Fishing for Mahi
in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
Mahi mahi (dolphinfish) is what I refer to as a bonus fish when you’re fishing in the Gulf. Only a handful of people go out and target this fast-swimming pelagic species, but don’t be surprised if you end up with a few mahi in the cooler when you venture into the Gulf to do any kind of fishing, offshore or inshore.
How to Catch Mahi in the Gulf
Mahi Fishing Season
Mahi Fishing Season
Mahi season in the Gulf is typically from April to September, as these fish prefer warm water. Mahi doesn't have a closed season in the Gulf, but summer is the best time to target this species, particularly June through August.
Where to Find Mahi
Where to Find Mahi
An interesting aspect of catching mahi (dolphin fish) is that it might happen 100 miles in the Gulf, where the big ones hang out, or it could happen on the Gulf State Park Pier. Schools of small dolphin, sometimes referred to as chicken dolphin, will make a swing past the pier, and anglers can have a heyday catching 3- to 5-pound fish with an occasional 10-pounder mixed in.
Many charter boat captains will do a little trolling with surface lures when moving from spot to spot for reef fish species, and you just might end up with a few bonus mahi.
If you’re out in the Gulf on a private boat, you can try to target mahi by looking for any kind of structure on or near the surface. Mahi are voracious eaters and will take any opportunity to dine on baitfish and crustaceans that might be around offshore gas and oil platforms. The most fun way to catch them that I have experienced is finding something floating in the Gulf, a log or patch of sargassum grass, where the mahi go for shade and the opportunity for a meal.
Best Bait for Mahi
Best Bait for Mahi
Because they don’t discriminate on what they eat, anglers can toss a variety of baits around that flotsam and watch the mahi zoom in on the bait. I’ve found that you can use live bait (sardines, alewives or whatever), topwater lures and even jigs. We got into a school of dolphin so thick that we were catching mahi on bare jigheads with no trailer of any kind.
Of course, if you don’t find anything floating, you can drag artificial bait around the offshore platforms with skirted lures in vibrant colors like pink, green, chartreuse and blue-and-white, jet head lures that chug along and even sub-surface plugs that mimic baitfish.
Best Tackle for Mahi
Best Tackle for Mahi
If you’re fishing out in the Gulf where the big fish live, better match the tackle to the fish with a medium-heavy rod and 30- to 50-pound braided line with a 40-pound or larger fluorocarbon leader. If you’re casting around floating structure, the fish usually aren’t as large, and you can downsize the tackle to make it easier to cast the lure, usually 20-pound braided line with 30- to 40-pound fluorocarbon leader.
When you hook a mahi, it usually will put on a show with numerous leaps before you get it to the boat.
Cooking Mahi
Cooking Mahi
After you get home and get the fish cleaned, mahi is one of the most popular species for “catch of the day” at many restaurants. Several restaurants in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area offer a "cook your catch" option, where your fish is prepared in your choice of several different ways that end up being the absolute best, freshest fish you will ever eat.
David Rainer
David Rainer has written about the great outdoors on the Alabama Gulf Coast for more than 20 years. For 14 of those years, he covered the many fishing opportunities on the Gulf Coast as outdoors editor at the Mobile Press-Register. He is past president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and currently serves on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's Outreach and Education Advisory Panel and the Alabama Gulf Coast Reef & Restoration Foundation board.
