standards, but above average for New York waters. Its strike came as a sur- prise, but shouldn’t have; over the past couple of decades “mahi,” as many have taken to calling them, have become an ever more important part of New York’s offshore scene.
AGOOD ‘PLAN B’
In years past, New York anglers generally caught dolphin by accident. Long-range boats ran into some nice ones while trolling for tuna in the
Dolphin were one of the few fish that seemed to be
increasing in number, and it wasn’t long before anglers began seeking them out, either as a primary target or as some- thing to fall back on when a preferred species failed to show.
hard to keep the heavy rope away from the propellers. While the hull remained free of the hawser, all three of the lines trailing off the starboard outrigger dragged across its twisting length. When the clip on the shortest line popped, I thought that we had
TIDE snagged the rope — but that was
before a bull dolphin smashed through the surface, taking a big spreader bar and its dozen or more lures up into the air as if they weighed nothing at all. The dolphin itself weighed nearly 20 pounds, not a large fish by southern
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canyons (including the state record, a 52-pounder caught in 1985), while the warm waters of late summer brought a few closer to shore where they occa- sionally hit a lure or bait meant for larger game. There were also times when a boat would happen upon a log or other floating debris, and pull a few dolphin out of its shadow. But no one targeted the fish intentionally. At some point, that changed. Over time, most of New York’s offshore species have grown less abundant. Yellowfin and white marlin, once fre- quently caught within 20 miles of Long Island, retreated beyond the 50-fathom line. Even in the canyons, fishermen began to experience more and more very slow days. Dolphin were one of the few fish that seemed to be increas- ing in number, and it wasn’t long before anglers began seeking them out, either as a primary target or as some- thing to fall back on when a preferred species failed to show. Anglers quickly figured out how to
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