The mahi-mahi (in Hawaiian) is also known as dolphin-fish or dorado, calitos, maverikos, or lampuki (in Maltese). They are surface-dwelling ray-finned fish that are found in offshore temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. These fish are blue with a beautiful greenish-yellow color on their sides and belly. They also have areas of green on their back. Dolphin fish are found worldwide in warm ocean waters. These fish can grow to more than 70 pounds, but the average-sized fish that anglers catch will be around 15 pounds.
Mahi Mahi Fishing in the Panama City Beach, Florida Area
In the Florida Panhandle between Destin and Pensacola, anglers have access to very deep water. Within 10 to 30 miles from shore, anglers can be fishing from 100 to 600 feet of water or even deeper in some spots. While the 100 Fanthom line may be closest to Destin in this region, you can get out to some very deep water in 20 to 25 miles from Panama City Beach and if you go further, you can get out to some awesome fishing spots for pelagic species. With deep water so close, mahi mahi are a popular target among fishing charters and other anglers in this area.
Mahi Mahi Fishing Tips
Trolling for mahi mahi is the most conventional way to catch these fish, but more and more anglers are sight fishing for mahi mahi. Because these fish are often found around large weed lines and many different types of floating debris, some anglers will go find these spots and chum these areas to see if they can attract some mahi mahi to the boat. This is very effective and if you hit it right, you could catch several mahi mahi very quickly in these situations.
Visit our Mahi Mahi fishing page to learn more.