June gets hot in the southeast, water temperatures rise and fish become active off the coast. Dorado, also known as dolphin fish or mahi-mahi, were once thought to be a by-catch from tuna and swordfish long liners. These dazzling aerialists have now become a favorite sport fish among anglers. Dorado is Spanish for golden, and this speciesâ brilliant iridescent green and blues combine with its high-flying acrobatics to make it a treasured catch by many experienced anglers.
Dolphin are lightning-fast predators and feed mostly on fish found near the surface. Getting them to bite, however, can be tricky, and elaborate, high-priced rigs can really gaff your wallet. So, I asked a professional to help me put a downrigger on the cost and show me how to hook these blue water bad boys.
Veteran angler, Jeremy Burnham, with Atlantic Game & Tackle, suggests two price-cutting rigs for reeling in these prized catches. He runs his rigs with a 6 foot, 100 pound test mono leader tied to a Mustad 7766D 8/0 hook. A 1/4-ounce egg sinker is looped in with the hook and fastened with a 1.0 double crimp. A 12 inch piece of copper wire is tied into the eyelet of the hook and used to wrap around the ballyhooâs beak to secure it to the rig. The rigs are then trolled along the Sargasso line 20 to 40 yards back at about 6 to 7 knots.
âFishing should be inexpensive,â Jeremy states. âI believe that people should be able to fish as much as possible for as little as possible.â Using monofilament line instead of fluorocarbon can cut your costs tenfold. âYou donât need fluoro for dolphin. You need that for tuna or marlin.â A 10 pack of 8/0 stainless steel hooks will run you $54.99 with an average of $.60 cents apiece for the 7766D Mustads. The rigs cost about $1.50 a set up, but it is important to remember that these rigs are only meant for a season. Salt water is highly corrosive and Jeremy says, âAt the end of the year, just throw everything away. This isnât fresh water bass fishing, this is salt water fishing. When your rig fails with a massive dolphin on the end of it, youâre gonna wish you spent that dollar fifty.â Trolling can be tricky, and Jeremy explains that there are three speeds to trolling – 5 knots for sailfish, 6 to 7 knots for dolphin and 8 to 9 knots for marlin. âDonât run stuff too far back, 20 yards on a short rigger or 40 yards on a long rigger. It just makes you have to reel in more to clear your lines.â
 -Chad McPeters