Sight Fish for Dolphin (Mahi)

Let me start by clarifying something; when I say Dolphin, I am referring to Mahi Mahi, aka Dorado, not Flipper.

Sight fishing is one of my favorite things to do. You see a fish and you cast a squid, or jig, or some type of lure to it, hoping the fish takes the "bait". A popular sport fish to sight cast to is Dolphin. They swim right up to the boat when they are curious and not spooked. What do you do when you see some you want to catch?

First off, have a pitch bait ready. A pitch bait rig is simple, and I use a spinning outfit for this. Tie a section of leader (fluoro or mono) onto your mainline. Then tie a circle hook on. There's no need for any weight when sight casting this way. Put a live or frozen cigar minnow, ballyhoo, squid, cut bait, etc on the circle hook. Toss it out past the dolphin, careful not to spook it. You can let it sink on its own or slowly work the bait back in. Most of the time, the dolphin will go take the bait as its sinking in the water. Make sure your drag is set and reel her in.

An important fact to note is that bigger dolphin often travel in pairs. So if you catch a cow dolphin, there's probably a bull hanging around too. In that case, pitch another bait out in hopes the other dolphin will hit.

When dealing with chicken dolphin or sometimes called slingers, you'll see several of them swimming around the boat. Throw out some chunks of bait to get them into a feeding frenzy. Then bait your hook and toss it out to them. Some people believe in keeping one of these small dolphin hooked up in the water so they won't get wise to what's going on. I personally haven't seen a difference whether you do or don't, but again that's my experience. Throw more chunks of bait out if you need to try and keep them around.

Dolphin aerial shows, fights, and beautiful colors make them an outstanding sport fish for kids and adults. Always have a rod or two set up that's ready to cast on a fish swimming by! You just don't know the "feeling" until you've been there and done that. Exciting.