Best Months
Jan – Dec
Best Time
Active feeders through the day; dawn and dusk are most productive
Tide
Not tide-dependent; focus on floating debris and temperature lines
Top Locations
51 regions
How to Catch Mahi-Mahi (Dolphinfish)
Not tide-dependent; focus on floating debris and temperature lines
Active feeders through the day; dawn and dusk are most productive
Warm blue water with surface debris (floating weed, timber, pallets); calm to moderate sea
FADs, floating debris (any object), weed lines, colour edges in the current
Cast and retrieve metals and small poppers past debris; mahi-mahi are aggressive — a fast retrieve with pauses triggers strikes
Keep one hooked mahi-mahi in the water — the school will stay at the boat indefinitely, allowing multiple hookups. Schoolie mahi are easy to sight-cast to.
Best Regions by Month
Seasonal ratings across all Australian regions. Click a region to see the full calendar.
Working metal jigs up and down in the water column over reefs or structure.
Dragging lures or baits at speed behind a moving boat. Primary technique for pelagics.
Casting cup-faced poppers to create surface commotion targeting aggressive surface feeders.