Sport Fishing USA — January 2018

44 JANUARY 2018

from ballyhoo, flying fish and small jacks to

shrimp, squid, filefish and seahorses,” he reports.

Mahi, in turn, become forage for even larger

game species, such as blue marlin, big tuna and

sharks. “That’s another reason dolphinfish hang

around sargassum,” says Hammond. The weeds

give even mature mahi a place to hide.

Interestingly, holopelagic sargassum

depends on fish as much as fish depend on it,

says Oxenford. “Sargassum relies on the feces of

its inhabitants for nutrients,” she says. The more

fish, the greater amount of nutrients generated

and the faster the sargassum grows.

PADDY PURSUIT

Schools of warm-water game fish such as mahi,

striped marlin, yellowfin tuna and California

yellowtail often migrate northward along the

Pacific coast of Baja and Southern California in

summer. In El Niño years, anglers might also get

a shot at wahoo or blue marlin.

This is when anglers seek out offshore kelp

paddies in earnest. Sometimes, you can observe

the offshore food chain by peering below a kelp

paddy. Small baitfish, such as anchovies and

small sardines, hover just below, while larger

Pacific chub mackerel and jack mackerel school

slightly deeper. If you’re fortunate, you’ll catch a

glimpse of larger game fish.

Yet, as with patches of sargassum, not all

offshore kelp paddies hold game fish. Like that

McDonald’s I mentioned earlier, but with no

customers, some are devoid of large predators

at any given time. While little or no scientific

research exists on what makes one floating kelp RICHARD HERRMANN (ABOVE), JIM HENDRICKS (OPPOSITE)