Boaters.com Magazine - Fish Files
Dueling with Dorado
By Bob Newman
When
the captain saw two dorado busting the surface and turned
toward them, I suspected that we might just have found what
we had been looking for. As we slowed to approach the spot
where the dorado had jumped, the three of us (the captain,
mate and I) saw the school at the same time. Then we saw the
small log floating on the surface. Yes, this was looking promising.
Gawking into the water beneath the log, any remaining doubt
vanished. The deep blue waters of the Pacific beneath that
little piece of wood were swarming with triggerfish, yellowfin
tuna, and bonito, plus a few tripletail and maybe 50 dorado.
Oh, and below all these was a huge marlin. Only two species
interested me at that moment: the tripletail and dorado.
Seeing that the tripletail all were fairly small, I opted
to go after the dorado, which has always been one of my favorite
game fish since I first encountered them off the coast of
Ft. Lauderdale back in the 1960s. It didn't take but a few
moments to get the action going. A few smaller dorado came
first, as is usually the case, but then some better fish started
appearing, so I dropped the 8-weight I had been using and
grabbed my Fly Logic FLO+ 10-weight, a 9-foot 3-inch rod with
the power of a 10-weight but which casts more like a fast
7-weight. Equipped with an outstanding Ross Gunnison 5 reel,
which packs a good drag and is very light, I sent the fly
out toward where a nice bull dorado had just dashed. One strip
was all it took.
I did a fast and hard strip strike and twisted to my right
as the dorado exploded from the water and went screaming off
to my left. Every couple of seconds it erupted from the water
and crashed back in, then ran madly for another 15 or 20 yards
before jumping again and again and again, spinning and shaking
its blunt head. All lit up in glowing gold, green, yellow
and bits of blue, the dorado struck me as it always does --
one of the most beautiful game fish in the ocean. I held on
as the Gunnison's drag got serious and began to slow the fish
and the huge bend in the rod took its toll. A few minutes
later, after a final wild leap at the side of the boat, the
dorado gave it up and came to the gaff.
That was off the coast of Costa Rica, which is Spanish for
"rich coast." Fishing out of the new Crocodile Bay
Lodge (www.crocodilebay.com) on the Golfo Dulce in the spring
of 2000, I again understood why so many anglers love to fish
for dorado, which are called mahi mahi in Hawaii (the name
frequently seen on restaurant menus) and dolphinfish in reference
books. Their popularity goes beyond their beauty and fighting
style to encompass their range (warm and many temperate seas
around the world), willingness to eat a variety of lures and
flies, habit of schooling and following a hooked dorado right
to the boat (thus making themselves targets), and delicious
taste (tempura mahi mahi is fabulous).Dorado Tactics
Many schools of dorado, if not most, are discovered when
a dorado hits a trolled lure or bait. They can show up in
the middle of nowhere where there's no surface structure like
sargassum, logs or debris, and they can show up right in the
middle of such stuff. Regardless of where they're found, the
first dorado hooked should be kept on the hook to entice the
rest of the school to stay nearby. The moment one is hooked,
the other anglers should get ready with their spinning or
fly rods and begin casting as soon as the hooked dorado is
within range.
Dorado like chum slicks. In an area that looks good (deep
blue water with surface structure and baitfish in the area),
anchor the boat and run a slick preferably made of an oily
fish such as menhaden or mackerel, but mullet can also work.
Watch for the dorado as they come into the slick and be ready
to cast to them.
A third technique is "running & gunning," which
involves checking likely looking spots for baitfish that might
attract dorado, such as sargassum patches. If you see no baitfish
under or around the sargassum, there probably isn't any dorado
around either.Dorado Tackle
Tackle for dorado runs the gamut from 30-pound-test trolling
tackle (spinning and level-wind reels) to light spinning gear
(line as light as you dare). When trolling, it is a good idea
to use line from 20- to 30-pound-test because of the possibility
of wahoo, tuna, king mackerel and even billfish hitting your
lure. In a chum slick or when running & gunning, however,
12- to 17-pound line often is all you'll need. Always keep
a heavier rig ready in case something big shows up.
Fly tackle should consist of a fast-action 8- to 10-weight
rod in the 9-foot range, such as a St. Croix Legend Ultra,
Fly Logic FLO+, Scott Eclipse, Orvis Trident TL or John Christlieb
Trophy. Three of the finest reel manufacturers are Ross Reels,
maker of the Canyon and Gunnison Series (two of the best and
most affordable fly reels made today), Abel (they make the
excellent Super 8), and Orvis (try their new large-arbor Battenkill).
Intermediate lines usually are most effective. Clousers, Deceivers,
Sar-Mul-Macs, Bend-Backs, and other baitfish imitations in
chartreuse, white and yellow produce the most dorado.
Go get 'em!
Crocodile
Bay Captains: Secrets of the Pros
Crocodile Rock - Trophy Costa
Rican Sailfish Tactics
Boaters.com: Raving Roosterfish
in Costa Rica
Boaters.com Magazine: Dueling
with Dorado
Boaters.com Magazine:
Coo-Coo for Crevalle Jacks
Boaters.com Magazine: Working
surface structure to find more fish
Sport Fishing Magazine: Costa Rica
Sport Fishing Magazine:
Costa Rica Revisited
Sport Fishing Magazine: Outstanding
Osa
Orvis Travel: Costa Rica's Crocodile
Bay Lodge
