The Majestic Dorado, Dolphinfish, (Coryphaena hippurus)

Information And Images That Involve South Africa's Dorado

The Dorado is recognized all over the seven seas as one of the best big game fish. The colours of this hardy South African fish species is impossible to describe. You need to catch a live Dolphinfish to know what I mean, it is a spectacular sight. The first picture in the image series below is when the Dorado I caught was just landed and you can see the amazing spectrum of colours... It still doesn't tell the whole story of how beautiful the Dolphin fish actually is. Normally the Dorado is a metallic blue/green coloured with spots and blotches of various other unbelievable colours...

The Dorado is very closely related to the Marlin species of the world. The world record catch for a Dolphinfish is just over 40 kilograms and believe me it must of taking a long time to reel that fish into the offshore ocean going boat that the anglers were fishing from. Dorado do not normally exceed 100 centimeters but the occassional fish can attain well over 200 cm. This deep water game fish normally occurs in pairs and it is pelagic. In South Africa there are no specific catch restrictions for the Dorado. A Dolphinfishes diet includes mainly small fish (They do have a liking for the Trigger fish species) and planktonic organisms. Feeding takes place in the hours of sunlight, normally very close to the surface. This is why Dorado are caught with lures and baits trawling along the top of the ocean water.

Dorado is a very good eating fish and many hotels in South Africa serve this large game fish as a delicious main course! It is found all over South African coastal waters and occurs along way off shore. With this feisty fish length and wait can vary greatly as there is no 'fixed' growth pattern, although the Dolphin fish has a high growth rate.

To see my records of catching this fish please take a look at the following page: Salt water fish records. Pictures of the Dorado are below...

How To Catch The South African Dorado (Dolphin Fish)

The Dorado is a fairly common fish caught in the deep by Sailfish, Wahoo and Marlin anglers.

 There are a few ways to fish for the Dorado (Often referred to as the Dolphin Fish). The most common way is by trolling lures of all different shapes, sizes and imitations. Trolling live bait or fresh dead bait also produces excellent Dorado catches and then a very seldom used method is a must try for the dedicated deep sea fisherman. It involves catching bait, putting it onto a hook while it's still alive and then attaching a blown up balloon to the line to keep the bait where you want it to be and also using the balloon as a strike indicator. You will often 'hook up' with Sailfish, Wahoo, Tuna, King Mackerel (Couta) and many different Shark species too when using this fishing method. Dropshot also produces catches of smaller Dolphin Fish and on light tackle; that is fun!

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