Texas BiteCast

Mahi-mahi

Coryphaena hippurus · Dorado, dolphin (the fish), chickens (small ones), bulls and cows

Mahi-mahi
NOAA Fisheries

Mahi are the summer weedline fish: fast-growing, brilliantly colored and willing. From May into September they gather under Sargassum lines, floating debris and color changes in the blue water past about 120 ft, and once you find a school you can keep it next to the boat by leaving one hooked fish in the water. There is no Texas or Gulf federal bag limit, so take what you'll eat.

October: FairFading as the water cools.

Best mahi-mahi spots offshore right now →How to use the map

Texas and federal rules · Checked Oct 22, 2026

Daily bag
No Texas or Gulf federal bag limit
Size
No minimum
Season
Open all year

The Atlantic's federal dolphin limits don't apply in the Gulf. Texas license with saltwater endorsement to land fish from state or federal waters.

Check the current rules ↗

At a glance

Best months
Jun–Aug; May and Sep good
Where
Weedlines, floating debris and color changes in blue water
Water temp
76–84 °F
Troll
5–7 kt with ballyhoo and small skirted lures
Key
Keep one hooked fish in the water to hold the school

How to identify them

Drawing of a mahi-mahi (dolphin) with its long dorsal fin and forked tail
Drawing: Goode, Natural History of Useful Aquatic Animals (1884) / NOAA
  • Electric blue-green back and gold-yellow sides with blue spots; colors fade fast after death.
  • A long dorsal fin running from the head to the tail, and a deeply forked tail.
  • Bulls (males) have a tall, squared-off forehead; cows (females) a rounded head.

Month by month

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
  • JanSlowFew in Texas waters.
  • FebSlowSame.
  • MarSlowFirst fish on the deep water in warm years.
  • AprFairWeed and fish start showing past the shelf as the blue water warms.
  • MayGoodWeedlines form; schools of chickens with bigger fish on the far lines.
  • JunPeakPrime: weedlines and debris from 30 miles out.
  • JulPeakPrime; bulls on the color changes and around the floaters.
  • AugPeakSame; calm seas make the weedline run easy.
  • SepGoodGood until the fronts break up the weed.
  • OctFairFading as the water cools.
  • NovSlowFew.
  • DecSlowFew.

Where to find them

Weedlines and debris

Sargassum lines, single mats and anything floating in blue water past about 120 ft. The bigger the object, the more fish; a pallet or a log can hold a school all day. The Offshore map's Sargassum layer shows where the weed is.

Color changes and temperature breaks

The edge where blue water meets green, and temperature breaks in 76–84 °F water. Weed collects on these edges too.

Rigs and floaters

Deepwater floaters and standing rigs in blue water hold mahi around the shade. Ring the rig on the troll.

How to catch them

Run and gun

Troll 5–7 kt along the weedline with rigged ballyhoo, small skirted lures and feathers. When one hooks up, leave it in the water near the boat: the school follows it.

Pitch to the school

With the school up, pitch live or cut pogies and cigar minnows on spinning tackle. Mahi eat almost anything when fired up.

Tackle

20–30 lb spinning for pitching; 30–50 lb trolling outfits with 40–60 lb fluorocarbon leaders. A gaff for the bulls, a net or a lift for chickens.

Reading the conditions

Water

Clean blue water with weed. Low-chlorophyll water near an edge is best; mahi avoid the green, turbid plume water.

Season

June through August is the core; strong fronts and tropical weather break up the weedlines.

Light

Dawn and the first hours of light are best; mahi are daytime fish.

Tips from the water

  • Always keep one fish in the water until the school is done.
  • Work the shady side and the up-current end of a weedline.
  • Big single objects in open water often hold the biggest fish.
  • Take what you'll eat: no bag limit doesn't mean no limit.

Common mistakes

  • Boating every fish at once and losing the school.
  • Trolling straight through a weedline and fouling every lure.
  • Ignoring scattered weed: a single mat can hold fish.

Handling and release

Mahi thrash hard in the boat; have the fish box open. Bleed and ice them right away. Release chickens you don't need quickly; they grow fast.

Use it today

By port: Sabine · Bolivar · Galveston · Freeport · Sargent · Matagorda · Port O'Connor · Rockport · Port Aransas · Corpus Christi · Port Mansfield · South Padre

Sources (3)

Other species

Regulations change: confirm bag and size limits in the TPWD Outdoor Annual and with NOAA Fisheries (federal waters) before you keep a fish. Not for navigation.