Mahi-Mahi
Mahi-Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is a saltwater species. The first thing to check: brilliant green-gold and electric blue flanks scattered with small blue spots, fading fast once the fish is out of the water. The look-alike to rule out is Pompano Dolphinfish: the pompano dolphin is a separate, much smaller species with a shorter body and a squarer tail; the count of dorsal rays separates them.
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| Scientific name | Coryphaena hippurus |
|---|---|
| Also called | dolphinfish, dorado, dolphin |
| Water | Saltwater |
| Group | Dolphinfish |
| Temperature | Concentrates in water from 75 to 85 °F and is rarely found below about 70 °F. |
How to identify a Mahi-Mahi
- Brilliant green-gold and electric blue flanks scattered with small blue spots, fading fast once the fish is out of the water.
- A dorsal fin running almost the entire length of the back, from just behind the eye to the tail.
- Mature bulls develop a vertical, almost square forehead; cows keep a rounded one.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Pompano Dolphinfish | The pompano dolphin is a separate, much smaller species with a shorter body and a squarer tail; the count of dorsal rays separates them. |
| Amberjack | Amberjack are brassy with a dark eye stripe and a short dorsal fin, not a full-length one. |
Where it lives
Warm blue water worldwide. Found on weed lines, current edges, floating debris and colour changes offshore, often within sight of the beach where deep water comes close.
Temperature
Concentrates in water from 75 to 85 °F and is rarely found below about 70 °F.
The conditions that matter
Offshore fish are found by finding edges, and mahi are the clearest case: a weed line, a rip, a temperature break of a degree or two, or a colour change where blue meets green. Chlorophyll concentration is what draws that colour line, and water temperature marks the break. Logging both against every fish builds a record of where the edges set up in your area.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about mahi-mahi into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.