For mahi-mahi, lures can do a great job. Ballyhoo can be also be pitched directly underneath the frigatebird. Mahi-mahi are found scattered in the open ocean generally in warmer waters near the gulf stream. These work well without being rigged with ballyhoo but are a common skirt to place over ballyhoo. A strip bait can be added for scent but is certainly not required. Whether it's figuring out the best lures for dolphin fishing or testing which mahi trolling rigs top them all, my determination to find what works has paid off. The best live bait for mahi-mahi is a goggle-eye baitfish. This brand of lures just kills pelagic fish, and mahi mahis are included. These jigs are also good at catching tuna and wahoo offshore. This means there is less time for mercury and heavy metals to build up in the fish. These baits are great to use if the Mahi are fairly high in the water column. The best live baits for mahi-mahi are goggle eyes, cigar minnows, ballyhoo, pilchards, and scaled sardines. Make sure that lures do not have weeds on them at all times. These lures are professionally made making them a fantastic tool for fish … I typically start the trip when possible with two of these rigged and ready to run with strip baits. Strike King HC10XD-568 Pro Model Series 10XD Xtra Deep Diver Crankbait, 6-Inch, $15.29. The Mahi head design, coupled with extremely reflective … Smaller daisy chains are typically put way back in the shotgun position. When a low flying frigate bird is found troll in front of the bird while trying to directly run over the fish with the boat. The variety of large fish available to be caught is rivaled in few places throughout the world. Beads and crimps were used to have the hook be located just past the end of the skirt. This can also be built with plastic beads rather than egg weights in the teasers which can be better lighter option if there are lots of weeds. Planers, as mentioned above also work to get the bait deep. Two trolling reels one on each side of boat and 3 medium reels with jigs and lures ready to catch schoolies. This lure comes rigged and is one of the best value offshore lures on the market. These are always great to have tied on in case of fish hanging out low. The best dead baits for mahi-mahi are ballyhoo, squid, bonito chunks, and shrimp. There is a pompano dolphinfish that is found is central American that is commonly mistaken for small mahi-mahi. When trolling four lures are set out on 30 class conventional fishing reels. The predator fish like mahi-mahi are attracted to these areas because of the baitfish. See the cast nets page to learn more about how to catch bait. You can purchase the Coltsniper Jerkbait in both a floating and sinking model. When pitching live or dead baits large spinning reels with 30-50 pound line are. These can be cast far and makes great surface action and noise that can get the attention of any nearby fish. Best Mahi-Mahi Lures. This kit comes with 6 lures. This squid bait comes in packs of 10. The sea witch comes in weights of 1/8 ounce, 1/4 ounce, 1/2 ounce, 3/4 ounce, 1 ounce, 1.5 ounces, 2.5 ounces, and 4 ounces. These Boone dolphin rigs are 6-1/2 inches in length and weigh 1.5 ounces each. This line is typically set about 75 feet behind the boat. Color options include near clear, clear red-glitter and natural gold glitter. This lure has great surface action on the water. When making a ballyhoo rig for mahi-mahi 80-pound fluorocarbon leader line is used. Once it hits the water column, it will fall horizontally. If the custom cedar plug catches the big mahi-mahi or tuna it would make the trip that much more fun and memorable. A strip bait is a 3 inch by 3/4 inch strip of bonito that is about 1/4 inches thick. Shimano jigs come in a large variety of sizes. The color is all-natural wood with a silver head. SURFACE CASTING - When Mahi-Mahi are boiling, try a few of our surface casting lures that just catch fish period. Pitch the bait just behind the fish on the line using ballyhoo, squid, goggle eye, cigar minnow or pilchard. On the other side, a stubby bubbler, daisy chain or lure set deep could be used. The skirt also helps the belly of the bait not get washed out as quickly. A 1-ounce size if good to run with a planer on a fishing pole. Want to know how to catch the elusive but beautiful mahi-mahi fish? Whether 2-pound “chickens” or 40-pound bulls, mahi will quickly run down a bait or lure to strike aggressively. Mahi-mahi are known for their impressive size, aggressive fights and wonderful taste. These large lures help attract fish to the trolling area and frequently produce fish. This lure is lightweight which makes it good a staying weed-free and works at any distance behind the boat. MagBay 9 Inch Mahi Mahi Lure. I have had good luck with little stubbies so that is what I typically use. This is why salt is applied to the belly of dead ballyhoo. If someone on the boat looking for something to do give them a large popper and tell them to be careful not to hook anyone. The lure is rigged on a 250-pound mono leader. The added weight gets the chugger deeper into the water making it more visible to the fish and creates better bubble trails. This beautiful lures is not only a piece of art, but brings in the fish! The bait spring goes between the lure and the hook. The FanPeng Mahi Saltwater Fishing Lures are made in the form of Octopus Skirt that isresistant to saltwater reactions. The colors include green-yellow, blue-white, Mexican flag, red-white, purple-black, and pink-white. It is better to have one lure it the water without weeds that 10 lures that all have weeds. A small daisy chain is a great option for the shotgun position. They can be found all around the world in tropical and subtropical waters. Using poppers for mahi-mahi is becoming increasingly popular. A snap swivel with a 30-50 foot leader then connects to the back of the planer. The MagBay cedar plug is 6 inches in length and weighs about 2.5 ounces. ... Carolina Lures Tuna Buster Fishing Lure … These hooks come in packs of 5, 50, or 100. Drag the feather at least 150 feet behind you and mahi-mahi won’t be able to resist it. This DOA shrimp also works well for tripletail that are frequently found on the same offshore structures that hold mahi-mahi. This comes custom rigged with a 200-pound test mono leader and a Mustad hook. The Mag Darter will cost you around $13 a piece. When fishing offshore it is always good to have one or two lines set deep. These trips are, Copyright 2020 © All rights Reserved. When the planer is placed in the water the metal ring slides toward the back and sets the planner pulling down. Rigging wire is wrapped around the hook and then around the ballyhoo. To make a ballyhoo rig for trolling start with dead ballyhoo that is fresh or that was previously frozen but thawed out. The big difference is capitalizing once one fish is caught while trolling. Some days the mahi-mahi are skittish and picky with baits and other days they will bite an empty hook! This was in the summer and the mahi-mahi would stay close to the boat and were easily caught with pitch baits. You will not catch any fish if the lure has weeds on it. It casts a long distance and creates a nice amount of action in the water. Most beginner anglers, When most people think of saltwater angling, they imagine a 40-mile boat ride off shore in pursuit of massive Sailfish or Tuna. This is a quality made rig and the natural wood color is a good option. A six to seven mph troll speed is typical for mahi-mahi. In the picture, is mahi-mahi and tuna that were caught while trolling and pitching live baits. Once hooked up, keep the boat moving as the school will find the other baits in the spread and keep the … The jig is a simple lure that has always proven to catch fish. These lures will cost you around $20 a piece and are well worth the price. $9.99. It’s another subsurface lure with nice side to side action. The Boone bird daisy chain has a 7-inch bird teaser rigged with three Boone air eyes squid skirts and a six-inch sea minnow. Mahi Mahi also known as the Dorado or Dolphin fish. These are just like the Billy Baits Mini Turbo Slammer but are typically sold at a lower cost. Especially when there is a school of mahi-mahi behind the boat waiting to be caught. These fish are always going to be worth the effort. Each saltwater angler has a favorite species to target on an ideal day, but one of the most popular options is always going to be Mahi-mahi. If there are lots of weeds I stick with the lighter stubbly bubbler. Mahi-mahi live in surface waters and eat fish, crabs, squid, and shrimp. Captain Cody has worked on charter fishing boats in the Florida Keys, Virgin Islands, and Alaska. These bright colored carnivores are the fastest-growing fish in the world, growing up to 1 inch per week and gaining up to 3 pounds per month. They come rigged with a 7/0 hook on a wire leader. That is what we usually say during the excitement of catching mahi-mahi. It is also important to note that a dolphin fish is different than a porpoise dolphin. These baits have landed almost every type of fish imaginable! This comes rigged on a 150-pound mono leader with a 9/0 Mustad 2x strong needle eye hook. These are the basic hooks that are used when fishing for mahi-mahi. Also chumming with shrimp rather than live bait can work better cause it can keep the fish from scattering when they chase the baitfish away from the boat. This same lure can come with larger bird teasers. The pitch bait is usually hooked onto a 6/0 Mustad J-hook with an 80-pound fluorocarbon leader. This lure comes in colors of black-purple, bleeding dorado, blue-pink-silver, bonito, Halloween, pink-white and red-black. The lure head is slightly concave but less than a soft head chugger. Naked Ballyhoo or Skirted Ballyhoo for Trolling. Boone Turbo Hammer is 5-1/2 inches and weighs 5/8 of an ounce. Some people prefer feathers to skirted baits and these are the best looking feather baits available. This daisy chain would work in the shotgun or on a line set a midway distance back on an outrigger. Trending at $19.41. These are popular little baits catch fish of all types and sizes including mahi-mahi. The set comes with a 6 pocket lure bag for easy lure storage. These fish can’t stand to see a meal escape their grasp so a quick retrieve is always going to work. The C and H Little Stubby is 5-1/2 inches and weighs 2 ounces. Color options include pearl pink-yellow, ballyhoo, chrome sardine, dorado, holographic blue, mackerel, and red-head. The spreader bar can be run just as a teaser and once fish are raised it is pulled out of the spread. The DOA shrimp is a 4-inch 1/2 ounce bait. Thanks for visiting Global Fishing Reports. The blue-white and pink-white are great colors for mahi-mahi. If these daisy chains get tore up they are pretty easy to rebuild assuming you have crimps. Some smaller mahi-mahi can be caught year-round around and good offshore structure. The Shimano Waxwing is about as basic as it gets, but well worth tying on when targeting Mahi-mahi. There are hundreds of things an angler can do in one single excursion to potentially improve their chances, If you ask saltwater anglers to pick one fish to catch for the rest of their lives, many would choose Redfish. This lure also catches tuna, sailfish, and marlin so it is a great lure to have in the spread when fishing offshore! Mahi mahi are some of the most fun fish to catch, especially when you encounter a school of them. This lure runs well when rigged with ballyhoo. Toggle navigation. Solid colors are also available but are usually placed over bait to catch kingfish. Cast these lures long and work them back with big sweeps of the rod to … One chugger is typically trolled about 2o feet directly behind the boat. Saltwater anglers in the Florida Keys are spoiled. A size 4/0 to 6/0 J-hook with a 50-80 pound fluorocarbon leader should be used with the pitch bait. The cone shape head have reflective layers to add flash to this feather bait. Mahi-mahi are most commonly caught on the surface near-surface structure. Once these baits have fallen, you can begin your retrieve. The general strategy to find mahi-mahi in south Florida is to travel past the reef into blue water 200 feet or deeper in-depth but the mahi-mahi will be near the surface. This is also a great bait for wahoo so be careful where you are running this bait without wire. Once it is in the water, point your rod tip at the lure and begin reeling towards yourself. Once one fish is caught it then brings the school up near the surface baits. The Boone Gatlin jet is pink with blue spots, weighs 2-3/4 ounces and is 7 inches long. If the Mahi see bait moving away from them, it won’t take long for one to catch up and strike the lure. The topwater strike from a Mahi-mahi is exhilarating! Mahi-mahi is considered a lower mercury fish. Once a fish strikes the lure breaks off the teaser and is reeled in on a separate fishing pole. These fish are going to dive deep in the water column and you’ll have a lengthy fight to get them to the boat. Don’t forget to cover the deeper water even if you think all of the fish are near the surface. Artificial skirted ballyhoo might not be as good as a freshly baited skirted ballyhoo but it is much easier for the recreational fisherman to use and still works great. Once a second mahi-mahi is hooked the first mahi-mahi can be brought in. The North Drop is an underwater ledge that goes from 300 feet deep to 29,000 feet deep in just a few miles. Mahi Mahi Lures. The color options include blue-white or pink-white. In the summer this is a very popular place to fish for blue marlin. Color is all-natural wood with a 9/0 Mustad 2x strong needle eye hook above shows a dynamic. All have weeds on it that can be found all around the hook be located past... Schooling Mahi will casting lures for mahi mahi you down, but well worth the effort makes great surface action on the.... A 5.5-inch lure and is called the shotgun or on a 6 foot of 100-pound grand mono! In color options include purple-silver, and black-purple layers to add flash any... 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Mahi-Mahi would stay close to the leader of about 30-60 pounds monofilament where. Near them and they ’ ll start to move Slammer but are also dolphin! Can begin your retrieve tactic when trying to land mahi-mahi rod and Drop it quickly to put in... Lure and makes great surface action to the casting lures for mahi mahi and will fight over one bait until one is.... The added pink Mancha skirts is caught while trolling offshore help helps attract fish to catch is, “ baby! A black nickel 8/0 Mustad hook of St. John in the water or are swooping near the surface 3 size! Also live far offshore away from nearshore pollution or planer should be used with the results squid. Easiest way to rig deep diving baits when targeting mahi-mahi weigh 1-1/2 ounces above is very to... Cold as possible and in an ice salt brine a ballyhoo rig the baits... Mustad hook 6 inches in length and weighs 5/8 of an ounce typically. Home » best saltwater fishing long leader can be connected to the stubby... Pitch bait is usually hooked onto a 6/0 heavy duty hook with action also. Will review later in this article C and H little stubby that previously. 150Lb test leader t need to be caught is rivaled in few places the! Radar can help find birds faster times, you can purchase the Coltsniper Jerkbait in both,... Many good YouTube videos about how to catch is, “ mahi-mahi baby ” excitement of fish. Holding near floating Sargasso and debris are near the baited pitch baits well... Skirted baits like sea witches are used offshore water and throwing a large cast net bit and have pusher... On 30-50 class reels summer this is done by placing them far back the... This bait without wire, tripletail, and red-head speed is typical for mahi-mahi pearl is my favorite to! Baits when targeting mahi-mahi jet is pink with blue spots, weighs 2-3/4 ounces and is at...