iStockphoto / Adrian Wojcik
Sawfish are amongst the most interesting-looking creatures in the ocean.
As their name implies, the rostrum on a sawfish mirrors a rudimentary saw with sharp spikes/teeth protruding up and down the sides like something a prehistoric warrior might carry into battle.
There are five species of sawfish worldwide and all five of them are considered critically endangered, but not extinct. Spotting a sawfish in the wild can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience but catching one while fishing is something most anglers only ever dream of.
A guy in Florida closed out the year strong by landing a 13-foot sawfish while fishing with an Apex Anglers guide right before Christmas. The angler and the guide are both dumbstruck and repeating ‘oh my god’ after realizing it was a sawfish on the line:
@shaaaarky From zero to catching one of the world’s rarest fish in one single fishing trip. #sawfish #fishing #shark #sharkfishing #landbasedsharkfishing #lbsf #outdoors #catchandrelease #nature #florida #scary #endangeredspecies #drone #dronefishing #apexanglers ♬ original sound – shaaaarky
Here’s that same video via Instagram if you prefer that over TikTok:
One person on Instagram commented “He’ll be chasing that high the rest of his life.” If that doesn’t sum up catching a sawfish like that, I don’t know what does. Every young angler who catches a special fish (big or rare) finds themselves chasing that thrill for the rest of their lives.
Another person commented “Such an incredible animal. One of those things Id love to catch but also want nothing to do with.” The suggestion there is an average angler would have no idea how to release a sawfish like that with a long rostrum full of sharp spikes.
Catching or spotting one sawfish is incredible rare but seeing one actually use its ‘saw’ is virtually unheard of
In May of this year, a diver on the East Coast of Florida witnessed a site most outdoorsmen could only ever dream of. They saw a sawfish actually using its barbed rostrum to feed on a bait ball of fish.
How Rare Are These Fish?
I’m a born and raised Floridian and I’ve never seen one up close and only ever seen them in aquariums. There’s a bit of a disconnect with how rare they are and how often they’re seen in the news.
I’ve written about sawfish sightings many times here at BroBible and they’re so rare that every time there’s a major sighting it makes national news, giving the impression there are more of these fish than there really are.
They can grow up to 25-feet in length! As recently as 2015, there were estimates of somewhere between 500 and 5,000 of the Largetooth Sawfish left in the wild (in Florida). So seeing two of these together, hunting, and looking healthy is encouraging to conservationists.