Salt Armor Blog

How to Fish: Mahi Mahi

            Easily one of the most enjoyable fish to catch as well as eat, Mahi Mahi will be the fish discussed in this week’s issue of How to Fish Mahi Mahi. In South Florida and other tropical and subtropical areas of the world, fishermen typically use two techniques for fishing Mahi Mahi. Trolling is the most popular, although kite fishing is also effective. Similar to our previous issue of How to Fish, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of Mahi Mahi in order to increase your chances of catching the beautiful fish.

            So whether you call this fish Mahi Mahi, Dolphin, Dorado, or Lampuga, the first most important fact to know prior to heading out is their diet. Each fish’s specific diet depends on his or her age, size, sex, and location, but in their natural habitat Mahi Mahi eat flying fish, triggerfish, pufferfish, squid, sea horses, mackerel, and even infant pelagic fish such as tuna, jacks, and billfish. This doesn’t mean you have to use any of these fish as bait by any means (we will give our suggestions for bait later on in the article).

            Another important characteristic to know is where to catch Mahi-Mahi. They can be found in depths around eighty-five (85) meters or about two hundred eighty (280) feet, although considering they are a pelagic fish they can be found in almost any area of the ocean that has tropical and subtropical waters. South Florida and the Gulf of Mexico are two areas that are well known for their abundance of Mahi Mahi.

            Once in tropical or subtropical waters, the key to catching Dorado is to look for several clues that lead to the fish. The most common place to find Mahi Mahi is under floating weed patches, Sargassum, or any other large floating structure. Fishermen and other boaters have even reported seeing schools of Mahi Mahi shadowing large vessels. Frigate birds are also very helpful in pointing out schools of Dorado as well as weed patches because they feed on other small prey that live within the weeds. A great tip that most Florida fishermen use is to find a reef or drop off of a reef in around one hundred twenty (120) feet or about thirty five (35) meters in depth. If you find a weed patch, frigates, AND a reef with that depth, you can count on seeing some action!

            The most common technique for fishing Mahi Mahi is trolling. From our experience, a speed between five (5) and seven (7) knots is just right. Ballyhoo is the best bait when fishing Dolphin, although artificial lures, feathers, or spoons can be used. Trolling near and around weed patches, or other floating objects as previously mentioned makes it very likely that you will get a bite. If you do not find any weed patches, trolling along a drop off or reef around one hundred twenty (120) feet or about thirty five (35) meters in depth is likely to bring you some action.

            The second popular method for catch Mahi Mahi is kite fishing. The process and setup for kite fishing Mahi Mahi is similar to using kites to catch other fish but the bait should preferably be Ballyhoo. It is also important to follow the guidelines for finding Mahi Mahi.

            Some fishermen take advantage of this fish’s behavior and keep the fish in the water for some time before reeling it in order to get a chance at catching more fish from the same school. Once a fish is hooked up, some fishermen like to chum the waters near the boat and bring a few lines close, or even cast into the chum.

            Mahi Mahi are indisputably some of the most exciting fish to hunt, as well as some of the best fish to eat. As always, we hope this issue of How to Fish: Mahi Mahi helps you catch an eighty pound bull!

And remember, you can submit pictures of your catch by emailing a short story and your best shot to info@saltarmor.com

Happy fishing,

Salt Armor Team

Here is a great video filmed by SpanishFlyTV that shows first hand the points covered in this article: