# Biggest Mahi Mahi/Dorado I have ever seen



## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

Was fishing out of Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica yesterday with Capt Oscar from the Las Islas Lodge. While jigging for bait, I unexpectedly hooked and miraculously landed this beast of a Dorado. Oscar said he weighed an 80lber a few years ago and this one was bigger. We didn't weigh it (the deckhand filleted it in minutes) but we put it at 85-90lbs. It was an epic fight on medium spinning gear. My buddy and I also got 3 nice Dorado in the 45lb range and hooked two blue marlin (got one to the boat). Really good day.


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Dang good fish...Congrats.

John


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

That's a hoss.


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## DirtTurtle (Oct 15, 2016)

That's a beast! Nice work!


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

WOW, great catch.


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## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

Wow, that is a beast! While jigging for bait? You said it right, "miraculously landed". And nice job on the gaff, to whoever is responsible. Thanks for taking the time to post that picture.

I almost hate to say this - but doesn't that face look like he's mad about being caught? Looks like a grumpy old man.


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## AirbornXpress (Sep 27, 2006)

Congrats 
Thanks for sharing 
Looks like the one Iâ€™m gonna catch for the Star tournament this year


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

Very nice!!!


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## troutalex33 (Aug 21, 2012)

*Awesome catch*

Thats huge ... Reproduction mount to go with that picture . Great job


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Thatâ€™s a monster Mahi-mahi. Great catch.


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## Iam74Gibson (Aug 11, 2005)

Awesome!! I have a 45 # hanging on my wall caught in Ft Lauderdale a few years ago.. This looks like it could eat mine!


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## Eastxhunter (Jan 14, 2014)

Would prolly be having a replica made of that one.


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## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

Iam74Gibson said:


> Awesome!! I have a 45 # hanging on my wall caught in Ft Lauderdale a few years ago.. This looks like it could eat mine!


We got a few others in that size range pitching live baits at a floating log we found.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*The Alacran*

Not to hijack your post, but to add on if I may please. We caught this Mahi Mahi in Costa Rica as well, out of Jaco, Los Suenos Marina several years back. We've been making this annual pilgrimage for just shy of 20 years now. My close late friend Mark Puryear (2nd from right, Bay Electric Supply)owned the Alacran, a 31 Bertram docked at the Los Suenos Marina. Marlin and sails were the target fish, but the huge mahi mahi sure liked the big trolled marlin plugs. This one was caught trolling along side a "long line". All of the dorado were cleaned within minutes of hitting the deck. After every trip, it was fresh mahi mahi and vegies(blackened, grilled and fried)at Claritas sitting on the Pacific partying like rock stars. lol


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## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

c hook said:


> Not to hijack your post, but to add on if I may please. We caught this Mahi Mahi in Costa Rica as well, out of Jaco, Los Suenos Marina several years back. We've been making this annual pilgrimage for just shy of 20 years now. My close late friend Mark Puryear (2nd from right, Bay Electric Supply)owned the Alacran, a 31 Bertram docked at the Los Suenos Marina. Marlin and sails were the target fish, but the huge mahi mahi sure liked the big trolled marlin plugs. This one was caught trolling along side a "long line". All of the dorado were cleaned within minutes of hitting the deck. After every trip, it was fresh mahi mahi and vegies(blackened, grilled and fried)at Claritas sitting on the Pacific partying like rock stars. lol


That is a big boy there. Nice job. Costa Rica has some big ones; the current WR was caught there in 1976.

Sadly, most big Dorado are caught when trolling for marlin. That means that they are outgunned by tackle meant for fish hundreds of pounds heavier than they are and they don't get to show what great fighters they are. Whenever possible, I try to catch them with spinning gear because they put up a great fight on that stuff.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

What a bull!!! Congrats, musta been a helluva fight.


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## Capt.Chris (Apr 25, 2013)

In todays world that is an epic Dorado 
Great job even greater fish


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## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

Capt.Chris said:


> In todays world that is an epic Dorado
> Great job even greater fish


That fish is epic in Jurassic World. The current world record is 87 lbs. and has stood for 40 years.

They caught one in Cabo a couple of years ago that was over 100 lbs., but it got sent to the cleaning tables when they got to the dock. The charter operator saw a picture and made a quick call trying to get them not to filet it, but they were too late. I saw a picture of that fish, and it may be a little bigger than the one the OP caught, but I wouldn't be surprised if this one topped the official WR of 87 lbs. by a little. It's got to be close.

I'll see if I can dig up a picture of the one from Cabo.

Edit: That wasn't hard.


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## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

pocjetty said:


> That fish is epic in Jurassic World. The current world record is 87 lbs. and has stood for 40 years.
> 
> They caught one in Cabo a couple of years ago that was over 100 lbs., but it got sent to the cleaning tables when they got to the dock. The charter operator saw a picture and made a quick call trying to get them not to filet it, but they were too late. I saw a picture of that fish, and it may be a little bigger than the one the OP caught, but I wouldn't be surprised if this one topped the official WR of 87 lbs. by a little. It's got to be close.
> 
> ...


I had in my mind that the WR was over 100lbs, so I didn't make a big deal about weighing this one because I was pretty sure it wasn't over 100lbs. Had I known the WR was only 87lbs, I probably would have insisted. However, I'm sure it would have been technically disqualified somehow anyway under IGFA rules (deckhand grabbed the line above the short leader when the fish was near the boat, for example), and it's never really been a goal of mine to try to get a fish recognized as a record by the IGFA. I'm just thankful I was fortunate enough to fight and land a fish like this on spinning tackle.


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## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

Another angle.


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## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

bassjedi said:


> Another angle.


Oh, man that's a beautiful fish! I never get tired of looking at mahi fresh out of the water. There's always a part of me that thinks it doesn't look real - like it must be some computer generated FX or something. Look at the blue speckles on that one, like you flipped a paint brush at it.

BTW - I know you're not smiling for the camera there. It's a grimace from struggling to hold that monster up.


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## B&C (Jul 23, 2010)

That looks like a world record to me..... by a good margin!!


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## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

If anyone is interested, the full report can be found here: https://www.howtocatchanyfish.com/osa-peninsula-costa-rica-and-punta-burica-panama.html


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## Lunkerman (Dec 27, 2004)

Heck of a fish you caught there bassjedi.


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## blackjack runner (Feb 24, 2015)

That is a beautiful fish. We will be in Costa Rica next month. Hope I see something that big come in the boat. 
Have 4 families going for graduation trip. Fishing off shore then doing some fly fishing.


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## Challenger17 (Dec 24, 2014)

Awesome Dorado!


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## gbollom (Apr 16, 2012)

Beautiful fish. That's a heck of a lifetime memory


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## fishinguy (Aug 5, 2004)

That is a monster.


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## batmaninja (Jul 15, 2010)

Bass


bassjedi said:


> I had in my mind that the WR was over 100lbs, so I didn't make a big deal about weighing this one because I was pretty sure it wasn't over 100lbs. Had I known the WR was only 87lbs, I probably would have insisted. However, I'm sure it would have been technically disqualified somehow anyway under IGFA rules (deckhand grabbed the line above the short leader when the fish was near the boat, for example), and it's never really been a goal of mine to try to get a fish recognized as a record by the IGFA. I'm just thankful I was fortunate enough to fight and land a fish like this on spinning tackle.


Went to PJ for out second wedding anniversary and was looking on here to find a captain to fish with. Found this thread and booked Captain Oscar (Thank you Jedi)!! Day started out slow and rainy trolling for marlin, so we gave up and went searching for birds, and YFTs. Ended up catching 5 tunas, going 0-2 on marlin and my wife got a 65 in mahi. 

Oscar told us pretty much this same story when I told him I was from TX. Hoping to fish with him again soon.


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## bassjedi (Jul 20, 2016)

batmaninja said:


> Bass
> 
> 
> Went to PJ for out second wedding anniversary and was looking on here to find a captain to fish with. Found this thread and booked Captain Oscar (Thank you Jedi)!! Day started out slow and rainy trolling for marlin, so we gave up and went searching for birds, and YFTs. Ended up catching 5 tunas, going 0-2 on marlin and my wife got a 65 in mahi.
> ...


That’s great, glad you got some fish with Oscar. A 65 in Mahi is enormous.


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