The spring and summer months (April – September) bring plenty of Florida Dolphin Fishing throughout the keys. Dolphin are also known as Florida Mahi Mahi. Typically the summer time is the most consistent for these bad boys!There is usually a mix of smaller ‘schoolie’ fish along with bigger ‘bulls.’ Bull dolphin are the male fish with a more square head, and the ‘cows’ are their female counter parts. Nothing compares to getting into a good school of dolphin with every rod on the boat screaming drag at once!
Dolphin in the Keys are often caught trolling baits and lures. While blind trolling in deeper water your always ‘in the game’ when trying to catch a big dolphin. However often times captains will run around and look for birds which are following schools of fish and bait, and are a good indicator of where to fish. This style of fishing can often put you on the fish faster than just blind trolling. Our captains know what to look for to find them.
When throwing baits to a school of dolphin, often times dead bait is used, though occasionally fish are picky and it helps to have some live pilchards or the like. The boats at Bud n Marys are always keeping up with where the live bait is to give you the best shot at getting nice fish!
One rule when in a big pack of dolphin is always leave one in the water (usually a schoolie, smaller fish) in order to keep the rest of the school following you. You often will see dolphin jumping when they know they are hooked, which is very impressive!
The captains at Bud N’ Mary’s are true professionals when it comes to catching big Islamorada Dolphin!
I'm still going to give Bud & Mary's party boat five stars because I love the marina, the captain and the party boat itself 100% but for the first time in 7 to 8 years that I have been going on this boat I was a little disappointed with the crew. Ive never felt like they played favorites until yesterday. There was a particular customer that is also a regular and he and his family we're treated like royalty and others not so much. One of the other guest from out of town and I had a long conversation about it. It was definitely clear to all the other guest as well. I won't stop going on that boat because as I said I really like captain and love Bud n Mary's. My son worked in the service industry for years so I believe in tipping but I'll tip according to the way I'm treated as well.
Bud and Mary's is one of my favorite things about the keys. The atmosphere is great and the people are SUPER nice. What more can you ask for than a day on the water and great people? I went with the whole family, and when I say the whole family I mean the WHOLE family!!! Brothers, nieces, nephews, parents, you name it they were there and everyone had a great time. Other than a little seasickness and that's the ocean's fault! We couldn't have asked for better day together. My brother heads down regularly and I can't wait to head back and join him.
Captain Bill Bassett at Bud and Mary’s My husband and I are boat owners and fish out of OCNJ for the past 30+ years. We came to Islamorada to fish a full day back country through the Everglades for a new experience; catch some fish new to us and see some cool wildlife. Friends referred us to Bud and Mary’s and after chatting with us for a bit, Chrissy paired us with Capt Bill Bassett saying that it would be a great fit, and she was right. Capt Bill is a master of his craft, knows where to fish, how to catch and cater to his clients. We caught snook, bonefish, sea trout, a bunch of jacks and saw some crocs 😀. He’s also an entertaining conversationalist, the 8 hour trip passed in a blink. What a fantastic experience, thanks so much Captain Bill and Bud & Mary’s Marina!
