It was Mahi Mayhem or "The Running of the Bulls" last weekend at the Hudson Canyon about 95 miles south of Long Island. We boarded the boat bright and early at 3:00 AM and made our way out to sea.We did hook up with a number a nice Yellowfin Tuna, but the thrill of the day was hooking up with this monster bull Dolphin known better by its Hawaiian name of Mahi Mahi. We typically catch much smaller "chickens" around the numerous lobster pots that ring the Hudson Canyon. But this this bull hit a one ounce buck tail with a squid trip about 10:00 AM.
It's the only time our skipper has had to "back down" on a Mahi, a maneuver usually saved for big tuna. This fish was hooked up on an ultra-light spin casting rig with only 14 pound test line. It was a big jumper, ran around and under the boat, and took over 20 minutes to finally land using a gaff. The moral of the story is be sure to keep your reel drag set loose enough to allow the fish to take plenty of line!
This fish was 48" long and tipped the scales at 24 pounds, certainly a day to remember.
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