It’s funny, this is one of those fish where you can tell where an angler is from by what they call it. East Coasters call them dolphin fish. For us anglers in Southern California and Mexico, we call them dorado, or dodo for short. In Hawaii and for non-anglers, they’re known by mahi-mahi. Wherever you happen to fish, or whatever you call it, this fish is highly prized for its fight, its beautiful color, and for its tasty goodness on a plate.
In this article from Salt Water Sportsman, famed TV angler George Poveromo describes his ten go-to rigs for targeting this trophy fish and when to use them.
I love to fish for anything that swims in salt water, yet I’m an offshore man at heart. And while I’ve spent decades chasing marlin, sailfish, tuna, swordfish, wahoo and dolphin, everyone has their favorite game fish, including me. If someone forced me to narrow my favorite to just one species, I’d tightly squint my eyes, take a deep breath and say, “dolphin!” I doubt I would be alone in this decision.
There’s just something about dolphin that inspires thousands of offshore anglers to buy all sorts of rods and reels, fishing lines, hooks, lures, baits and gaffs in anticipation of the upcoming season. And for very good reasons: Here is a fish that is abundant, comes in all sizes, puts up a great and oftentimes acrobatic fight, commonly blitzes in schools or pairs (larger fish) and is downright delicious to eat. Dolphin are so popular that it is frightening to imagine what our industry would look like if they ceased to exist.
I’ve taken a deep interest in these fish and have perfected my tactics over the years. When I set forth to target them, the following 10 rigs rank among my most potent dolphin catchers.
Photos: Salt Water Sportsman (top), SoCal Salty (above)
