Florida Sportsman – September 2019

M

ahi-mahi (dolphin)

offer Florida fly

fishers a great test

of bluewater action,

with delicious rewards.

You’ll want about a 9-weight

forschoolies,andanythingfroma

10-to12-weightrodforthebigger

fish.I thinkastrippingbucketisa

must.It'smahimayhemwhena

schoolisboatside,soyouhaveto

keepyourlooselineincontrol.

Floatinglineswillsuffice,but

willlimityousomewhatifthefish

arestayingdeep.Also,ifthere

issargassumaround,thefull

floatinglinewilltendtochannel

itdowntoyourleaderandfly.A

clear,intermediatesinkingline

excelshere,takingyourflydown

afewfeetontheretrieve.

Howdoyoufindthefish?

Startbytrollingjustoutsidethe

reefedgeatdepthsof 90 to 200

feet,thoughitmaybenecessary

toventureoutdeeper.Lookfor

weedlines,floatingdebrisand

rips,andifyouarehopingfora

chanceatabigfish,keepalleyes

peeledforfrigatebirds.

SCHOOLIETIPS

Whendolphinjumpontrolled

baits,thewholegangoften

followsthehookedfishtothe

boat.Itcanbeasnaptogetfly

hookups,butevensmallfishcan

befussyiftheyhadbeenfished

earlierinthedaybyotheranglers.

Whenstandardgreen-and-white

orblue-and-whitebaitfishflies

getyawns,tieonahot-colored,

impressionisticfly.Or,ifchum-

mingwithballyhoochunks,try

dead-driftingyourflytomakeit

look like the chum.

Have one angler cast a hook-

less chugging plug, and when a

schoolie chases, flip the fly in its

wake. If you have live pilchards

or similar, make an effort to cast

your fly right where those livies

hit the surface.

CHUMMING AND TEASING

Captain Scott Hamilton, who

operates Hamilton Fly Fishing

Charters (www.flyfishingextrmes.

com) along the Florida Southeast

coast, says, “I'm always looking

for bigger fish along weedlines,

under floating objects and birds.

On a spot that look fishy, I idle

along and keep my eyes peeled.

Dolphin are pretty curious and

willoftencomerighttotheboat.”

Hamiltondependsonlive

chumbaits.Then,asheexplains,

“it'sjustamatterofpresentinga

like-sizedfly.”

Hamilton'sEatMeishisgo-to

patternfordolphinandjustabout

everythingelsehetargets.“Ifish

theflyinthesizeclosesttothat

ofthelivechumbaitsI haveinthe

well.I carrythatpatternonhook

sizes 2 through3/0.”

Hamiltonsayswhenhefindsa

floatingobject,pallet,orsimilar

things,healwaysprospectsdeep.

“Singles,pairsorschoolsmight

hangasmuchas 50 to 100 feet

undertheobject,”hesaid.“Ifish

afast-sinkinglineandallowitto

getmyflydownthere.”

Hamiltonmainlyusesa

40-pound-testfluorocarbonbite

tippet,butisquicktochangeit

outafteronefish,orifthereisany

detectablescuffonitfrommissed

fish.“Thefishareinsuper-clear

waterandI amconvincedthatthe

roughed-upsectionofthatleader

turnsthemoff.”FS

ByMikeConner

FLY FISHING

EXPERT HOW-TO AND GEAR

Fly Right for Dolphin

Tips for managing mahi mayhem.

After a brief casting

lesson, this young

man was quickly into

the dolphin action

off Marathon, in the

Florida Keys.

ST. CROIX IMPERIAL SALT RODS

Foritsnewsaltwater-grade flyrod series, St. Croix won a 2019 Best Fly Fishing Rod award in the new

productshowcaseatthissummer’s ICAST show in Orlando. The Imperial Salt Rods are built in Park Falls,

WI,onSt.Croix’sprovenSCIII carbon with IPC mandrel technology. The stripper and snake guides feature

thecompany’sSeaGuidePVD-coating process, designed to shrug off corrosion. Crisp, fast-action rods,

the9-foot, 8-weight, four-piece model debuting at ICAST listed for $350.

NEW GEAR

18 SEPTEMBER 2019 http://www.FLORIDASPORTSMAN.com