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!
“Great day trip!” Great trip on the Miss Islamorada. Captain kept us on the fish all day. We caught just under 30... read more
Fabulous Captain and Sportfishing Facility Captain Nick Stanczyk is an absolutely fabulous guide and captain. He knew where to fish which put onto a giant fish very quickly. Then he never took his eyes off the line and kept the boat properly placed for the duration of an 8 hour plus fight. In the end, we landed a record size swordfish of over 757 pounds. As experienced captains ourselves we cannot say enough positive things about Capt. Nick, his boat or and his crew. In addition, Bud n Mary’s knows how to treat fisherman of all levels. The Galley Girls Cafe located at Bud n Mary’s puts together great early am breakfast in plenty of time to make the boat departures and their lunch boxes are excellent as well. If you are looking for great day trips or a trip of a lifetime Capt. Nick Stanczyk and Bud n Mary’s is the place to go.Great Trip with Max Gaspeny Max took our 3 sons (24, 14, and 12) out today while my wife and I went with another guide. It was the younger two’s first time with a guide and first time on salt water. Max asked them what they wanted to do and the boys answered you do this for a living so you make the call. The first spot they went they caught 50 plus fish of 11 different species and the boys had a blast. Then Max asked if they wanted to try for some Tarpon he spotted the night before. They said sure. They hooked 8, boated three a couple smaller and one Max thought was around 50 pounds. Needless to say they came back to the dock on cloud 9. Today wasn’t a great fishing day either as my wife and I landed one Jack-our only other bite was a hammerhead. On top of that Max was just so good with the boys. They all came back telling me about the stories they heard and what a great time they had. He was super patient with the little guys and shared some very kind words about them when the got back in. I really can’t speak highly enough about the experience he gave my kids today. Thank you Max.
