This video is well worth watching, especially if you’ve chased these awesome fish, sometimes called mahi mahi, other times dolphin, other times dorado. I used to fish these in the Florida Keys every late spring and early summer and our meals were largely made up of our daily catches. My father, the wildlife artist Fred Thomas, has spent his life in the field and on the water building memories and stories to tell. And one of his favorite experiences is a time when he caught a 50-pound plus bull dolphin, all while getting slammed by the weather off Marathon, Florida. And where was I? Sitting at home feeding an egret that kept walking through the sliding door, while I nursed back to health after battling appendicitis. Why was my experience so bad? Because I didn’t have surgery until 12 days after the the thing burst. And I didn’t get to go fishing with my dad.
I remember Fred coming in that day, full of life, eyes wide, hoisting a massive mahi. It made the 30 pounder they also caught that day seem tiny. This fish now hangs on the wall at Fred’s house in Seattle a monument to this memory and I always enjoy laying eyes on it. A true giant. A fish of a lifetime for most. Now check out this video and get your flies tied this winter for mahi fishing this spring and summer. And do note that the painting that leads this post is Fred’s, a rendition of that giant mahi he caught. This piece has travelled in prestigious art shows around the country.