AJ Dangelo and angler Karl Mohr (from left) lift the largest mahi ever caught in Rhode Island waters.
Maridee Charters
In late August, during an overnight tuna and swordfish charter out of Narragansett, Rhode Island, an angler caught the largest mahi-mahi in the state’s history. While fishing with Maridee Charters, New York angler Karl Mohr reeled in a 37.56-pound, 59-inch dolphinfish.
“We were thrilled. I’ve never encountered one of that size,” said AJ Dangelo, who was working the deck for his father, Capt. Andy Dangelo. “It’s unusual to find mahi over 10 pounds in our area. A few large ones come through every year, but nothing approaching this size.”
Juvenile mahi arrive in New England waters with the warm currents of the Gulf Stream during summer. They often gather around “high flyers,” which are tall buoys equipped with radar reflectors to assist lobstermen in locating their traps. The mahi serve as a popular alternative target when tuna fishing slows down.
“I’m 6-foot-5 and weigh 300 pounds,” joked Dangelo. “I don’t exactly help the fish.”
Maridee Charters
Double the Big Mahi
During Mohr’s trip, Capt. Dangelo took them approximately 85 miles offshore to a location known as Fishtails. They were trolling over about 700 feet of water at the northern edge of Block Canyon.
AJ noted that Capt. Andy aimed to see how close his spread could get to the buoys when they hooked two mahi at once.
“The first one we brought to the boat was a nice female, maybe weighing around 15 pounds,” AJ said. “I told the angler it was a good catch. I didn’t expect the second fish to be a mahi because it wasn’t coming in like one.”
When AJ gaffed the second fish and brought it onboard, he realized they had something extraordinary. This massive mahi is likely to break a record that has stood for nearly three decades. Although Rhode Island does not officially recognize dolphinfish for state records, it does acknowledge a 32-pound, 4-ounce, 58.5-inch mahi as a “Notable Catch” caught in 1995.
AJ believes he’s stumbled upon a lucky streak for Maridee. Two years prior, Mohr caught a massive wahoo that would have set a record if properly documented. Both the big wahoo and the record mahi were caught using the same Sterling Tackle spreader bar—same lure, same angler.
Mohr’s wahoo weighed in at 91 pounds “with the guts removed,” AJ said. The largest wahoo on record in Rhode Island was caught in 1998 and weighed 80 pounds, also listed as a “Notable Catch.”
If you’re curious what an overnight trip from Rhode Island entails, AJ explained they troll for yellowfin and big-eye tuna during the day and switch to swordfishing at night.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he remarked. “They come back to the dock looking like zombies. They’re all disoriented. People try to rest here and there, but the excitement makes it hard to sleep.”