Summer is here and with it the most exciting angling adventure Japan has to offer -- catching dolphinfish. Not to be confused with the sea mammal of the same name, this is the middle-weight champion of offshore angling. These fish have power, speed and will aggressively strike lures, flies or bait.
Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippuras) are also commonly known by their Hawaiian name, mahi-mahi. In Japanese the name is shiira, but whatever you call it, a raging dolphinfish puts up a battle that won't soon be forgotten. A magnificent sport-fish and tough hard-fighter, its exceptional endurance can make it extremely challenging to boat a large one. These fish can swim at speeds of 80 kph in short bursts, and when hooked will make long drag screeching runs, dart in one direction and then another, make head-shaking leaps and even tailwalk.
Found throughout tropical seas worldwide, in summer dolphinfish follow the warm currents north to the waters around the main Japanese islands. These fish are voracious feeders, devouring sardines, anchovies, flying fish, squid and even smaller dolphinfish. Under the right conditions they can grow 2 kg a month, and can reach a maximum weight of 40 kg and a length of 1.8 meters. In Japan, a 1-meter-long fish is a respectable catch. This year the season has gotten off to an excellent start with a 145-cm, 14.2-kg lunker having been caught by an angler fishing out of Hitachi in Ibaraki Prefecture.