Catching Mahi-Mahi

There are secrets to catching any kind of fish. Every fisherman knows that. But they don't always know exactly what that secret is. Some fishermen know the fish inside and out. They know their breeding habits, spawning cycles, their favorite food, etc. Some just go fishing for that certain kind of fish for the first time. Charter boats are a good example of this. Many who go out on charter boats know absolutely knothing about catching that fish. Some may know a little. They are relying on the captain and his crew to "know their stuff". And they should.
I went out on my first deep sea fishing in Okinawa to catch mahi-mahi. There were eight of us on a thirty foot boat. We ended up catching three for the entire day.  Not really very good. When I got back to the dock, a friend asked me how we did.  When I told him, he immediately said that maybe the captain of that boat did not really know how to catch mahi-mahi. When I asked why he said that, he told me there were "tricks" to use in catching them. First of all, according to him, we were using the wrong lures, we had the wrong setup, and some other stuff that wasn't right. He then asked a few of us if we wanted to go out fishing with him and a few buddies.  I said "absolutely!".  We went out about three weeks later. There were seven of us on a twenty foot boat, but it was a different kind of boat. The boat we used before was more like a trawler, and some guys were fishing off the side.  This boat was like a charter boat, with everyone in the rear.  We did not all fish at once; we took turns. Then I learned the small secret of catching a lot of mahi-mahi.  Here it is, and it's simple:
Trick: Use a large silver spoon. It has a lot of action, dipping and turning like the kind of small fish they like to eat. Mahi-mahi swim in packs. Some would say schools, but there are not that many. The secret is that if you get a hit on, you don't reel him in yet.  Make sure he is caught solid, then let him run around for awhile. His wild action actually makes the others come in close to him to see what's going on. Then cast on either side of him. Almost always you will get hits immedately, because they think they are feeding. We caught twelve in just over an hour.  Then later we caught eight more using the same technique. Then we stopped. Enough is enough.
Mahi-mahi are absolutely beautiful fish when you see them swimming.  They have outstanding colors, and are sleek and graceful. When you get them in the boat, however, the color disappears. They turn grayish, and actually start to look ugly. It is actually a shame to take them out of the water. We caught enough to take home for each guy, plus the captain and crew, and we took the rest to a local public kitchen. We didn't waste any.
Later, when we went out again for mackerel, we ran into a pack of mahi-mahi that were swimming close to the boat.  They are impressive to watch. Awesome in the water. We looked at each other, asking the question silently if we should try to catch some. Everybody understood and shook their heads no. We just watched them and smiled!

Mahi-mahi is a good tasting fish. A lot of people order it in restaurants all over the world. It is flavorful and clean, and doesn't have that "fishy" taste. But, again, as with all species of fish, there hs to be limits.  Catch only what the rules allow. Don't overcatch just because they are there.  If they are continuously overcaught, soon they won't be there any more. If you see them swimming some day, remember what I have said here.