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From May 11 to 13, 2025, off Port d’Alcúdia, Mallorca, my cousin Christopher Hampl set out on an exploratory mission aboard MAD MAX, a 42-foot Tiara captained by Vince Riera, targeting swordfish on fly.
Over the course of three consecutive nights, the team raised 12 swordfish, hooked five, and successfully released three—two on the first night and one on the third. They were fortunate to be met with calm seas, stable weather, and water temperatures that seemed to align perfectly with swordfish activity. While none of the fish were particularly large—estimated between 20 and 50 pounds—the consistency and method of capture made the results all the more impressive.
Each of the three swordfish was caught on fly using 20-pound tippet under IGFA rules. Although chasing broadbill on fly is hardly common, the method itself wasn’t revolutionary—standard bait-and-switch, where the swordfish are teased into the spread and then presented with a dark-toned squid pattern fly on a heavy grain sinking line. However, it is the backstory of how the foundation for this achievement was built that is truly special.
Christopher, a multiple IGFA world record holder, comes from a long line of dedicated and accomplished light-tackle and fly anglers. Together, we’ve spent countless seasons refining our techniques and chasing records aboard our family boat, Kamila, off Golfito, Costa Rica, under the guidance of legendary captain Bobby McGuinness. That hands-on experience—particularly in the challenging world of blue marlin on fly—gave us a playbook of techniques that Christopher has carried into new waters. Capt. Vince Riera, now one of the most respected big-game captains in the Balearics and a key figure in putting Mallorca on the map for both swordfish and spearfish, had previously joined us in Costa Rica where we did plenty of bait-and-switch fishing. That combination of Christopher’s talents, Vince’s knowledge, and their shared prior experience is what I think really made this happen.
To the best of our collective knowledge and internet searching, this may be the first time two swordfish have been caught on IGFA-legal fly tackle in a single night. Of course, records on this sort of thing are not kept by any governing body—and if anyone has done it before, it was likely Jeremy Block, Fouad Sahioui, or Roy Cronacher.
But regardless of whether it’s been done before or not, it is a truly remarkable achievement – and one that will be hard to “one up” in a family of highly competitive anglers!
