Mahi-Mahi Fishing Charters in Key Largo
Run offshore into the blue water for mahi-mahi. Fast, hard-fighting, and one of the best fish you can put on a plate.
Book a Mahi-Mahi CharterMahi-Mahi Fishing in the Florida Keys
Mahi-mahi fishing, you will also hear them called dolphin or dorado, is more hunting than fishing. We run offshore, past the reef line and out into the open blue water, looking for any sign of life: a weedline, a patch of sargassum, a piece of floating debris, birds working the surface, a current rip where the water changes color. Anything out there that holds bait will hold mahi.
Some days we run and gun, covering water until we spot something to fish. Other days we put baits and lures out and troll our way offshore, picking up whatever eats along the way. It can be a short run or 20-plus miles out, so mahi trips are three-quarter or full days, never a half day. The more eyes on the water looking for those signs, the more fish we find, so it is a great trip to bring the crew.
When you find them, it pays off. Mahi school up, so one fish on the line often means a dozen more right behind it. They are aggressive and hit live bait, dead bait, trolled lures, and jigs, and they are one of the best-eating fish in the ocean.
Good to know. Mahi runs are three-quarter or full days, since we have to get offshore to find them. They are outstanding eating, so bring a cooler if you would like to take your catch home.
How We Find Them
Reading the Blue Water
Out past the reef, mahi do not sit on one spot. We hunt the signs that hold them.
Weedlines & Sargassum
Long lines of floating sargassum hold bait, and where the bait is, the mahi are. A good weedline can hold fish from one end to the other.
Floating Debris
A board, a buoy, a pallet, anything adrift in the open ocean becomes a magnet for life. Mahi gather under it for the shade and the bait it draws.
Birds Working
Frigates and other birds working the surface give the fish away from a mile off. When the birds are diving, the mahi are usually feeding below.
Rips & Color Changes
Where two bodies of water meet you get a rip line and a change in color. Those edges concentrate bait, and the mahi hunt right along them.
What to Expect
Mahi trips run offshore, so plan on a three-quarter or full day on the water. Captain Mike rigs for both run-and-gun and trolling, and all rods, reels, bait, and tackle are included. Some days the fish come quick, and some days it takes a long run to find that one piece of structure holding them. That is the hunt.
Because mahi school, a single hookup can turn into several fish boatside at once. The trip also mixes well with the rest of the offshore fishing out here, so if we run into tuna, wahoo, or a billfish along the way, we are ready for it. Ask Captain Mike what is biting and what makes sense for the season.
On the Water
Mahi-Mahi in Action
Book a Mahi-Mahi Fishing Charter in the Florida Keys
Offshore mahi fishing out of Key Largo. Fast fish, schooling action, and the best eating in the ocean.