatch, occasionally we get a pomfret, oilfish, alfonsino, and even shark.
DAYTIME SWORDFISH CAMP
Capt. Nick Stanczyk started his Swordfish Camp as a way to give fisherman a hands on multi day swordfishing course.
Clients are always learning when I take them fishing, but I wanted a way to get them involved more so when they go on their own boat they are ready for action. I’m still learning every day but with 3 days of fishing we can cover a lot of what I know up to this point!
We will go over the basics of deep dropping with 1 rod and then move on to 2 rods. Everybody should be able to fish a second rod as a buoy rod. We’ll go over setting up for electric reel fishing, hand crank set ups with break away leads, and even using an electric reel as down rigger option. We’ll go over rigging different types of baits, rods, and really cover how to drive the boat to stay over the line. Lunch and drinks are included on the boat. Lodging is up to you.
