When searching for the ultimate sportfish, many things must be
taken into consideration. Just a few of these factors are the size of the fish, the speed, the fight, the challenge, the beauty and the quality as table fare. There are many fish that have some of these qualities, but there are only a few that possess them all. Seeing a fish explode on a popper, crush a trolling lure or devour a live bait just a few feet from the boat may be rare, but with the Dolphin this is a common occurrence. Even after seeing them demolish your bait of choice, the angler gets to witness one of the most amazing displays of acrobatics a sportfish has to offer. All of these reasons are why the dolphin is one of the most popular fish to target in the world and considered by some to be the ultimate sportfish.
The dolphin has many names. It is referred to as a mahi-mahi in Hawaii (and most restaurants across the US), Dorado in all Spanish-speaking countries and a dolphin by most anglers throughout the US. No matter where you are or what you call it, this fish has been one of the most popular fish to target in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide for decades. They spawn throughout most of the year and are sexually mature by 4 to 5 months of age. Dolphin are among the fastest growing fish in the ocean and they are also incredibly fast swimmers. Since these fish grow so quickly, you can catch very large dolphin that are relatively young and they will often eat almost anything that is thrown at them. The dolphin is not like billfish, snapper, grouper, snook or other game fish that are caught and released over and over again. The dorado
do not become wise to the fisherman, since they generally don’t have the opportunity to be caught and released several times. Most of them are caught once and then end up in a grizzly cooler and are brought home for dinner.
Tackle used for catching dolphin varies depending on where you are fishing and the size of the fish you’re targeting. A Canyon 30 wide trolling reel or smaller conventional reel is sufficient for any size dolphin, even slammers. When casting, an effective set up would be a Tsunami 20-40 class spinning rod paired with a Canyon 6500 spinning reel spooled with 30-65lb braid and 6 feet of 50lb Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon leader. Depending on what you’re comfortable casting with, you can tie a variety of things on your leader. When bait fishing, a 5/0 mustad ultra point j-hook with a live bait or chunk bait will work. For those who like the challenge of an artificial lure, a yo-zuri 3D popper or a wedgetail mullet by Egret baits is a wise choice. The poppers are effective because of the noise and commotion the lure makes. Dolphin react quickly so this is one of the best all around lures to use. When fishing on a piece of floating debris or structure that the dolphin has been spotted on, the wedgetail mullet is a great choice, because it can be cast to the structure, will sink down to the desired depth and can then be jerked quickly away from the structure, which will trigger the dolphin to strike.
One of the most common ways to target dolphin is by trolling. Many anglers find current rips, weed lines, birds diving or any other floating debris in the water and troll different size lures when they are not sure what size dolphin are in the area. A good spread to have ready when you’re unsure what size dolphin are in the area is a variety of sizes and colors of lures. Typical colors to use are pink & white, green and black or blue and white, but almost any color combination will work for the dolphin
because they are so aggressive. The main thing that matters is the movement of the lure and getting the dolphin’s attention. Dolphin rarely travel alone unless they are a large male and female (bull & cow) mated pair. They usually travel in large schools, so once you hook one up, the best thing to do is to get the fish close to the boat, leave the rod in the rod holder with the fish still hooked up and have a yo-zuri 3D popper or a Wedge Tail Mullet ready to pitch at the school of fish following the dolphin. By leaving your catch hooked up on the side of the boat, you will keep the school of dolphin curious and you will be able to continue hooking other fish in the school.
Because the dolphin is very aggressive, beautiful and tasty, it’s no wonder that this fish is marked by many anglers as their favorite species to catch. Once you learn the basics of where and how to find the dolphin, the rest of the hunt should fall into place if you are equipped with the proper tackle. When seeking an exciting battle and fantastic table fare, the dolphin will meet these expectations every time and leave you longing for your next encounter with the ultimate sportfish.
