Catching Mahi Mahi in Puerto Rico
Mahi put on specular acrobatic fights once hooked and their bright patterns fade almost immediately after mahi mahi is harvested.
Mahi Mahi grow fast, up to 7 feet and 88 pounds and live up to 5 years old.
They migrate seasonably here in Puerto Rico. However, if you come upon a floating object in the middle of no where there is a great chance you will be eating Mahi for supper.
They are capable of reproducing at 4 to 5 months old. are believed to spawn every 2 to 3 days throughout their spawning season (perhaps year-round), releasing 33,000 to 66,000 eggs each time.
They eat a wide variety of species, including small pelagic fish, juvenile tuna, invertebrates, billfish, jacks, pompano, and pelagic larvae or nearshore, bottom-living species.
Favorite lures are small sea witches and small mold Craft Chuggers with small ballyhoo. Light tackle makes it much more fun.
They swim together in schools as juveniles, but older fish are usually found alone.
Where & When to Catch Mahi Mahi in Puerto Rico
Mahi Mahi roam all waters of the Caribbean. They are primarily open water opportunistic feeders focusing on small bait fish. Here in Puerto Rico we have two main migrations, one on the North coast and one on the South coast. The Mahi migration on the North Coast of Puerto Rico runs from November through December. This migration often consist of smaller fish or what we call “bailers” The second run is on the South Coast and runs from February till May. Here we often see the bigger gaffer size mahi. However, that said on day out on the water throughout the year you will have the possibility of catching Mahi. These fish congregate around weed lines, temperature breaks, floating debris, and structure. However, finding a random tree or rope in the middle of nowhere is an almost guarantee you are going to reel in a few Dorado. Larger fish are generally associated with the Southern coast.
Tactics to Catch Dorado in Puerto Rico
Mahi fishing is a sure fire way to get the deck bloody. There are numerous ways to catch Mahi on any given day. Trolling small seawitches and Mold Craft Chuggers in combination with small ballyhoo always produce. Often adding a small squid daisy chain in front to get their attention helps. Structure and bait are a must to catch these gamefish. Sometime it pays dividends to just run till you see birds, grass lines ( that have small fish in it ), or rip currents. Live bait, dead bait, and artifices all work well too. The key is to be where the fish are ! Once a school is located we often chum them up to the boat then reel them in as fast as possible, often called bailing . By keeping one fish in the water the school will generally stick around. We often time cover many miles and search with binoculars in search of anything floating that will give their location away.
