Cape Coral native catches 480-pound swordfish off Florida Keys

CAPE CORAL, Fla.—A Cape Coral native has made a remarkable catch off the Florida Keys, reeling in a massive swordfish after a five-hour struggle.

What began as a routine eight-hour fishing trip turned into an epic battle at sea for Captain Jose Rodriguez.

"It's called Purple fever, because they come up all bright purple," said Rodriguez. "You get the purple fever, and then you're a sword fisherman forever."

This was no ordinary fish.

"We fought the fish for five hours," said Rodriguez. "We traveled over 14 miles just within the fight."

Rodriguez described the swordfish as a true deep-sea giant.

"The fish went 480 pounds, and it was 86 inches, I believe, lower jaw to fork length," said Rodriguez. "Overall length, we're expecting somewhere around 11 and a half feet around there."

Before he started catching fish like this, Rodriguez was focused on baseball.

"I was a starting pitcher for Ida Baker. I loved baseball," said Rodriguez. "It was either baseball or fishing. That's about it. That's all I would do."

However, fishing eventually won him over.

"The final aha moment was more like, dang, my body hurts, and I don't want to study anymore," said Rodriguez. "Why not take, you know, my knowledge, and do what I do best, and it's charter fishing."

Rodriguez worked for years to perfect his sword-fishing skills.

"I've been trying for years just, just to, you know, get better at sword fishing," said Rodriguez.

The fight with the swordfish came down to a critical moment.

"The most important part of this whole entire fight is sinking a harpoon into the fish," said Rodriguez. "When we missed the first harpoon shot, that added three more hours to the fight. Now, this thing knows that you have a harpoon and it ain't coming nowhere near you."

The experience was a test of endurance.

"In reality, it's literally agonizing the time, but it's a lot of mental toughness and focus," said Rodriguez. "You know you're battling eight-foot seas out there was not calm. You have a 10-year-old on the boat, like you're trying to make sure everybody's still comfortable."

Finally, the battle reached its climax.

"Finally, this big wave came through and just set the fish perfectly on top of the side of the boat, and we were able to drag them up," said Rodriguez. "I could, like, look at my mate, and he's looking at me, and I'm like, Oh my God. And we were both, like, going nuts."

Rodriguez reflected on the achievement.

"You know, you can't hit a home run every single game," said Rodriguez. "As long as I keep catching swordfish, I'll hit a home run at some point."

When Rodriguez returned to the dock, more than 50 people were waiting to see the massive catch. The family who chartered the trip insisted on sharing the fish with everyone there.