A routine fishing trip turned into the catch of a lifetime for a Birmingham angler. Robert Fritze set a new Alabama state record when he landed a massive 550.3-pound swordfish. The fish broke the previous record of 448 pounds caught by Del Sawyer aboard the Sea Reaper with Captain Randy “Goat Roper” Howland in 2006. What started as a simple deep-sea fishing adventure became an epic battle lasting over four hours.
The incredible catch happened during a three-day trip from August 14 to 16. Fritze was fishing with his father Ron and four friends aboard their 60-foot boat called Trade Desk. The group had planned to target marlin and sailfish in the Gulf of Mexico waters near Orange Beach.
The crew was fishing near the Delta House oil platform in 4,500 feet of water. They had spent the day catching dolphin fish, Wahoo, and barracuda with little success. As night fell, they decided to try fishing for tuna and set out some nighttime bait…