How to catch a dolphin fishing Florida
Dolphin are one of if not the most sought after fish by offshore anglers. Dolphin, a.k.a. Mahi, a.k.a. Dorado, are an amazing fish to catch. They are extremely acrobatic and will often jump over and over again trying to get themselves unhooked.
Fun Fact: Dolphins can grow up to 20 pounds in their first year of life. They are one of the fastest growing fish in the world. That is pretty amazing when you think about it.
Dolphins are absolutely delicious to eat. In my opinion, it is really hard to beat a nice blackened chunk of dolphin. Throw that between a kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato and you are all set. I'll take a dolphin sandwich in paradise over a cheeseburger any day.
Dolphin are most abundant around Central and South Florida in late Spring through early Fall. The best months are the really hot ones like June, July and August. I am an inshore kayak fishing guide and I don't fish offshore very often. BUT when I do it is almost always in search of my favorite pelagic fish Mr. Mahi.
I have been fishing around Florida for more than 40 years. The article below will teach you simple tips and techniques to help you catch more dolphin.
Let's get started.
Dolphin are one of if not the most sought after fish by offshore anglers. Dolphin, a.k.a. Mahi, a.k.a. Dorado, are an amazing fish to catch. They are extremely acrobatic and will often jump over and over again trying to get themselves unhooked.
Fun Fact: Dolphins can grow up to 20 pounds in their first year of life. They are one of the fastest growing fish in the world. That is pretty amazing when you think about it.
Dolphins are absolutely delicious to eat. In my opinion, it is really hard to beat a nice blackened chunk of dolphin. Throw that between a kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato and you are all set. I'll take a dolphin sandwich in paradise over a cheeseburger any day.
Dolphin are most abundant around Central and South Florida in late Spring through early Fall. The best months are the really hot ones like June, July and August. I am an inshore kayak fishing guide and I don't fish offshore very often. BUT when I do it is almost always in search of my favorite pelagic fish Mr. Mahi.
I have been fishing around Florida for more than 40 years. The article below will teach you simple tips and techniques to help you catch more dolphin.
Let's get started.
How to catch a dolphin fishing Florida--Weed Lines
Dolphin are a pelagic species which means that they inhabit the upper layer of the ocean. Other popular pelagic species in our area are wahoo, black fin tuna, cobia, king mackerel, sailfish and many more. The open ocean can be very similar to a watery desert. There is this huge expanse of open water that pelagic species of fish have to make a living in.
Dolphin will travel long distances searching for food and any floating object or debris will be investigated by a hungry dolphin and every other predatory fish around.
Weed lines are one of the best places to find dolphin. They will search these weed lines for small crabs, shrimp, fish or anything else that they can make of meal of that might be hiding in the sargossum weed. The same dolphin may have found refuge in the same type of weed masses when they were smaller.
One of the best ways to fish a weed line is to slow troll its edges with live bait. A hungry dolphin will hit a well presented live bait behind the boat. Once the first dolphin is caught it is usually a good bet that there are more in the area. Stop trolling and start chumming with fish chunks to attract the rest of the school. It is usually a good idea to leave the first dolphin in the water because the others in the school will usually stick around longer if you do.
One of my favorite ways to catch tarpon is to pull out a 4000 series reel setup and a white 3 inch soft plastic shad with a paddle tail on a 1/4 oz. jig head. Once the dolphin are around the boat this is a great way to catch them one after another.
The small bait really does the trick with dolphin for some reason. I have used this technique from Florida down to Panama with the same results. In other words, it doesn't matter what country or what ocean you are fishing in, dolphin like soft plastic shads with a red jig head.
The video below is about the 3 best tips for dolphin fishing Florida.
How to catch a dolphin fishing Florida--Floating Debris
Dolphin are attracted to just about any floating thing in the ocean because they know that scared little fish and other creatures will seek shelter there. When we have bad storms or hurricanes in Florida all kinds of stuff gets washed out to sea. There are wooden pallet, trees, trash and dolphin will be attracted to this flotsam.
It is always worth casting to a piece of trash floating in the ocean. It might just be a bucket but you will be surprised what is cruising under that bucket looking for food. Visit the Pro Fishing Tips page to learn more about getting the right tackle to maximize your fishing fun.
How to catch a dolphin fishing Florida--Color Change
It is usually a good idea to fish the color change for dolphin. This usually signifies a change in water depth which is a hot hunting spot for pelagic species. Trolling the color change with a top water bait, coupled with a deep running bait on a planer is a great way to find where the dolphin are. The more area that you can cover in the water column the better. Oftentimes the smaller dolphin are near the top and the big bulls are down deeper.
So you have been trolling all day with no dolphin in the boat. What do you do? The answer is start drifting and chumming the whole time if you think you are in a good depth for dolphin. A slow drift with a constant drip of stinky chum can work wonders in the open ocean.
Remember what I said earlier about the desert analogy. Pelagic fish are okay following a smell for miles to find a meal. You can turn your boat into a floating oasis as the chum will attract little bait fish. Then bigger fish and bigger fish and hopefully some dolphin. In other words, don't forget to bring chum when you are fishing for dolphin.
How to catch a dolphin fishing Florida--Birds
Birds are to me the best indication of feeding fish. I use this technique all the time fishing inshore. I will scour the horizon looking for diving birds or wading birds feeding. This tells me that there are probably predatory fish in the area feeding too. Even if the birds are not currently diving they will loiter near their prey. Use birds to your advantage when fishing.
The open ocean is no different than inshore when it comes to birds leading you to where the fish are. The great thing about birds is the species that you see can tell you what part of the water column the fish are feeding in. When you approach a bunch of birds hovering and circling a spot in the ocean eventually you will get close enough to see what kind of birds they are.
For instance, if you see a bunch of frigate birds swooping down and grabbing fish you know that those fish are at the surface. You know this because frigate birds cannot get their wings wet. The dip their long bills into the very top 12 inches of water to grab squid, flying fish, herring, or whatever is being fed upon.
On the other hand if you see gannets diving you know that the fish are deeper in the water column. Gannets can dive down 50 or 60 feet to grab a fish. So the type of birds feeding can tell you whether you need a top water bait or a deeper one. Pull out your bird books and start studying.
Best gear for dolphin fishing Florida:
If you are going to be fishing for dolphin all day you will definitely need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays. Polarized sunglasses are a must for dolphin fishing. A high end pair of sunglasses will run about $250 and a lower end pair will run you about $25 with glass lenses. You can find them with plastic lenses for about $5 at Walmart.
I have a pair of the $250 sunglasses and they definitely perform better than the cheaper polarized sunglasses. They are also more sturdy and seem to be more scratch resistant.
I have to admit that since I got my nice sunglasses for my birthday I am afraid to where them. I tend to break stuff so maybe the super nice sunglasses weren't the best gift for someone like me. BUT they really work well.
Whatever price range you decide to go with you must wear polarized sunglasses or you can not sight fish for dolphin out on the open ocean all day. The polarized lenses eliminate the glare on the surface of the water so that you can see those dolphin under the surface of a nice weed line.
The best color lenses for inshore and dirtier water scenarios are amber, rose and copper. If you are fishing super clean and clear water or you are fishing offshore a blue or a gray lens is best.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing shirts to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. These shirts have built in sunscreen and are moisture wicking which means they evaporate your perspiration more efficiently keeping you cool on those hot days on the water.
FUN FACT: Scientist think that dolphins (mahi) are the fastest growing fish in the sea.
The video below will teach you how to tell the age of your dolphin based on its weight.
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