As we transition into summer fishing, one species that stands out is the Dolphinfish, often referred to by its Hawaiian name, Mahi-Mahi. What makes this year especially exciting is the incredibly strong start to the season—a welcome change after several less-than-stellar Mahi seasons. It’s fantastic to see, as Mahi-Mahi remains one of our most requested catches!

Marathon Bull and Cow Tournament

Recently, the Shaw family hired us to fish in The Marathon Bull and Cow Tournament. This two-day Mahi tournament typically takes place on the first weekend of May each year. The tournament focuses on catching the largest Bull (male) and Cow (female) Dolphinfish, but it also has categories for the largest Tripletail, Blackfin, and Wahoo.

On the first day of fishing, Captain Alex Lewis took the helm of our 49′ Sportfish vessel, the Main One, with James Cotton and Steve Bellovich fishing in the cockpit with the Shaw family. They caught several nice fish, including a bull Dolphinfish weighing 20.4 pounds.

The Shaw’s and friends at weigh-in.

On the second day, they found plenty of smaller Dolphinfish, but nothing that would contend with their first day’s catch. The team placed a respectable 3rd overall for the Largest Bull Dolphin. Congrats to Captain Alex, James, and Steve, and to our amazing clients: David, Wayne, and Keith Shaw; Joe and Andy Philips-Shaw; and Kyle Wilson.

The team accepting their award at the banquet.

Mother’s Day Dolphin Tournament

Every year, Habitat for Humanity hosts a Mother’s Day Dolphin Tournament the Saturday before Mother’s Day. It’s a one-day angler Dolphinfish tournament, and it is always a good time for a good cause. We didn’t have a charter that day, so our team decided to fish it for fun. Remember, we spend a lot of time on the water; however, our crews don’t often get to be the anglers.

Captain Marty Lewis, Mike Cangemi, Alex Lewis, Steve Bellovich, and James Cotton all went offshore in search of some bigger mahi. Our very own “Scuba” Steve caught their biggest bull, which weighed in at 18 pounds, allowing the team to place 3rd in the Pro Division. Way to go, Steve!

May Fishing Report

As for charter fishing, we have had many clients  eager to get their share of Mahi filets. Ms. Elena and her friends went out with Captain Marty a few days after the tournament and caught their limit of Mahi.

Elena and friends with their catch.

We had to delay a trip with Robert Miller and his family for a few days due to high winds, but his patience paid off great dividends. Once they finally got offshore, Captain Marty approached some birds working the surface, and he spotted a giant bull with several large cow dolphins. They were able to hook them all, including a stunning 38lb bull slammer!  

38lb Slammer Bull Dolphin

Thanks to typically calmer seas this time of year, while offshore, if the current isn’t too strong, we can deep-drop for some incredibly delicious deep-water species, such as Snowy Grouper, Tilefish, and Queen Snapper. If the Marathon hump isn’t too crowded with boat traffic, we can often catch some Blackfin tuna in that area.

Last week, we fished one of our repeat clients, Rob Massey, and his friends. Rob visited us back in the spring and caught multiple Sailfish with Captain Marty, so now it was time for some groceries! This time, he went out with Captain Alex on the Main One, and they caught a full rack of Dolphinfish and a Snowy Grouper. It was a great day offshore, with spectacular weather. 

Rob Massey and his group with their catch of the day.

John King, a new Main Attraction client, wanted to fish for Snapper and Mahi, so he booked a full-day combo. Captain Alex and first mate James started on the reef, and caught 16 yellowtail snappers. Once they decided they had enough tasty Yellowtail in the boat, they pulled anchor and headed offshore. Captain Alex found his first mahi of the day in 300′ of water. As they continued offshore, Alex spotted a floater with several Mahi under it for his clients to catch.

By the end of the day, they had seen 15 Dolphinfish to complement their Yellowtail. Captain Alex reported that many of the Mahi they encountered that day were quite picky that day and didn’t want to eat. This can be frustrating because Dolphinfish are usually very willing to eat, making it easy to expect them to bite on any bait you offer. However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, you need to pick through the schools one by one to find the ones that are willing to eat. Fortunately, they found enough hungry fish to put together a great catch to be proud of!

John King and company showing off their catch.

Tarpon Season

Tarpon Season is officially underway, and while the bridge fishing started off to a slow start in April, the bite has picked up in May along the coastline, where we are finding them. We will provide a full Tarpon article and report next week, so stay tuned for that!

While we have been covering our tournament fishing extensively this year, our primary focus at the Main Attraction is still running private Florida Keys Fishing charters. If you or a loved one is heading down to the Florida Keys for a fun vacation, give us a call at (305)289-0071 or visit our contact page to book a fantastic adventure on the water!