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!
Incredible Fishing Trip We had three couples who wanted to get out on the water and fish. Capt John Johansen and Capt Ted Wilson were kind enough to take us out and we had ourselves a boys vs girls fishing trip. I have to say, both captains outdid themselves as everybody had a wonderful experience. Capt Ted took excellent care of the ladies and they caught some giant grouper, shark, and jacks. Capt John kept us on big game all day. At one point, we were tripled up with two grouper and one cobia. Somehow, Capt John managed to help us land all 3 at the same time. Cannot thank these gentlemen enough for great day of fishing. Would absolutely recommend them to anybody of any skill level looking to get on some FL Keys fishing.
Well we got this place as a recommendation to cook our fish that we just caught! Great and staff super nice. The Conch Fritters were delicious. Our Snapper was cooked in a sautéed way. But be specific on how you want to cook "your" fish. We thought it was sautéed but actually came sautéed in a battered egg covering. We just wanted the delicious fresh fish taste which didn't happen.
Great stop for food, bait, fishing gear and charters My husband and I visited Bud and Mary's to grab some bait for our 5th anniversary fishing day trip the beginning of the month. Super friendly and happy people, we're very helpful to point out a nice spot to go fishing, and supplied us with great shrimp bait. Food smelled great but it was early so we plan to come back and try it. The property was super clean, including the dock. There were a lot of charters out that morning and a few visitors milling around. They have a small school of tarpon and nurse sharks and some pelicans hanging around wait for scraps, and you can purchase food to feed them. Really want to jump on a charter next time we come down! They also have a dive shop that had a huge selection of gear, but was closed for lunch while we were there. Great place, we will be back.
