[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ovember is here and the holidays are not far away. With the water temperatures cooling to the north, we will have a lot of fish migrating south for the winter. Mahi have already begun their push through the area and will stay for a while. If the sea conditions will allow, November will be a great time to head out in search for mahi. For those who have never caught mahi (dolphin fish or dorado) these are a spectacular fish and a great fight. Trolling ballyhoo is a known method for finding and catching these fish, but if live baits are available, it is always a good idea to bring some along for when the mahi are located. Troll ballyhoo at 5-to-7 knots, naked or with colored skirts to cover more ground when searching. When mahi are located around floating debris or weed lines, switch to some live bait to start a feeding frenzy. If you choose to troll a weed line with live bait, lower your trolling speed to idle speed and try to keep the weed line on one side of your boat to avoid getting your live bait hung up in the weeds. When a hooked mahi gets boat side, leave him in the water to see if a school is around, and if so, they will stay with the hooked one and you can pitch baits to them and catch a few more. This is a great time and will be an awesome dinner!
If the November conditions won’t allow you far offshore and there is a westerly wind, the Spanish mackerel will be around to bend a rod and these fish are good for a fish fry as well. Look for incoming tides and clean water along the beaches out to 2-to-3 miles. Spanish mackerel will be schooling on the glass minnows and the packs of diving birds will be a giveaway to where these fish are as well. Light 8-to-10-pound tackle is a great way to catch these fish and get a good fight out of them. When the schools of Spanish mackerels are located, troll or cast a shiny spoon or small Mylar jig to them and it will be game on. It is also a good idea to put a 1-to-2-inch piece of light #4 wire ahead of your lures because of their razor sharp teeth. Get out on the water, be safe and hook ’em up!