Best Times & Seasons to Catch Mahi Mahi in Florida

Countless anglers head to Florida every year chasing the powerful and striking mahi mahi. The question, though, is what is the best time to fish mahi mahi in Florida?

The best time to fish mahi mahi in Florida is during the spring and summer months, April through September. In Florida waters, mahi mahi (dolphin) are active year-round with noticeable lulls in October.

Season	Quality of Mahi Mahi (Dolphin) Fishing
Spring	Very good fishing; late spring is excellent across most of the state.
Summer	Great fishing but very crowded with out-of-staters fishing. Will be hard to find charter availability.
Fall	Best season for mahi in Florida Keys, the rest of state is weaker for mahi.
Winter	Slowest season for mahi mahi across state; fish can be caught though with consistency.

Also known as the dolphin fish, the mahi mahi love the tropical waters around Florida and spend many months out of the year around the state.

In this article, we’re going to look at the best times to fish for mahi mahi in Florida, including breaking down the seasons. We’re also going to break down each region in Florida and see which season is best for the destinations you’ll be checking out.

Best Time to Fish Mahi Mahi in Florida

With easy access to the Gulf Stream, as well as other deep water, Florida’s mahi mahi population is thriving. That means there’s a good chance of landing a mahi mahi all year round. There are, however, great times to go that almost guarantee multiple fish in the boat in a single day. 

While the population is dense around Florida, the bigger mahi mahi start showing up in the waters off the southern part of the state around April.

As the waters warm throughout the spring, they move further north, reaching the panhandle area of the Gulf Coast around June.

They stay in and around Florida till the waters begin to cool down again, usually around September. This makes spring and summer the best seasons to fish mahi mahi in Florida.

In fact, you can find large mahi mahi on the east coast, where the warmer water of the Atlantic attracts them there longer, all the way into October and November. 

Recommended Mahi Mahi Charters in Florida

These Florida-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

Recommended Fishing Charters	Location
B&B Fishing Charters	Panama City Beach, FL
Saltire Fishing Charters	Cape Canaveral, FL
Jolly Roger II Fishing Charters	Key West, FL
Maximus Fishing Charters	Destin, FL
Fish Key West – The Coolcast	Key West, FL
Marlin My Darlin Sportfishing	Fort Lauderdale, FL
My Chance Charters	Destin, FL

I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic to create your combo.

Seasonal Breakdown for Mahi Mahi (Dolphin) in Florida

When going fishing for mahi mahi in Florida, you’ll want to know how the fishing is in the area you’re heading. That’s why we are going to break down each region of Florida’s waters and see when the best times are for each. 

Atlantic Coast

Among the two coasts of Florida, the Atlantic Coast is, by far, the best coast for fishing mahi mahi. Not only are the waters deeper on the Atlantic Side, but the deep water is also closer to the coast.

In fact, in many places, you could fish for mahi mahi while keeping the shoreline in view and still land a monster.

Hot spots for mahi mahi on the Atlantic Coast include St. Augustine and Cape Canaveral. The best time months to fish mahi mahi on the Atlantic side are April to September.

On the northern part, you’ll find action heats up closer to June and July while the southern portions of the coast stay hot into October. The worse times on the Atlantic side is going to be the winter season.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Palm Beach, please check out this helpful article.

For a complete breakdown of the best locations for mahi mahi in Florida, please read this helpful article I wrote.

Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast is still a great place to head when fishing for mahi mahi, though not as good as the Atlantic. The fish are bigger on the Atlantic side, but there are still plenty of good-sized dolphin fish to be had, with many ranging from 3 to 10 pounds. Don’t let the size fool you, though; they still put up just as hard of a fight as the bigger ones. 

April to August are the best months to fish for mahi mahi on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Outside of those months, December and January are going to be the worst months to head for the dolphin fish. 

To learn the best seasons to fish in Panama City, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Cocoa Beach, please check out this helpful article.

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is home to the largest population of mahi mahi of all the waters around Florida. What makes the fishing here even better is the fish are year all year-round.

This is due to many factors, including the closeness to deep waters in both the Gulf and Atlantic, as well as the convergence of several ocean currents, keeping the waters at just the right temperature all year round. 

Though action here is heavy all year round, the bigger ones start showing up around April and will stay through October and November. In fact, October is probably the best month out of the year to fish for mahi mahi in the keys.

The worst month, if there had to be one, would be December and January. Though there are still plenty mahi mahi around, the bigger ones will migrate to the area around April and into September.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch mahi mahi in the Florida Keys, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

Southern Florida (Miami/Everglades)

In Miami and the southern tip of Florida, the mahi mahi is perhaps the most popular fish to catch. To get to where the mahi like to hang out requires a short ride to the drop off and into the deeper waters of the Gulf Stream. Here you’ll find them hanging out under any type of floating debris or vegetation. 

While mahi mahi are present all year round in South Florida and seem to grow much during the winter months, the best time to catch mahi mahi in southern Florida is from April through August.

This is generally the time of the year bigger mahi are migrating through the area to northern waters. You’ll want to be quick, though and find a guide who knows where they like to hang out on any given day. 

For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch fish in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Fort Lauderdale, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

Best Time & Tide of Day to Catch Mahi Mahi

Mahi Mahi are greatly affected by the tides as this tends to dictate where their prey fish will be; they’ll go where the food goes. The times between tides, when high tide is moving in and out, is the best time of day to fish for mahi mahi in Florida.

This is generally when the baitfish is active the most. Also, you’ll find them closer to shore, but still in deep waters, at this time. 

As the tide moves out, the mahi mahi will retreat further from the coastline and back into the deeper waters of the currents. The full moon phase gives the ultimate mahi fishing experience as this is when high tide is at its highest point. 

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Smyrna Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

Seasonal Guide: Mahi Mahi in Florida

Spring

Spring brings with it the start of the peak season for mahi mahi fishing in Florida. As the waters start to warm up, mahi mahi will migrate from the south and work their way up to coastline.

This means the action heats up in the southern part of the start first, generally in late March into early April.

The action doesn’t stall long, though, as the late part of April and first of May bring the dolphin fish to the northern parts of the state. 

Starting off in the spring, the mahi mahi will still be relatively deep. As the waters heat up, though, they will start to make their way up, though still staying in the deep waters.

Though they tend to feed all day long, they will be more active in the afternoon hours as the waters at their warmest.

This changes, though, as the surface water gets hotter with the summer months. That being said, you’ll likely find yourself kite fishing for mahi mahi in the spring, through other methods are used. This means fishing downwind from the fish is important. 

Summer

The mahi mahi action heats up with the rise in temperature; so does the fishing pressure. Summer is the busiest time to be fishing in Florida as many are also on vacation. This means the competition for getting the best charters and best fishing spots is fierce.

While not impossible to find a charter at the last minute, if you’re wanting to fish for mahi mahi in the summer, you’ll want to book your trip well in advance. 

The summer months bring double digits numbers, giving plenty of the delicious fish to eat. The best summer months to fish for mahi mahi in Florida is July and August.

What sets these months ahead of the others is the fact that the moon is actually closer to this part of the globe during those months.

This means high tide is higher due to more pull from the moon. This brings the mahi mahi even closer to the coastlines and makes for some excellent predawn and dusk fishing. 

Fall

For the southern parts of the state, fall is considered to be the peak season for mahi mahi. In fact, October is said to bring the best mahi mahi fishing anywhere in the world to the Florida Keys.

What makes the fall such a great time is the dolphin fish are migrating back to southern waters where it’s more comfortable for them. They move right through south Florida and the Florida Keys. 

Another fact that makes the Fall a great time is that the mahi mahi are trying to eat as much as they can before the winter season. Though they continue to eat during the winter, much of their prey are not active, meaning there’s less for them to eat.

This means they are at their heaviest, increasing the likelihood of catching a monster. In the fall time, you want to look for the well-defined weed line as this is where the mahi mahi will be hiding.

This weed line, during the fall, is between 12-14 miles off the coast, which is just far enough to get away from the pleasure boaters. 

Winter

To say the winter is the worse time to fish for mahi mahi in Florida makes it sound as though you will never have success in the winter. That’s not the case by a long shot. Mahi mahi are truly a year-round fish.

That being said, the action does die down considerably to where charters will not target mahi mahi specifically during the winter months. 

Most mahi mahi caught in the winter are caught while going after the larger sailfish. That being said, the best month to go during the winter is going to be February into March. The absolute worst times to fish for mahi mahi is during the months of December and January.

When fishing for them during the winter, you have to go into the deepest of deep waters as they’ll be hanging out where it’s warmer than the surface water.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Stuart, please check out this helpful guide I wrote.

Is Night fishing for Mahi Mahi in Florida any good?

Mahi mahi will eat anytime of the day and night; they go where the food is. That being said, nighttime is a great time for mahi mahi fishing in Florida. This is especially true during a full moon as the added light penetration provides more visibility.

However, since they live so deep already, mahi mahi have adapted to low light situations and are excellent hunters even with the new moon or cloudy skies. 

The key, though, will be finding a charter willing to go out at night as they tend to only operate during the day, though nighttime charters do exist. If you can find one willing to go, you’ll have a great time on the water catching an amazing fish. 

Impacts Storms & Hurricanes have on Mahi Mahi fishing. 

Storms have a considerable impact on the mahi mahi fishing in Florida. Mahi mahi depend heavily on their sight for hunting. Thus, when the water is cloudy after a storm it can make it rather difficult for them to see. This means they aren’t as active the days following a major storm. 

Plus, the dolphin fish depends heavily on structure, both underwater and floating. Storms change the dynamic of the area forcing them to vacate one area and go to another. Where mahi mahi once were before a storm could be a dead zone following one. 

Another impact storms have is the decrease of barometric pressure; fish are insanely dialed into the pressure in the water. If they feel it drop, they know a storm is coming. This tends to send them into a feeding frenzy because mahi mahi aren’t the only fish who feel it.

The prey fish fill it more so than the dolphin fish. In turn, the prey fish become more active which only works to make the mahi mahi’s activity level rise. 

Booking a Charter in Florida for Mahi Mahi

When it comes to booking a charter in Florida for mahi mahi, the best times to do so will be in the spring and summer months. If you’re in the southern part of the state or the Keys, even into October will be a great time to book. This is also going to be a busy time of the year for charters, which means the price will be higher.

You’ll want to book it well in advance, as well, to ensure you get a spot. When it comes to deciding how long of a trip you take, you will want to go with a full-day charter.

While there is some mahi mahi fishing to be had just a few miles offshore, the best fishing, and the biggest fish, are going to be in the deeper waters.

Depending on where you’re going, this can mean traveling 30 minutes or more just to get to good fishing waters. If you’re looking for a time that might not be as busy as the tourist-filled summer, October may be a better time to go. It will still be busy, but likely not as much as the summer months.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Daytona Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote.