Follow That Bird in the Florida Keys

    Dolphin, Mahi Mahi, or Dorado, what ever you prefer to call them, they all translate into South Florida ’s favorite offshore game fish.  The reasons for their popularity are as varied as they are numerous.   As many reasons as there is to enjoy catching them there are as many methods used to catch them. 

     While any angler can catch a few fish occasionally by blind trolling, it is the anglers who use their eyes to find fish, who consistently bring home the fish. There are many tells to look for when you are out for dolphin.  The easiest way to spot fish from a distance is by finding birds. 

     There are many types of bird to look for when seeking dolphin.  In general they are the species of bird who follow the game fish, waiting for the fish to chase bait to them.  The best known of these is the frigate bird.  Also known as man of war bird, due to their habit of fighting each other and for harassing other birds into regurgitating and dropping their catch.  The frigate is one of the easiest to recognize, with its jet black color, (Females have a white patch on their chest.) swallow tail, and a wing span of over five feet. When these birds are seen circling low or swooping to the water it is a good bet there is a game fish near. Finding the birds does not necessarily mean that you have found fish. If the bird is lazily circling very high, it means that the bird is waiting for the fish to return to feeding.  If it is flying fast, high, and straight it is searching for more productive waters.   If the bird you see does not appear to be on fish at the time that you see him, continue your own search, keeping one eye on the bird as you go, just incase he finds something interesting before you are out of sight. 

     The other main type of bird to look for is the Tern.  Terns are more gull sized and shaped, but also with a swallow tail.  Terns tend to fly low and fast when searching for food.  When they wheel around and circle a spot several times you should take notice. Terns tend to quickly congregate into large flocks when large schools of fish are feeding.  Oddly enough the larger the flock the less likely that are on dolphin.  They also tend to congregate on schools of tunas of all species.  You can usually tell the type of fish by the speed that the flock is moving, as tunas tend to move more quickly than do dolphin.   Ideally you will find a few birds moving quickly down sea as they swoop and dive, this behavior is usually associated with the larger migrating dolphin. 

     Some of the birds that offer little assistance to anglers trying to locate dolphin are gannets, gulls and pelicans.  These birds are usually found swooping or diving into bait fish that are not necessarily being driven by dolphin.

     Another way that birds can be helpful is in helping you to spot structure in the water.  When a tern or two land on a board or other flotsam they increase its visibility greatly.  Never miss the opportunity to checkout what looks like a bird standing on the water.  If the bird appears nervous and tends to hop off of the board for no apparent reason, it is especially worthy of a closer look.  More than one dolphin has been found to have bird remains in its stomach.

     If you are trolling along and see a bird or birds, which appear to be working over fish you should carefully choose an angle of attack.  If you head directly toward the bird or birds, you will invariably end up behind the fish.  You would then have to work extra hard to get in front of the fish to properly present a bait.  If you do end up chasing the fish from behind, make sure that you go well around until your baits are even with the fish before cutting back in front of the fish.

     During the peak of dolphin season it can often get quite crowded off shore.  If more than one boat is vying for position under a bird it is imperative that all involved follow the rules of the road to avoid a collision.  Almost as important as not colliding with another vessel is to not fowl each others lines.  Remembering that it is possible for another vessel to have over a hundred yards of line out behind their boat will help in avoiding mishaps.  One other rule to follow when chasing birds is the Golden Rule.  Try to put yourself in the position of another angler who has been patiently approaching a bird.  How would you feel if some one rushed in and cut you off right before you got a pass under the bird?

     With a little patience and practice reading the birds you will be able to spend more time finding fish, than chasing birds that are not going to be productive. And the next time someone back at the dock asks how you found those fish, you can tell them that a little birdie told you.

Captain John Sahagian
FunYet Charters

(305) 872-3407