The Rundown
Best Overall: C&H Lures Stubby Bubbler (click to see)
“One of the best ways to target mahi mahi is trolling noisy lures near the surface, making the Stubby Bubbler an ideal choice. You can use it with a strip bait or just on its own.”
Best Premium Option: Bost 63 Daisy Chains (click to see)
“Flying fish are the favored prey of quite a few offshore game fish, mahi-mahi included. Adding the Daisy Chains to your spread encourages strikes and brings a lot of attraction.”
Best Budget Option: Capt Jay Fishing Saltwater Jigs (click to see)
“The Capt Jay Jigs are excellent for getting the attention of deeper-holding fish. It’s a good choice for anglers to have on them when the weed lines are broken up”
Mahi mahi (or dorado, dolphin fish) is one of the prettiest and tastiest offshore game species you can target. While they favor deeper water around currents, they tend to spend most of their time at the top of the water column feeding smaller prey species like flying fish. So if you want to get into mahi mahi fishing, you’re going to need to know which lures give you the best chances of success in various situations.
The best lures for mahi mahi are brightly colored, flashy, and can be trolled or retrieved at speed. You also want to cover a decent amount of the water column, make a lot of noise, and get your lure right in the face of the fish.
Thanks to the fish’s popularity, there are a million different opinions and lures that promise to catch mahi mahi on the market. We’ve put this list together to help you make an informed buying decision and put you in a position to find success in various situations.




Best Trolling Lures for Mahi
Our Top 7 Picks
Table of Contents
Best Lures for Mahi Mahi in 2022
- C&H Lures Stubby Bubbler
- Bost 63 Daisy Chains
- Capt Jay Fishing Saltwater Jigs
- Yo-Zuri Bull Pop Floating Lure
- Rapala X-Rap Magnum
- Sea Striker Planer
- American Fishing Wire
C&H Lures Stubby Bubbler
Best Overall: Perfect for fishing anywhere in a spread and great for running through weed lines.

KEY FEATURES
- A lightweight head doesn’t get caught in weeds
- Huge bubble trail
- Fish anywhere in the spread
One of the best ways to target mahi mahi is trolling noisy lures near the surface, and the Stubby Bubbler is a great choice. You can use it with a strip bait or just on its own, and you won’t have to worry too much about weeds getting caught on the head. Overall, it’s an excellent choice for any anglers targeting mahi mahi.
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Bost 63 Daisy Chains Squidnation & Flying Fish
Best Premium Option: Attract mahi mahi with one of their favorite foods.

KEY FEATURES
- Four flying fish with a skirt on the bottom
- Mimics flying fish school to enhance spread attraction
- Attracts a variety of pelagic gamefish, not just mahi mahi
Flying fish are the favored prey of quite a few offshore game fish, mahi mahi included. Adding the Daisy Chains to your spread encourages strikes and brings a lot of attraction when fished in the shotgun position. It’s an excellent choice for anglers looking to fish a variety of lures in their trolling spread.
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Capt Jay Fishing Saltwater Jigs
Best Budget Option: Perfect for fishing around broken-up weeds and doesn’t waste gas trolling.

KEY FEATURES
- Great durability
- Great for getting the attention of deeper-holding fish
- Choose the size and color you want
Capt Jay Fishing Saltwater Jigs do exceptionally well when you’re fishing for a variety of gamefish. They’re perfect for dropping down when mahi mahi are holding deeper than you can pitch out dead baits or reliably get a trolling lure down. It’s a good choice for anglers to have on them when the weed lines are broken up, or you’re marking fish deeper than you can get your other baits.
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Yo-Zuri Bull Pop Floating Lure
Best Topwater Lure: Fantastic casting distance and surface action make poppers a great choice to bring in mahi mahi.

KEY FEATURES
- Two sizes and ten color patterns
- Extra-strong treble hooks
- Great for casting into schools and bringing fish near the boat
Topwater lures are slowly getting more popular with many mahi mahi anglers. This popper from Yo-Zuri is perfect for anglers wanting to cast into a school or bring a school closer to the boat to hit pitch baits.
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Rapala X-Rap Magnum
Best Diving Lure: Deep-diving trolling lure or great floating casting lure

KEY FEATURES
- Huge variety of colors and sizes
- Great for casting or trolling
- Able to avoid using planers to get a trolling bait deep
Some anglers only run surface baits in their trolling spread and can miss fish holding deeper. You can use a planer to get a lure deeper, but it’s easier to fish a lure with a dicing lip since there won’t be anything tangling your line. The X-Rap Magnum is the perfect choice for anglers looking for a good diving lure and a ton of versatility.
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Sea Striker SSP3 Planer
Best Spread Accessory: Hold your lure at your desired depth with the right sized planer.

KEY FEATURES
- Comes in five different sizes for different depths
- Great for running drone spoons, sea witches, and feathered lures
- Easy-to-use with a bit of practice
While we discussed avoiding them in the last entry, planers are extremely useful for keeping lures and bait down at the depth you want. These planers from Sea Striker are an excellent choice for any angler wanting to get a trolling bait down deeper and come in various sizes corresponding to different trolling depths.
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American Fishing Wire
Best For Rigging Lures: Perfect for rigging up ballyhoo for mahi mahi and tuna, and mahi mahi bellies for swordfish, sailfish, and marlin.

KEY FEATURES
- 50 strands of wire
- The 14-inch length is plenty for rigging
- High-strength copper wire won’t rust out on you
A great way to target a ton of aquatic species is to rig up ballyhoo and other dead baitfish and troll them to mimic a school of baitfish. One of the easiest ways to do this is with American Fishing Wire, to hold the fish body and attach your hooks. For anglers who prefer using natural baits instead of artificials, it’s not only a good choice but an essential one.
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Questions & Answers

What depth do you catch mahi mahi?
Mahi mahi is most commonly caught on or near the surface, especially around surface structures like weeds or floating debris. They tend to spend time in water between 100 and 30,000 feet deep but rarely sit deeper than 100 feet down. Therefore, you’ll typically want to fish surface lures and include a few deep diving plugs to reach mahi mahi running 30-50 feet down.

How fast do you troll for mahi mahi?
The best trolling speed for mahi mahi is around 8 knots. However, you can usually troll between 5 and 10 knots and find success, so vary your approach when you aren’t getting bites.

Where do you fish for mahi mahi?
Mahi mahi is found on the East Coast near the Gulf Stream and the West Coast of California, Mexico, and Central America. They migrate huge distances each year and spend a lot of time in convergent currents where the water is warmest.