Mahi Madness is Now in the Florida Keys

It’s no secret that summer months bring flocks of tourists to the Florida Keys. The crystal-clear waters, the colorful reefs abundant with life and a weeklong trip of “no worries” all play a role in the allure of this vacation paradise. Shops are full of quirky, one-of-a-kind art and treasures. Restaurants serve up deliciously flavorful seafood. And don’t forget to top off any adventure with that other famous invention of the island chain, key lime pie!

The 100-mile-wide Straits of Florida aligned between the sun-kissed island chain and Cuba carry schools of brightly colored dolphin up and down the deep blue currents. Warm water flowing from the Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean give dolphin a moving buffet that keeps them on the feed year-round whether they’re moving north or south. Dolphinfish are pelagic meaning they inhabit the open ocean and are mostly found in the top layer of tropical and subtropical waters.

Sounds like finding them in the waters off the Florida Keys should be simple, but in my experience of recent years, it’s becoming harder to stumble upon these colorful fish. Yet when you do, it’s like no other sight to be seen.

SEA OF COLOR

Frequently when you first spot mahi mahi in the open ocean, they are silver to blue in color. Don’t worry, usually once you spot one, there is almost always more. Dolphin are a schooling fish meaning they are rarely found alone.

They are often encountered traveling in pairs or in small schools. If you hook up on one of these feisty fish, chances are pretty good there is another nearby so keep an eye out.

The colors of a mahi are like no other fish in the sea. The beautiful golden-yellow and green fish change color like chameleons. Flakes of blue and teal speckle their bodies. The reason for having such unique color patterns and vibrant color changing abilities comes from pigmented skin cells called chromatophores. These chromatophores are connected to the fish’s nervous system so they function to provide camouflage while dolphin hunt and become even more vibrant when the fish becomes excited.

RUN AND GUN FUN

Once you cross beyond the reef and enter open ocean running to depths of over 300 feet, you’ll want to start looking for circling birds. Diving frigate birds (sometimes called Man-O-War birds) or even some smaller gulls and terns are good indicators of a pod of baitfish being pushed to the surface. Mackerel, blackfin tuna, bonito, and dolphin are some of the more common pelagic species that contribute to this type of action. As these fish force bait pods toward the surface of the sea, birds dive from the sky above. The baitfish become pinned between two predators.

Watching the birds closely is important so you can see the direction the fish are headed. Running your boat up onto the dolphin will push the fish down in the water column and you’ll lose them. Do your best to cut them off and cast pitch baits in the direction of the diving birds.

Dolphin are smart and when the summer months hit, they become no stranger to boats. It’s best to put as little pressure on the fish as possible to increase chances of them sticking around.

You’ll also want to always keep an eye out for any kind of floating debris, structure or weed lines. Sargassum in the summer builds up into a concentrated haven for many ocean-going species. Dolphin can often be found swimming near these areas of shelter looking for food underneath large, shaded patches of sargassum. We like to troll the weed line with green-and-yellow or blue-and-white skirted ballyhoo. We deploy a line well back in the spread and another one much closer to the boat.

DOLPHIN BY THE DOZEN

When you get hooked up, stop trolling and cast out pitch baits. Chum with handfuls of glass minnows or other cut baits to keep the dolphin nearby engaged. Keeping the fish fired up and chewing attracts attention from other bigger fish in the area and potentially draws them in. When the bull mahi show up, pitching out a live pilchard or lure will often get a bite.

When fishing with a pitch bait, you’ll want a medium sized rod and reel with 40-pound test either mono or braided line. A single 6/0 circle hook and no weight will do the job. The less tackle, the better.

Cast out toward the fish and let the bait sink slowly. The key is to make the cut pitch bait appear as though it is just another piece of floating chum. If fishing with live bait, using no weight allows the bait to swim freely without weighing it down. Once you hook up, the fight is on!

Mahi are known for leaping frequently during a good fight. Large fish tend to pull drag and dig down. Smaller fish tend to go airborne. Once you get the fish to the boat, it is good to have a designated person to gaff the fish just below its dorsal fin and haul it over the gunnel. Landing dolphin is both exhilarating and exhausting. The hard work pays off, though, when you get that first bite of a fresh mahi sandwich.

Dolphin Regulations

Dolphin(fish) have different regulations for Gulf and Atlantic anglers. Gulf: There is no minimum size limit. Bag limit is 10 per person or 60 per vessel, whichever is less. Atlantic: There is a minimum size limit of 20 inches, fork length. Bag limit is 5 fish per person or 30 fish per vessel, whichever is less.

Accommodations

On our last trip to the Florida Keys, we stayed in an Airbnb located at the south end of Islamorada, just around Mile Marker 73, also known as Lower Matecumbe Key. This location is quieter than staying in the heart of Islamorada and close to the Florida Sea Base, home to the Boy Scouts of America. The northern end of Lower Matecumbe Key is where you will find Robbie’s, famous for their tarpon feeding docks. Just 4 miles south of our stay we used the Sea Bird Marina boat ramp. This ramp does require a fee but since the public boat ramp has been closed due to damage for quite some time, it was our closest and best option. The Sea Bird Marina also offers a variety of fresh and frozen bait as well as chum blocks and tackle. I also recommend stopping at the Tackle Center of Islamorada when passing through by car at MM 82. They have a wide selection of tackle and sell our favorite lures, Islamorada Flyers. We most recently partnered up with The Tackle Room and fans of our YouTube Channel: Tug Trash Outdoors can get a 10% discount on fishing tackle with code TUGTRASH at checkout.

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• This article was featured in the March 2025 issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe

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