We pulled up to the flyer, letting the slow current carry us down through the blue-green inshore water, which suddenly lit up with the bright colors of an easily recognizable fish, the mahi mahi. After searching leagues of lines of flyers, we had found them thirteen miles offshore. I whipped my Hogy Epoxy Jig twenty yards, closed the bail and ripped it across the surface with an albie speed retrieve, my hand whirring in circles on my Shimano 2500.
A “meehee” (baby mahi) sped after it, shimmering with electric colors of blue and green. “Eat it! Eat it!” said Bob, my fishing partner for the trip, as he watched the green dart swing and miss the lure. The mahi shot back to the safety of the flyer. We both took a deep breath and laughed before he took a cast with his 8 weight fly rod. Bob let the 3″ blue surf candy sink down 10 or so feet before beginning his speedy-stripped retrieve. I watched the fly disappear as another green streak shot over. Tight! He set the hook and a beautiful aerial show began.
The mahi took off with surprising power for such a small fish. Launching itself into the air, the fish thrashed its head as it sacked back down to the waters surface, fly landing next to it. It was gone! We both looked up at one another, smiling ear to ear. He stripped up his line to cast again. It was going to be a good day!
Cast and Blast with Tucker 