Key West Catch of the Week - Oct 20, 2014
October has been yet another amazing month for fishing here in Key West, with this week really setting the mark for surprising catches by anglers on our many charters. The weather has been in the high 70's and low 80's with some light rain, which has helped to create perfect fishing conditions for those out on the water. While there were many catches this week that could have won this award award, it was the enormous haul of 8 Dolphin Fish by Jim, Nick, Bob and Barry that has outdone all of the others and truly earned its win as the Key West Catch of the Week. With such an impressive haul, it's clear Jim, Nick, Bob and Barry, all of whom are retired men from "up north", were more than up to the task when fishing in Key West this past week.
Catching multiples of any type of fish is praiseworthy, but catching a total of 8 Dolphin Fish is simply extraordinary, as Dolphin Fish are some of the most difficult species of fish to reel in, due to their feisty nature once hooked on a line. Dolphin Fish are more commonly known as Mahi Mahi and are exceedingly popular within the waters of Key West. This species of fish lives primarily in tropical waters, which is why there are so many of them in Key West, as the waters stay pretty warm for much of the year. Dolphin Fish tend to weigh anywhere between 15 and 40 pounds, but can weigh much more at times.
Dolphin Fish are identified by anglers due to the dorsal fins that extend from their head all the way down to their tails. This species of fish is also one of the more colorful ones around, as their bodies are comprised of golden, blue and green hues, making them relatively easy to spot by anglers. Typically, Dolphin Fish will feed on mackerel, crabs and squid, as well as crustaceans at times. They will hunt and feed around seaweed and floating debris. As such, Dolphin Fish can commonly be found in these areas, which are also the most opportune times to catch one, or 8 for that matter like Jim, Nick, Bob and Barry. Once you have hooked a Dolphin Fish, you must keep your focus and strength, as Dolphin fish are extremely fast and agile once hooked. You will generally have the best luck at catching one when deep sea fishing in Key West.
Dolphin Fish are also some of the tastiest species of fish around and do well as a commercial fish in many parts of the United States, as well as other foreign countries, such as Japan. They can sometimes swim in schools, which is one of the reasons as to why Jim, Nick, Bob and Barry were able to snag 8. If you would like to attempt to top that amount, drop by Key West and test your hand at deep sea fishing on one of our many fishing charters.