April is here, and this is the time of year to brush off your Mahi-Mahi fishing tackle. Hopefully we see a little better run than we did in 2021. Anglers will need to venture out past the normal 70’-90’ reefs to find their action as the shallower reefs will slow to a crawl. No worries because the deeper waters will be holding fish! The usual amberjack haunts will have their fair share of action. Use live bait on a 3-way swivel with the appropriate weight to hold bottom with the current below. Heavier tide will require heavier lead. Croakers, spots, and grunts work best for these arm shredding beasts. Bunkers do work but tend to spin in heavy current and cause a tangle or the jacks just won’t want to touch it because they’re smarter than we think. Don’t be surprised if you catch a few groupers as well it’s their spawning season. Use proper care when releasing them back. (Circle hooks only)
Dorado fishing (mahi-mahi). It can be the time of your life, or you could question yourself on why you bought a $100k boat or just filled your friend’s boat with $800 of fuel. Last year we just never got the full run. Those more adventurous that went to the other side came back in with huge hauls which means they just never crossed over to the western wall. Look for the usual. Temperature breaks, weed lines, color changes, and mass quantities of flying fish. Blind trolling works in a pinch but you’re just spinning your wheels. I can’t stress enough to follow the food chain! As far as what baits and skirts. I personally think it doesn’t matter. I like all natural, so I run all naked baits. Every now and then I’ll send a chugger back to make some noise, but my success rate is much higher on naked ballyhoo. Use teasers, dredges, bowling pins, anything to create a bait school effect. Let’s cross our fingers for a good April dolphin run! Good luck out there and make it happen.
