Category Archives: Mahi Mahi (Dorado)
Pompano Dolphinfish ( Coryphaena equiselis )
Common Name: Pompano Dolphinfish,
Local Name: Dorado, Lali (Bisaya)
Max Size: 127 cm (commonly 50cm)
Biodiversity: Marine, Pelagic, Endemic
Fishing Season: All Year Long
This is a small species of fish that is often misidentified as juvenile Dorado (Mahi Mahi). It is in fact a different species known as a Pompano Dolphinfish. They are smaller than their Dorado cousins but also travel is schools. One way to identify the species is by the long dorsal fin which extends the length of their whole body.
These were caught off of Dumaguete by angler Mike and his companions while they were fishing around FADs or payaw. These fish were in a feeding frenzy and Mike related to me that they were hitting just about every lure that was thrown at them. Over 40 fish were caught in an hour.
So next time you are out hunting around payaw and come across “baby” Dorado, take a closer look at it and see if you have a Pompano Dolphinfish. These are an excellent food fish tasting like Dorado, but sweeter according to Mike.
Surrounded by a Dolphin Pod
My last fishing trip to Laiya for a while was yesterday. We trolled most of the day and I tried one of the new lures I got.
We had a slow day till around 10:30, when a big dorado took the lure pictured above. Unfortunately I was not able to get a good hook set and when the dolphin leaped then landed in the water the lure came loose. 😦 Oh well. Point proven that these lures work as a substitute for fresh squid. (Mang Roger was impressed 🙂
Later in the afternoon we trolled some more and as we near one of the buoys way out, we were surrounded by a pod of dolphins. It was fun watching them swim around us, jump, and flip.
(I tried to post a video, but it doesnt seem to be working)
We had a fun day on the water even though we weren’t able to bring home any fish. Goodbye Laiya (for now) and hello Cebu 🙂
One of the buoys we slow trolled around:
Dorado Bull
Here is the picture of the Mahi mahi Bull (male) that I caught on the last trip:
It weighed 6kgs. Here is what we used for bait:
Mahi Mahi in Laiya, Batangas
Went fishing last week with friends JR and Ceejay in Laiya. We fished the afternoon and used the same bait and tactics that I used on my last trip; fresh squid (pusit bisaya) double hooked, and trolled with no weight around bouys. On the fourth buoy we cricled I hooked this 5.2kg (11. 1/2 lb) female mahi mahi (dorado). She put up a great fight and went airborne a couple of times. After her we only had a couple small bites. Still, a fun successful trip on a beautiful tuesday afternoon.
For any of you guys interested in trying dorado fishing, you can contact Mang Roger our boatman. He lives in Laiya and has a couple boats there. He is a good fisherman and knows the water there, how to fish it, how to rig gear, and how to teach first timers how to bring in dorado. Tell him you got his number from Ben the “cano” 🙂
His cell numbers are: 09182304537 -or- 09083030740
Here is a link to the IGFA’s page on Dorado : http://www.igfa.org/species/69-dolphinfish.aspx
Dorado Fishing in Laiya, Batangas
Sunday, 11/27/2011, three friends and I drove down early to Laiya for a day of saltwater trolling for Dorados or Mahi Mahi. We got an early start (3am) and were on the water by 7. We used fresh squid that our boatman got for us and we slow trolled them whole around buoys that were a ways away from the shore. We had a produtive morning, hauling in 4 fish and then again in the afternoon bringing in one more (after having a 4olb leader snapped by something big). We learned that from now until Feb, it is dorado season down there. It was a great trip and I am thankful that I had my first successful saltwater trolling experience. Here are some pics from the trip:
This was the first fish of the day, 2.5 kgs caught by me.
Reggie caught the next one, 5.2 kgs, this was the most acrobatic of all the ones we caught. It leaped and flipped the whole time.
Lui caught the biggest one, 5.6kgs
Reggie caught a second (the smaller of the two), 3.2kgs
The mornings catch. Not Bad, with every one getting a fish and Reggie getting two.
After lunch I was able to hook one more, 3.5kgs and we called it a day.
Fishing The Philippines 