Florida Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) Fishing

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!

Fishing Reports

March 2026 Fishing Report

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5 star rating5 stars to employees of Galley Girls cafe. Sweet ladies in the cafe. Good size breakfast plate.

5 stars to the employees in the office who listened to our needs and set us up with a smaller boat for just the two of us. He didn't try to upsell us to a bigger boat we didn't need.

50 gold stars to Jim Hendrix on the Dauntless!! Great captain, patient with me who is a complete novice. He knows his stuff: boat, fish, the ocean. Wouldn't hesitate going back.
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Janet S. Avatar
Janet S.
3/16/2018
5 star ratingWe were looking for an inexpensive fishing charter for the day when we drove by and saw the sign, $70 all day party boat. COVID restrictions limited boat capacity to 30 which was the perfect amount of people without being over crowded. The boat wasn't luxurious by any means but what do you expect for that price. Not a long ride out, about 45 minutes. The captain had us on fish all day! The deck hands, Ray and Erin were awesome guys and very helpful with anything you needed. All you had to do was bait your hook and catch the fish! Most of the day was fishing and not riding which was great. Definitely will be back! Thanks guys, cheers!
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John T. Avatar
John T.
4/02/2021
5 star ratingGreat, fun experience. Highly recommend Took my two sons (17 and 21 years) and my brother there. We stayed in the Ocean Front House and went deep sea fishing for one day and backcountry fishing for one day. We had a great time. It was a great experience. It was kind of slow days for fishing but we caught fish and had a fun time. The boat captains did everything they could to put us on the fish
The Ocean Front house we stayed in was simple and clean. And about 20 yards from where we stepped on the boat. That is super convenient so you could sleep longer in the morning without having to drive a ways to get to the boat and you could get to your room for a nap after a long day of fishing.
Despite not getting the catch of a lifetime we hoped for, it was still a great experience and everyone had a great time. All the captains, mates, staff, and anyone else involved in the operations there were friendly and helpful. I will come back again 100%! Even once we catch the fish of a lifetime, we will keep coming back.
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Setafavn Avatar
Setafavn
1/05/2024