Latin name: Coryphaena equiselis
Best time to catch: Spring to late summer
Also known as: Blue dolphin, dolphinfish, little dolphin, mahimahi, pompano dolphinfish, small dolphin
The dolphin (Coryphaena hippurus) and the pompano dolphin (Coryphaena equiselis) are the two species of dolphinfish. The pompano dolphin is more of an oceanic species than the dolphin. The pompano dolphin frequents the coast off North Carolina, Florida, and Bermuda, and the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. In the Pacific it ranges from Peru to Oregon. Unlike the dolphin, the pompano dolphin is rarely caught in coastal waters and is rarely found in water colder than 75°F at the surface.
The pompano dolphin has a more streamlined snout than the dolphin; the body color is almost identical. The dorsal fin on the pompano dolphin is long and extends along the length of the body to the deeply forked caudal fin, but is still a great fish to eat, although if you want other types of fishing as well you can go to places like FishMe that offer different types of fishes as well.
Females mature sexually at 9 to 12 inches in length and spawn throughout the spring and summer months. They can grow to 20 to 30 inches and weigh up to 5 pounds. The pompano dolphin schools under floating seaweed or debris and under boats. It’s not uncommon for pompano dolphin schools to follow drifting debris or boats for many days. It feeds along the surface on small fish and squid.
Fishing Tips
As with the common dolphin, pompano dolphin are structure oriented and can be found near the surface among seaweed and floating debris. Trolling with natural bait is very productive.
Bait
Pompano dolphin will jump at most bait presented, like the common dolphin.
Lures
Try feathers, spoons, and yellow or white bucktail jigs.
Equipment
For trolling, use a 6- to 8-foot medium-action trolling rod with a matching conventional bait-casting reel filled with 30- to 40-pound-test monofilament or Dacron line.
For spinning tackle, use a 6- to 7-foot medium-action spinning rod with a matching spinning reel filled with 30- to 40-pound-test monofilament line. Remove all treble hooks from the artificial lure and replace them with a single hook for safety.
Hook size varies from 2/0 to 8/0, depending on what size fish you’re after.
Sturdy fly tackle can also be used for dolphin.
