Fisherman Has Extremely Rare Encounter With Sailfish

Fishermen have had a world's-first encounter with a sailfish, the fastest fish on Earth, off the north-western coast of Florida.

I'm sure you see all sorts of things on the open seas as a fisherman. And let's be honest, spending your days out off the sunny Florida coast, coasting on the warm seas and seeing all sorts of interesting wildlife can't be a bad way to make a living.

But these guys got more than they were bargaining for when they came across a sailfish - widely considered to be the fastest fish on Earth - idling along at cruising speed surprisingly near to the coast, just minding its own business.

So quickly they cast their rods in an attempt to snare the elite predator to try and get a closer look.

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Luckily, it seems the sailfish clearly hadn't eaten yet that day - odds are he was on the prowl for a meal anyway, as sailfish are known to do most of their hunting at the surface.

So it must have thought it was its lucky day when the fisherman's bait plopped into the water and it snaffled it up hungrily, only to find itself snagged on their rod.

Thankfully, the fishermen's intentions were only based on curiosity and they lured it into shallower waters to get up close and personal with one of the sea's most efficient hunters.

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They managed to get the sailfish to where they could stand in the water and they braved the fish's fearsome spear-like bill in order to get in and share the waters with the large fish.

The lead fisherman said: "My client and I were Tarpon fishing in shallow water on the panhandle of Florida.

"All the sudden, I see a sailfish swimming along with not a care in the world. We cast, it bit and the rest is history.

"To my knowledge it's never been done before especially in six feet of water."

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After getting a closer look at the sailfish, all the while keeping a hold of its dangerous weaponry, they released it.

As the fish swims back to the open ocean, the excited fisherman can be heard saying to his partner: "How awesome was that, my friend?"

Sailfish are widely regarded as the fastest creatures in the ocean, reaching speeds of up to an astonishing 68mph.

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They use their long pointed bills to stun fish before catching them and use their distinctive sail-like dorsal fins to form a fence around their prey and can also keep them more steady in the water, which makes them less detectable.

Although sailfish are popular in sport-fishing circles, it is currently prohibited for them to be fished commercially.

Topics: News, US News, fishing, Animals

Nathan Standley

Nathan Standley is a freelance journalist and LADBible contributor. He graduated from Durham University with a degree in Anthropology before going on to do a Master’s degree in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He also writes articles for The Versed and is the Cultural Editor of The Common Sense Network.