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I fish Alligator Harbor a good bit as it provides good conditions to fish out of my envious gheenee. Many times I share the water with feeding dolphin. I have heard that when they show up you might as well move as they will chase away the fish. Other times I have heard that when they are feeding around you, you are in the right spot. I was wondering what my fellow fisherman have experienced with these amazing animals? Good fishing? Bad Fishing? Stay? Relocate? Your thoughts!

Reel Addiction wrote:I fish Alligator Harbor a good bit as it provides good conditions to fish out of my envious gheenee. Many times I share the water with feeding dolphin. I have heard that when they show up you might as well move as they will chase away the fish. Other times I have heard that when they are feeding around you, you are in the right spot. I was wondering what my fellow fisherman have experienced with these amazing animals? Good fishing? Bad Fishing? Stay? Relocate? Your thoughts!

Leave, they are hunting the same fish that you are and they are far better equipped at it than you.

MudDucker wrote:Leave, they are hunting the same fish that you are and they are far better equipped at it than you.

But don't go far, and circle back.
Learned that in a kayak.

Flipper loves the seatrout. He always ruins the bite in my experience.

They are not your friends

its been my exp. that not only are you in the right spot, but if flipper is schooling up mullet, dont go far cause when he leaves theres a feeding frenzy on the leftovers. if you see flipper swimming around with the occasinal burst of speed but no school of mullet flying out of the water, then hes eating your dinner. remember the spot and paddle on.....

How about offshore? Any ideas or experience with that?

Leave. In my experience an offshore bite will shut down when flipper shows up. We pull anchor and move.

Got this from a fishing buddy's experience yesterday. He was kayaking and picked up a couple nice trout before a dolphin showed up. Then he hooked something that fought better. Turned out to be a big blue that got off right beside the kayak. The dolphin was waiting and blew up on the fish almost turning him over.
He decided to fish elsewhere but the dolphin followed him everywhere he went.
I haven't had that happen before.

We were in Boca Grande one time on an strong outgoing tide through the pass. Had something on with a little bit of fight and it suddenly got alot stronger. Flipper pops up beside the boat with an undersized goliath grouper in it's mouth. The fish is still hooked, on the line, etc

My father-in-law whacks the dolphin with the butt end of a rod just as a loaded site-seeing boat rounds the pass. 20 tourists gawk and start screaming "OMG! He's attacking a dolphin!"

Dolphin spits out the fish and submerges. We boat the little grouper and turn it loose.

Flipper pops up beside the boat again with unhooked little grouper in it's mouth.

Flipper had to earn it, but he won that meal.

We were glad that FWC wasn't around, because somehow, we had to look guilty as hell.

I usually leave and circle back. Unfortunately, I don't want to repeat the experience when I had a dolphin hit a jig. I'm not sure, but I think he did it on porpoise.