By MARSHALL "CHANTZ" HUGGINS
Spring is here again and, for many of us, that means it is time to get back on the water. For offshore enthusiasts, it means the pelagic species are returning off our coasts and it is time for us to make the long haul to those warm Gulf Stream waters in search of them.
For me, the upcoming months have to be one of my favorite times of the year. I don’t know if it’s because the weather is finally warming up or maybe I’ve just been itching to get out and see that pretty purple water again but something about the fishing this time of year is different for me.
Don’t get me wrong, tuna and wahoo fishing can be spectacular during the cooler months as well, but there is just something different when May gets here. All the pelagic are finally arriving as the dolphin-fish are making their annual trek up the Eastern coast. That’s right, the dolphin.
We’re not talking Flipper, we’re talking mahi-mahi, Dorado, big bull dolphin. They sometimes show up earlier but in May they are arriving here in numbers.
Dolphin are sport fish which are green, yellow, or blue in color and often become an electric blue color when “lit up” or hooked. They are one of the fast growing fish in the ocean and can grow as much as 2.5 inches per week during the right conditions. This makes them abundant even though they are short lived and rarely live to see five years.
Dolphin are a favorite of offshore fisherman for many reasons. They are speedy, stubborn fighters who make spectacular aerobatic jumps when hooked. They are excellent table fare as well and can be prepared almost any way. One of the most exciting things about dolphin is the way they can attack in large numbers as you are trolling.
I have seen a bull dolphin hit every line that you have out in a trolling spread until he finally got the hook. They are ferocious veracious eaters and are even cannibalistic.
Most offshore fisherman know they can typically be found around floating debris such as Sargasso (floating seaweed) or any other floating objects. Temperature breaks are typically one of the best places to start looking for this debris. As much as it costs to go offshore, I would recommend purchasing a ROFFS analysis the day before I went if I was not going with a charter captain.
The analysis will tell you where the most favorable conditions are for fishing for your targeted species and they can really help to make your trip a success.
Many methods can be employed but the most common method is trolling with ballyhoo. The ballyhoo are rigged onto a fluro or mono carbon leader with a sea witch skirt with a 7/0 or 8/0 hook and trolled around 6 to 8 knots, typically. Skirt colors vary and typically when you locate dolphin in heavy numbers they are usually not that particular. Most common skirt colors are typically blue/white and pink/white.
There is nothing like the pandemonium of running past a large number of dolphin under floating structure and seeing them attack every line that you have out in your spread. They look like bees coming off the hive.
The excitement of having four or five lines hooked up as the dolphin are jumping every which way is about as good as fishing gets.
So whether you own your own boat, you go with a buddy, or you go out with one of the excellent charter captains off of our coast, now is the time to go.
Watch the weather report, pick a smooth day, and get out there in that blue water and try to get hooked up with some of those bull dolphins. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Marshall "Chantz" Huggins is a Florence native who frequently fishes the Santee Cooper lakes.
