I am considering organising a mahi mahi hunting trip, and looking for others to split costs.

Its still early days, but the plan so far is two day trips to the FADs (fish attracting devices) off Sydney. I am told that mahi mahi are the only fish liable to be seen off the FADs, except perhaps for a marlin

The boat trip will be less than about $200 per day. We need 5 people to fill the boat.

I think we could drive to Sydney in, maybe, two cars, splitting costs. Would also need three nights accomodation (motel, on-site van, or something similar).

This would all be some time around late Feb, or maybe early March.

That's where I am at so far. Things should start to gel a little more as things progress.

If there is anybody who is interested, get back to me. My email is Ric.Fallu@bigpond.com

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing in Pt Phillip in the early 1960s, and never really stopped

Yes very much interested my dream fish. Put me down 100%
I don't have my drivers licence ATM so I will need to get a lift with someone else.

If you need people ill put my hand up.

What equipment would be needed for a dolphin fish, just a 1.3m or bigger gun, 7mm shaft, 10lt float and 20-30m float line?

If marlin came in would everyone be fine with spearing it or off the cards? For a marlin what would be wanted? 7.5mm shaft, slip tip, twin 30lt floats?

I'm keen for sure.

I am keen, if I am not in Tas for uni I am 100%. Sounds like a great trip!
Cheers

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You don't value a single breath, until you realize it's potential.

Looks like there will be enough to fill the boat then.

Mahi mahi are supposed to be very beautiful to see. I have yet to see one myself - which is why I want to do this trip. And the general experience should just be worth it by itself.

Mahi mahi tend to swim close to the surface, so deep diving isn't neccessarily needed. The water is likely to be pretty clear so a long range gun is desirable. The charter operator suggests that most fish are in the single digit kilogram number, but that its not uncommon to see them in the high tens, so massive thick spears are not mandatory.

The chance of a marlin is pretty small - but greater than in PPBay! If you have the gear, and the inclination, and if one swims close enough, then its quite possible to spear one. Just remember they have a spear too!

There is no bottom to hit, and the water is likely to be clear so blue water cannons are OK. The give long range and if that marlin does swim by, you won't be under-powered.

The charter operator says there is often current, so lighter gear (and smaller guns) may be easier to swim.

I plan to take my Riffe 2 atmosphere float with about 15 metres of cord. I may also include bungee as well. I will also prolly take two guns - one a light tuna gun (8mm spear, 4 rubbers) and a longish rail gun. Dunno - will have to think about it a little more.

I am off to the Land of the Long White Cloud for the first week of Feb, and want to pull arrangements together when I return. I plan to contact people in early/mid Feb to see if I can start to finalise things.

Anyway, will get back with more info as time goes on.

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing in Pt Phillip in the early 1960s, and never really stopped

I have been researching a little. I sent an email to Simon Trippe (a well known Sans Souci Dolphin) and he wrote back.

"Hi Ric,

mate that time of year is good for the Mahi for sure. It has been unusually quite on them so far as we do get an early run in december that didnt really happen and then they begin to come on thicker late february into march.

Manny B runs a good boat and he knows the fads as well as any. Regards your set up, to shoot a mahi I would not worry about using a tuna gun, something that is easily manueverable and can throw a shaft up to 4m is good enough. Often we jump in now with just our 1.1's. In saying that i have speared wahoo off the fads. A 1.2 would be perfect size or 1.3 is good. Yeah 15m of rig is fine bungee is probably overkill if you are comfortable with it then use it, otherwise I would use up to 25m of rig max, your 2atm float is good so you are highly visible. Depending on the day you may only get to see little 60cm dollies, the trick if you are patient is to get a couple of hundred metres up current (or down current) of the fad and bob around like flotsam, just think you are a log, remain still and the curiosity of the fish draws them to you; in saying this somedays you hop in and a school of them will just swim right up to you and "whack" you're on.
Be careful too if you spear a fish near the buoy and there is swell or current that you dont get wrapped up around the buoy and rope itself, and don't grab hold of the buoy or rope, at least look before you do, lots of lures, hoooks etc wrapped all over them if they have been out for a while.

Good luck, let us know how you go, if you want to ask anything else let me know.
Cheers Ric

Simon"

Thanks to Simon for that very useful information.

He also sent a picture of a mahi mahi taken recently (last week I think). It was 1.2 metres. I tried to upload it, but it was too big for the forum to receive it (the picture, not the fish!) and the computer I am currently on doesn't appear to have the software to resize it. I will post it later.

I am off for the next week (missing the SFD meeting) and when I return I will start to pull the trip together.

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing in Pt Phillip in the early 1960s, and never really stopped

Just go to http://www.resize2mail.com/ like I did with pic of Dolphin Fish/Mahi Mahi/ Dorado that I speared. Ok, I just wanted to show off my Mahi Mahi pic. But did I mention that I have shot and landed a Mahi Mahi?...

lol i like your style, nice dorado
whats the fish in the background?

Thats no moon....

Idk, hard to see, but it kinda looks a bit like a thresher shark....

It may be a silky shark. There were heaps about. I wrote the following for a competition for a beer brand. I didn't win but it's a funny story - even though it was actually Cutters that started grabbing silkies by the tails and I tentatively tried to join in. But you can't get in the way of a good story and maybe winning free beer!

I was on a recent spearfishing trip to the Coral Sea with 6 of the world’s most accomplished freedivers, including 7 times Australian spearfishing champion Rob Torelli, the Zen master of breath hold Eduardo Godhino, the cagey old part Porto Rican part Hawaiian ex Us Marine Jim McCollem, marine biologist and ex-Australian spearfishing champion Dr. Adam Smith, Geelong fridge mechanic and acclaimed tuna hunter Andy ‘Cutters’ Cutajar, Russian Italian ice diver Gennady Chumachenko and me, a part-time club cricketer, ex club footballer and wannabe spearfisherman hailing from St Kilda via Nunawading.
While travelling to Bougainville Reef aboard the mother ship we spotted a floating object. It seemed that a fishing net with coconuts as floats was drifting in the current. Gold flashes beneath the surface alerted us that Dolphin Fish might be circling the FAD (Fish Attracting Device). But these floating objects are usually accompanied by a flotilla of other more sinister creatures from the deep, ready to pick off the weak and injured. At least, that is what we were hoping for.
With the hopes of Wahoo and other such pelagic on our minds we entered the water. Immediately we were besieged by a welcoming party of animated Silky Sharks, ready to let us know who was boss around here. Undeterred, we gave them the evil eye, asserting our dominance.
Before long, the Russian Assassin Gennady Chumachenko spied the familiar silver shimmer of a Wahoo in the distance. Despite the ever-present Silky Sharks Gennady made short work of the Wahoo. But these ocean going predators had been worked into a frenzy. As he dispatched the prize catch, he was engulfed in swirls of dorsal fins. As confidence grew within the hungry pack several Silky Sharks made a run for the Wahoo in Gennady’s arms. Without thought I moved into action mode. No two-bit shark with a poncy moniker was turning my buddy into borscht. Not on my watch.
Knowing only Wobbegong Sharks can turn back on themselves I started grabbing Silkies by the tails and ripping them away willy nilly. Cutters joined in on the act and some very embarrassed so-called man-eaters meandered off. A simple dry Без перевода and a nod was all that was required from my ice-cool comrade. A little later I nailed a Dolphin Fish just to let them know who was boss. Later that night on the boat, we enjoyed a nice cold beer and swapped tales of just another day in the Coral Sea.

Thought I'd post a vid I found to get everyones blood pumping......

Nice clip Dale, now I'm keen.

Wow, that site works. Have re-sized pic.

The pic is of a mahi mahi taken off Sydney, so you don't have to go all that far north to get one. Of course, most seen are smaller than one in pic.

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing in Pt Phillip in the early 1960s, and never really stopped