Mahi-Mahi (Dolphinfish) in Big Bend and Nature Coast
Troll ballyhoo and lures along weedlines, color changes and floating debris in blue water. Spring on the Atlantic side is world class.
Next three days
| Day | Bite | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, Sep 13 | 5 | New Moon feeding boost. Light wind. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Strong tide swing 3.6 ft |
| Mon, Sep 14 | 5 | Light wind. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Strong tide swing 3.8 ft |
| Tue, Sep 15 | 4 | Breezy 18 mph. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Strong tide swing 3.8 ft |
Seasonal pattern
Editorial baseline for Florida. Green months are prime, yellow fair, red slow. Preferred water temperature 72–86°F.
Regulations that apply here
Applies to: state waters
| Species / zone | Season | Size | Bag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphinfish/Mahi-Mahi Gulf State Waters | open now Open year-round | None | 10 per person or 60 per vessel, whichever is less | hook and line, spearing Captain and crew are prohibited from retaining a bag limit |
- Legal gear includes hook and line and spearing.
Source: FWC, extracted 2026-09-12. Review flags: The page lists separate bag limits for 'Private Recreational' and 'For-hire Recreational' in Atlantic State Waters. The JSON schema supports one bag_per_person and one bag_per_vessel per rule entry. The private limits (5/30) were used for the main fields, and the for-hire specific vessel calculation was moved to notes. If strict separation is required, this would need two entries for Atlantic State Waters, but the schema implies one rule per species per zone.