How to Catch Mahi Mahi, Best Lures, Baits, and Trolling Techniques
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- Best mahi mahi lures
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Best reels for trolling offshore
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Types of saltwater baitfish
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How to Catch Mahi Mahi, Best Lures, Baits, and Trolling Techniques.
In this video Captain Cody gives a live demonstration of how to setup a trolling spread for mahi mahi. The best trolling lures and discussed in detail as well as trolling spreads and distance lures should be behind the boat.
Next the best pitch baits are discussed. Good dead baits include ballyhoo, bonita, skipjack tuna, squid, and shrimp. Good live baits include, ballyhoo, pilchards, herring , greenbacks, cigar minnows, pinfish, and goggle eyes.
Next a day fishing for mahi-mahi in the Florida Keys is shown. The weather was super nice and the ocean was flat calm. A piece of bamboo was found floating about 16 miles offshore which was fill of mahi mahi, triple tail, and almaco jacks.
On the east coast these beautiful blue and green fish are called mahi mahi. On the west coast they are known as dolphin or dorado. We also did see a large pod of dolphin while searching for mahi-mahi.
Thanks for watching!
One of the best tutorial fishing videos I've seen, great job!! The links you provided were also very helpful - thanks,
Thanks for the positive feedback MiniBar! Good luck out there!
I've had other BPM baits ruclips.net/user/postUgkxCbNOWAGmn6nfbCbJDmasvBq7J38KZNw2 before and they've pretty much always came through for me with the suskie smallies here and even with the walleye and pike, but I realized I didn't have an "in-between" pattern so this junebug one fills that role in no problem. it pairs up magnificently with a junebug Zoom Z-craw Jr that was trimmed a couple millimeters before the hook slots and rigged sideways for that fatter panfish side profile while still being a nice'n'compact presentation, a real power-finesse bait. Hell, it was so pretty I even bothered to fotosketch the pic into a watercolor painting image just to show you it's beauty! Even the blades are really well made, sure, they're not of Hildebrandt-level exquisiteness but look at the bead's reflection on the colorado blade, definitely well-made! The only "problem" spot it had was a bald spot in the skirt but it was nothing that I couldn't easily fix with a but of tuggin'n'shiftin' with the strands for a couple of seconds, besides that it is pretty minty!
Thank you!
I’m new to fishing and been trying to learn about offshore fishing but almost every video is pretty much about showing off the most expensive gears and little about the “how to”. Your video is very informative and great for beginners such as myself. Thank you for sharing. Great website as well
Thanks! Glad you found the information helpful! Let me know if you have any questions.
I would think the biggest challenge for 99.999% is how to accumulate enough $ to get off shore 😮
The sea there is so flat. Here on the east coast of south Africa we always have swell. Our coastline has been overfished and we seldom see the Dorado (mahi) that plentiful. Our government and nature / Marine conservation departments are underfunded and lack motivation. The government steals all the money for conservation as they do not value our natural resources. SAD.
Interesting, in south Florida there is never a swell, just choppy wind waves. However in the summer the wind is usually quite low and you get about 2 days a month were the ocean is very flat like this. Sorry your waters are over fished. I always thought South Africa was loaded with fish.
Best mahi video by far . I fish out of Islamorada in the keys and the mahi is king in this area ,
Thanks, yeah mahi are awesome fish to catch. The prime season is just starting too so that is great!
Great video here definatly , with some really stupid comments , what kind of boat is it . Wtf is wrong with this person.😮
There is 1 lure I really caught a lot of mahis with, and it’s the rattle jet(blue or green).
Greetings from the Dutch Caribbean.!
Nice video.!!
Cool, thanks for the tip!
Ok really strange comment ,but where the hell is the Dutch sea , wtf .
Were the reels in the beginning of the video whole trolling all 50 size reels? Nice video and helpful tips also!
The biggest reel was a 50 class reel and the others are smaller. In the keys most fish are under 40 pounds so we can get away with smaller reels. It is a issue though if a big marlin bites though as a 50 class reel would be much better. Quality 30 class reels are ideal for trolling in the Florida keys imh. Unless you are high speed trolling for wahoo than again 50 class reels are needed.
My 15 year old son LOVES fishing. This video was amazing. Where are you fishing from Keys?
Great thanks, yeah this is in the keys!
Captain Copy. Great Video,
Like From Pakistan 🇵🇰 👍
Cool, are there mahi-mahi in the Arabian Sea?
Great video showed a lot of action ! What type and size of mainline are you using on your spinners ?
Thanks! I like 30-pound mono but you can also use 80-pound braid if you prefer that.
i get the impression your father doesnt care much for you filming lol
Ha ha he mostly wants to get the mahi in the boat. I think it is fun to film!
Excellent video! Love the tips and how to’s. Keep ‘em coming!!
Thanks Lucas, good luck fishing!
great video but you have to stop yelling at your Dad, dude that's rude!
ha ha we are just communicating, it is not yelling cause we are made or anything.
Question for ya: I'm going sailing in Antigua next week and am bringing a couple of trolling rods to target mahi mahi. I have a couple Rapalas (dive to 30') and also some 8" squid skirts that I intend to run. Can you please advise on how you run squid skirts? Do you typically have them skipping along near the surface or are they further down? I have equipment (dipsy divers) that could target lower depths if recommended. Thanks I'm advance.
Peter
I show in the video how you run the squid skits. They are run on the surface at around 6-7 mph. Typically you can run 3-4 at one time pretty easily. The deep-diving Rapalas will work but sometimes do not track straight at 7 mph. If you are a beginner the squid skirts are the easiest to run especially if there are lots of weeks around. I also have links in the description to good lures such as the mini chuggers. The real key though is not to just troll pain blue water. It is a big ocean. You want to find blue water with weeds, a bucket, a log, or birds that are on fish before you start trolling. Also have some type of pitch bait ready in case you get into a nice school. Good luck, it sounds like a fun trip!
This is a really good video, straight to the point and lots of good tips.
Thanks for watching Henly! Good luck catching some mahi mahi!
Great video, what size ball bearing swivel and ball bearing snap swivel do you recommend? Also what size ball bearing swivel do you recommend when trolling for kings, wahoo etc.... or when trolling do you recommend directly connecting your braid to the leader when trolling? Thanks in advance, freshwater guy learning the Salt Life.
Thanks! As far as quality swivels go they should have a weight rating. Most of the time you can get small ball bearing snap swivels that are much stronger than the line strength. The swivel on the end of the leader opposite the lure can just be a regular barrel swivel. The exact size is not super important for mahi-mahi as they are not leader shy. If you are fishing for tuna then you want to use a 6 foot plus leader. If you are fishing on the reef for kings and cero mackerel then use a thin 39-pound wire with really small swivels, a small hook, and live bait when drifting or anchored. I show this in my how-to-tie a haywire twist video. If you are high-speed trolling for wahoo with 4-pound weights and large lures then you want a 600 plus pound rating ball bearing snap swivel. If you check out my website, global fishing reports I show the best lures and gear to catch the most popular types of saltwater fish. To get a variety of snap swivel sizes just get the American Fishing Wire Mighty-Mini Stainless Steel Snap Swivel Kit. Then get some different size barrel swivels and you should be good to go for a while. Unless you are fishing really big gear then you might need to order more of the larger 600-pound swivels.
@@CaptainCody7 I really appreciate the great response and info.,! Thank you!
Damn! wish i can get at least 1 fish lol. so far have not been able :(
Ha ha well if you head offshore enough times you will find them. Typically if you find the birds you find the fish. If there are no birds just look for debris in the water or a good weed line!
Good video thanks. What where you using to catch those little bait fish at the beginning. You had a jig with three hooks. What is that? Size and bait? How do you do that? I’m terrible with the cast net so that would be good to use for getting small bait fish…
Thanks John! It was just a small sabiki rig. Not sure the exact size but it was on of the smaller ones even for a zabiki. It had four hooks, it is common for them to have six. Four is nice cause it fits on the rod. The jig is just used for weight. You could just use a piece of lead. The jig makes it so it can be clipped on the eye of the rod for storage. Most people just use them as one time rigs or get a sabiki pole which is designed to hold the rig. This works for greenbacks, pinfish, ballyhoo, and cigar minnows but will not catch pillchards. Thanks for watching!
Mahi eggs are a delicacy, Just fry
Yeah, I always think about that when cleaning them!
Excellent Video! Can't wait to begin Mahi fishing with my buddy and his new boat.
Thanks! Good luck mahi fishing!
Nice fishing lure where i can buy sir.
In the video description I provide a link to an article where you can get the lures fully rigged on Amazon. Captain's Choice Fishing is actually a company I started to sell lures.
Cody : Dad this one has two pufferfish.
Dad : Huh.. what's my favorite chicken dish ? Probably Cacciatore I'd say.
Cody: No... I said two pufferfish.
It bugs me when my 83 yr old dad & stepmom don't wear their hearing aids . It's great that you and you Dad can spend quality time like this. I really envy that. My Dad doesn't get around too well for boating anymore. 😐 Great fishing. ! I just bring them fillets now.
ha ha thanks! Yeah it is fun being able to fish with him. We have done lots of fishing together over the years. I am sure your dad likes getting the fresh fish!
@@CaptainCody7
Yeah he does Captain Cody. My wife just drove up with a few packages of Fluke & Black Sea Bass. I feel very blessed myself to still be able to do that for him. This lifetime of ours is all about "Love" in my opinion. I can just tell how great of a loving relationship you have with your Dad.
It is very heartwarming. May you have many more wonderful trips/ outings together. ✌️🦈💦 Captain Cole
~ Jussi
Fantastic video. Question, what is the closest to shore that you've caught mahi mahi? Thanks
I have seen them when snorkeling the reef in 20 feet of water in Florida late in the summer. In the USVI they can be caught right next to the shore from time to time. In the Florida Keys though you can consistently catch mahi from 200 feet and deeper in the summer. This starts about 5 miles from shore at the start of blue water color.
Awesome video! Got a link to what snap swivel you use?
In the video description, I link to an article I wrote about the different types of lures. It does not show the swivels though. You can get the American Fishing Wire Mighty-Mini Stainless Steel Snap Swivel Kit to have a bunch of different size swivels. #3 - 170 lb pound swives are good on pitch rods. #2 - 270 lb swivels are good for trolling rods. Ball-bearing snap swivels are also good for trolling rods. The sizes are a bit different just make sure it is rated over 100 pounds and you should be good. Thanks for watching!
Cheers from Washington State!
Cheers, looks like you have some good salmon fishing up there!
Hope I did not overlook this in the video.
What size hooks do you like Also do you use circle hooks or J hooks
Thanks Steve
I am not sure if I said it or not. You can use circle hooks or j-hooks when pitching to mahi. 6/0 or 7/0 is a common size for j-hooks. 8/0 or 9/0 j-hooks for the trolling rigs. We use 7/0 VMC thin wire circle hooks when pitching to mahi. You just have to make sure not to set the hook when it bites as I made that mistake a few times in the video. Mahi jump and shake their head a lot similar to tarpon which is why I like to use circle hooks. Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much for posting! We fish in CT, but in May we are trailering our WC 255 DC to Ft. Lauderdale for 2 weeks. It seems like some of the gear is the same for fishing up north, but can we use our tuna spreader bars for trolling Mahi and Tuna?
Well, you could give it a try but spreader-bars are a bit overkill. When mahi fishing you are typically on weed lines so small surface lures that are easy to keep weed-free are ideal. You run your lures much closer to the boat for mahi than you likely do up north for tuna. The tuna are often feeding on smaller baits so large spreader bars are not ideal. I would recommend 5-6 inch chrome head Mylar skirt lures for blackfin, skipjack, and Bonita. Yellowfin and bigeye are very rare unless you are running near the Bahamas. In the video description, I show an article I wrote about what lures I like. For disclosure, Captains Choice Fishing is my company. I know they work really well in South Florida! Now you do get marlin occasionally which would need bigger reels and ideally a big teaser that looks like a blackfin tuna is what is typically used. However, we typically fish lighter gear, 30 class and smaller in Florida as most tuna and mahi are under 30 pounds. If you hook a marlin though it is a problem which we found out last trip.
@@CaptainCody7 thanks so much! We learn so much and appreciate your help!
Nice video. Just subscribed. Love mahi
Great thanks, mahi-mahi are one of my favorite fish as well!
This is proof the earth is flat
In all seriousness- thank you for the perspective! Mahi mahi tastes so good and I want to be able to fish them one day...
The ocean was flat that day, and yeah mahi is my favorite fish to eat!
Hey, what rods are you using? Looks like “Ugly Stick “ I’m not sure . I’m looking to buy a couple rods . Don’t want to spend a lot . Thank you . Great video
Thanks! Yeah most of them are Penn or Ugly Stick. Are you looking for trolling rods or spinning. Good to have a couple of both when mahi fishing. On my site global fishing reports I have articles about the best of both types.
Thank you !
Wow .. that looks so fun .. beautiful out there in florida. How far out were you guys ?
We ran out about 40 miles that day. You can start finding mahi about 5 miles out in the keys once you are in about 200 feet+ of water.
I'm new to trolling, any tips for marlin, sailfish or kingfish? Do you use any planers or weights to keep lures down?
Cool, depending on the target species, you typically change your lures a bit. I have a large list of lures for Mahi Mahi linked in the article below in the video description which includes planers. When you are fishing on the reef for kingfish you typically want to add a short piece of wire as they have sharp teeth as do cero mackerel and barracuda which are also caught on the reef. For wahoo you also want wire. Planers and a spoon are good for kingfish. I also have an article about how to catch wahoo. For sailfish, you troll the deep edge of the reef in blue water. Most trolling lures work but pitching a live bait, or setting live baits on floats or kites is best. This is done in the winter more than the summer though. For marlin typically you add a large teaser that looks like a tuna/bonito. Then typically trolling lures from 2.5-12 inches long are trolled on the surface at slightly higher than normal trolling speeds.
Great video. I have a question I like to rig my lures with just a bit of hook showing at the end of the skirt and I also like the hooks to swing nice and free. My friend rigs his with gear that sets the hook more stiff and he says it keeps it from getting knocked out of the way and missed more by the Mahi when it first strikes. Curious your thoughts or other guys out there on this? Thanks.
Yeah, I like it when the hook ends right at the end of the skirt. The best way to have the hook stay straight is with a crimp protector that goes over the crimp and top of the hook. Higher quality lures will have this. I am actually going to be selling some mini chuggers on Amazon rigged this way soon under captain's choice fishing. Right now they are being shipped to amazon but the lures should be available in about a week. I also have full size chuggers but they are not rigged that way.
Wow great video super informative ty happ😢 hunting
Thanks! Good luck catching some mahi!
What is the spinning rod and reel combo your using to pitch out live bait.
There are a couple different rods used in the video. Some of the setups used in this video were a bit undersized. A Penn Spinfisher VI 7500 size is a good reel for offshore in the keys. A good rod would be 6.5-7 foot medium to medium heavy power. I like using 30-pound mono on the spinning reels but braid works as well if you prefer that.
And I was trying to know what brand life jacket do you use😮 . And could someone not know how to swim , And did he write his book because of this video😮.
Are they weigted the skirt's do you add small lead in sguid skirt's
The duster has a chrome metal head that adds weight. If you check the article in the description I link to the mini chuggers fully rigged. It adds just a bit a weight but not so much you pick up extra weeds.
What is the pink and blue rod and reel you used for the bait fish? Awesome video as always!
Thanks, that is just a small kids rod and reel that we typically fish at the dock with. It had the sabiki on it just in case we see bait to try and catch.
I’ll take you on my boat where I live. We will have fun.
Possibly, send me an email. My contact is in my about page on youtube.
I like the snap off rig. I can see how saving just a few seconds can catch more fish when you hit a school and just need to get back in the water fast. It looks safer too, rather than trying to unhook a large thrashing fish. The other thing I learnt from this video is, Mahi mahi are Stoopid! They are just running on instinct. So I am guessing they are not very "leader shy"? You can go heavy on the leader and they will still hit the lure or bait?
Yeah, generally mahi-mahi are not leader shy and you can even use wire leader. With cut bait the leader thickness is more important. I still typically use 80 pound though cause mahi have abrasive teeth. Some times the fish are starving and will bite anything, even just a hook. Other days when there is a full moon the fish feed at night and are a bit more picky, stay deeper and having live bait is an advantage. Yeah, the snap off leaders are defiantly helpful when you get into a school!
@@CaptainCody7 Thanks.
Nice you should try fishing Guanaja
Thanks, that does sound fun to me!
What's a Guanjia , Never heard of in the GOM , are you sober when you typed Guangia?
me and my buddy are planning to try and do some fishing near bimini, any tips? This will be my first time trying to fishing out of state(florida) and I'm still not quite sure where to catch bait, any tips at all would be greatly appreciated
I have not fished Bimini but that does sound like a fun trip. We were planning a trip to the Bahamas also. I think you can clear customs without going on land. As far as fishing tactics go if you are going to target mahi, I would not overthink it. Just look for birds and weed lines along the way. If you do not have live bait just cut up some ballyhoo or squid. Mahi are typically not very picky.
@@CaptainCody7 thanks, thats a big help
exelet explanation , thanks do more video nice thanks
Thanks, yeah I plan on making more videos soon!
1:00 that fish looks like it’s overed in spikes, is it actually shape? Also nice video :D
Yeah, that is a porcupine puffer and is covered in spikes. This one is small so they are not hard like needles yet. Well atleast not when it is partially digested. Some times these puff up and float to the surface if they are scared. They can also be caught on a fishing rod. Not all types of puffer fish have these spikes though, mostly just the porcupine puffers have spikes.
Also at 23:39 their is a second puffer fish we found in the mahi!
@@CaptainCody7 cool B)
Wow whwre is place in ocean dont u mind give me track in gps pls
We were about 15 miles out in the Atlantic in the lower keys in September. I did not save the spot cause mahi are just on random debris and weeds that change by about 40 miles each day due to the current. You just have to head out and look for birds and weeds.
@@CaptainCody7 thank you so much.. that is not easy way...
Gild are always fun to catch.
Yes indeed!
@CaptainCody7 I used to call them Dolphin, until girls would say, awww, why did you catch and eat a Dolphin? LOL, I got tired of explaining, so I came up with gild for their name for the golden color.
@@jamescobrien ha ha yeah I figured it was a nickname. I do not typically call them dolphin for that reason as well.
Good move , don't let pops try to gaff it. That Fish had some terrible luck after that gaff hit the line at least 3 times
😮
Allow me to be your deck hand.
We could have used another hand that day!
I can't trust a man that doesn't always have a cast net in the boat!
ha ha that is a good point! At least we had a way to catch bait!
y7 You got the fish in the boat! Everything else is for the birds! Good work!
Learned a ton and subscribed!
Awesome, thanks for watching and subscribing!
Annullo ogni maledizione
I am not sure what you said. Translate did not work properly.
You don’t use planners?
Planers do work. However we usually run and gun to birds/weeds. And try to clear lines quickly to start pitching baits. So simple is best in my opinion. If you have a pro crew and slow troll the same area with low weeds, planers would be good to put out. You can catch usually catch plenty of fish without them though.
Man good video!
Thanks, good luck this season!
What test line do you recommend for trolling? I'll be trolling from a sailboat. With one pole. Wanting a decent sized eating fish.
It depends on the size of the reel but in general, I like 60-pound monofilament for the mainline. If it is a small reel, size 20 or smaller, then 80-100 pound braided line. You can even catch most mahi 5-20 pounds with a size 7500 spinning reel with a 30-pound main line. Just make sure the leader is 80+ pounds as mahi do have small teeth.
This video is the best I’ve seen in terms of delivering content that helps someone learn how to Mahi fish from start to finish. Excellent job.
Glad it was helpful!
what boat?
The boat is a 28 foot World Cat. Thanks for watching!
Where do you guys fish out of?
This is in the Florida Keys. We catch mahi in water depths for 200 feet to 2,000 feet which is about 5-40 miles offshore respectively.
Good video bro
Thanks Kevin!
what kind of boat is that?
28 foot World Cat.
Who What 😮 how could someone ask a what kind oof boat is that after watching this catch , totally ridiculous question. My answer would why comma who gives a flying f what kind of boat it is . WHAT A DUMBASS QUESTION
Yay for good brokers
Thanks!
those are tiny mahi mahi
There are typical size for the FL keys lately. Once every 20 trips or so you will get a slammer over 15 pounds.
On my list to try and catch
Great, it is almost Mahi season in Florida! May-September is a best time to fish for them.
@@CaptainCody7 if I use a charter do I still need an out of state license?
@@ES-gy1ti If you are on a paid charter in Florida you do not need a fishing license. In Alaska you have to buy a license even on charter. So this varies state by state.
@@CaptainCody7 thank you
@@CaptainCody7 can you recommend a charter in the 30A area.
I come
Not sure what you are saying.
Can you give me tips for catching big mahi? We catch a lot of mahi in Big Pine but really want a 30+ pounder. We will probably fish 20-30 times this summer. Do we run deeper baits for the big guys? Bigger baits? Troll more than run and gun (which we usually do)?
If I was fishing a tournament for big mahi-mahi I would run and gun, ideally finding a low flying frigate bird. As you probably know some days there just are not any good birds, so you have to fish weeds and debris. There tends to only be one really big bull per school as they are territorial and fight of and kill smaller bulls. If you see a school get up high and look for the biggest fish. If you can pick your days get up early when there is no moon. The fish will be more hungry cause they feed less at night. For pitch baits pitch a ballyhoo or live bait, goggle eye or cigar minnow ideally. Make sure your tackle does not have any kicks from catching other mahi which have sharp teeth. Big mahi fight hard and will test your tackle. You probably hook a few big ones every year that snap your line and you do not even realize it cause they get away. On slow days fishing lures deeper can help bring up fish. There is some luck involved but you if you fish 20 plus times a year you should get some big ones! The recent 80 boat tournament out of Marathon had the biggest mahi of 35.5 pounds.
Go offshore Texas
Corpus
This is one of the best videos, teaching how to catch Mahi Mahi. Thank you.
Sure thing, good luck out there!
Finally a comment that makes sense.
Wow those Mahi are tiny, they minnows, or Mahi I cant really tell they so small!!🤣🤣🤣. Those plug's look ok! I prefer Hawaiki bait company plugs , they smoke everything and super high quality, plugs all hand made, they bad ass lures!!Not like your stuff, but they hard to get!Tuna will bite right behind the wake with a good weight strait runner plug's . I rarely use bait , the plugs work so dam good!!We had lotta 60lb ,50 lb Mahi's with those plugs #0 to 40lb cow mahi's , and one 80 lb Bull Mahi, close to Hawaii state record, we fish Florida and Hawaii, we go back and forth.,Hawaiki bait company also the 2015 international Bill fish turnament winner in Kona, their plug's smoke everybody's stuff east and west coast!!
Ha ah.The mahi are not always huge, that is why light tackle is fun! That is great you have some plugs you like! I do not even see them for sale online. The mini chuggers can catch all size fish. They are actually marketed for Marlin in South America. Using big lures does help not catch the smaller fish. Of course even when using wahoo lures you get barracuda all day somethimes. That is crazy you do not use bait. Having some type of pitch bait is a must if you ask me. The mini chugger also work great cause if you are not sure if the fish are blackfin tuna or mahi you do not need to change lures.