Florida Sport Fishing

Home

Tips and Tales

Pro's Tips

FALL DOLPHIN TIPS

Written by Capt. R.J “Bobby” Boyle

AS SEEN IN THE FALL 2003 ISSUE

As a native Floridian and professional fisherman for the most part of my life, I have definitely caught my fair share of dolphin. In south Florida, as a mate or captain on any offshore charter boat you quickly realize one of the most popular questions that customers ask, “how’s the dolphin fishing”? It seems as though everyone wants to go home with a couple bags of fresh mahi fillets and you really can’t blame them.

In addition to fantastic table fare, dolphin are also one of the most fun fish to catch. They are extremely colorful, are incredibly acrobatic and regardless of size, always put on a terrific show for the angler.

In the following checklist of fall dolphin tips you will hopefully see something that you can apply to your own style of fishing. Remember though, preparation is the major key to success with all types of angling situations.

Look For Birds
As we venture off into the deep, it’s customary to keep a sharp eye out for any formed weed lines and solid weed patches. It’s common knowledge that dolphin prowl the shadows below to pick off baitfish and the many crustaceans that call this vegetation home.

Some times though, the obvious signs of dolphin activity could be very subtle. Often, a single frigate bird (aka marlin bird) circling high above is a dead giveaway for life below. With their incredible wingspan and fantastic eye site, they circle an area above a pack of lurking dolphin much like a vulture will do to road kill. Just waiting for that opportune time to swoop down and grab an easy meal. In addition to frigate birds, you will occasionally run into tiny birds we refer to as tuna chicks.

These small fast birds feed on tiny bits of oily fish parts. At times you may see a dozen or so of these chicks feeding in a particular area while on other occasions, a single tuna chick picking bits off an oily surface slick will also be worth investigating.

Have A Marker Buoy Ready
While heading offshore, how many times have you flown right by a board or log that was submerged just below the surface? By the time you turned around, the object was nowhere to be found. This often occurs when the seas are a little bumpy. Couple the rough conditions with a horrendous glare from the sun and it can often make pin pointing the object next to impossible. We have learned this lesson too many times the hard way. Now when searching for dolphin, I always keep a marker buoy in the cockpit and ready to throw. Use a marker buoy that sticks out like a sore thumb. The buoy will not only mark your spot but also give you time to prepare your rods and bait as you circle back to the float. At the bottom of our bright orange marker float, we tie a heavy piece of lead onto a short trace of monofilament. Not only will this help slow down the drift of the float and keep it closer to the object, but the length of monofilament makes the buoy much easier to retrieve.

Pre-Tie Some Leaders
Once a school of dolphin is located, it’s important to be as efficient as possible with everything you do. Keeping a school of dolphin interested can be frustrating at times and you want to maximize your time keeping the rod bent and not running around the cockpit looking for hooks. Fill a couple of yo-yos with twenty 4’pre-made leaders. Some of the dolphin may be deeply hooked and you don’t want to spend too much valuable time trying to get a buried hook out. Simply take your leader off the snap swivel and replace it with a fresh pre-tied rig from the yo-yo.

We always prepare two yo-yo’s, one with 40 lb. mono leaders and one with 80 lb. leaders. At times, feeding dolphin will become increasingly leader shy and scaling our rigs down to 40 lb. is often the change necessary to keep the bite going. Our hook choice is generally a 5/0 or 6/0 single strength, long shank. The longer shank makes unhooking dolphin much easier.

Keep The Fish Interested
Once a dolphin is hooked, keep it in the water next to the boat. The hype created by the hooked fish will often attract interested parties. As you continue to hook additional fish, it’s crucial to constantly feed the pack to keep their attention. Cut- up bonito or ballyhoo chunks make irresistible snacks. Every 15 to 20 seconds throw a few chunks over the side and you should be able to keep their attention without over feeding them. A steady slick is important as you will notice the fish hanging further away from the boat when there is no food and a complete break in the slick could mean the end of your encounter.

Use A De-Hooker
Grabbing a slippery dolphin that’s flipping out on your deck is no easy task. A de-hooker will make your life much simpler. You can extract a hook in seconds rather than minutes and when efficiency and preparation are the keys to success that goes a long way!

Bring A Net
It’s funny, rarely any longer do you see anyone put a landing net on their boat. On a not so great trip when the action isn’t so hot, you may only encounter a dolphin or two that are at best, border line gaffers. A small dolphin shooting back and forth in the water can make even the most professional mate look foolish. Having a landing net handy makes boating small dolphin a breeze. Imagine for a moment if a paying charter gets only one fish to the boat on an eight hour trip. These guys invested $500-$700 for that one dolphin. And you missed it with the gaff three times only to watch the fish spit the hook and casually swim away, along with your gratuity.