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!
January 24, 2026
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I used Bud N Marry's marina to get on the Miss Islamorada Charter to do some reef fishing recently. It was a rainy day when we got there. I was excited we were still going to departure and be all day out. The rain shortly stopped. The ocean was calm and the fish were rambunctious. Captain Ben was true gentleman, so courteous, so nice and extremely caring. He was making sure that everyone hooked at least one good sized fish for dinner. Even though he is the captain he worked his tail off, even making bait ball for those of us in the back of the boat catching snappers.He took us to a great spot, even encountered some bull sharks. 
If you want a lot of fish, this is the place! We have been on 3 fishing trips during our vacation here in the Keys, all at different times of the day and night and on different boats. Our most recent was on the Miss Islamorada and it was by far the best trip of all. We caught way more fish, which was due 100% to the mates help and professionalism in providing a wide variety of baits and techniques and it really paid off. There are other good trips you could take if you want to pay up to 10x as much money but for an all day fun adventure this is the best! We will be back asap.
These guys work hard to put you on the fish and help you catch fish. You are going to catch fish. Good trip for beginners and experts too. At the end of the day they will clean and fillet the fish for you to take home to eat or take to a restaurant and let them cook it up for you. I have been on other boats that were not a good. The gear is all in good working condition and they run a tight ship. I am local and I will be back.
