The edge · 600 ft · shelf break and canyons

Mahi-Mahi

Coryphaena hippurus. Prime water reaches Cape Hatteras in Southeast Atlantic right now (82°F at the surface). Fish it 0–131 ft down — that is where 83–82°F water sits off Cape Hatteras.

Mahi-Mahi identification illustration
LaneThe edge · 100 fa (600 ft)
Depth it holds131–6562 ft
Prime water75–86°F (workable 75–90°F)
Holds in the column0–131 ft down below the surface, over 131–6562 ft of water
Judged onsurface temperature (NASA MUR satellite)
Structureprefers weedlines and floating debris, not bottom structure

The water column off Cape Hatteras

0 ft299 ft598 ft131 ft of workable water0–131 ft · 83–82°F

The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 598 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Mahi-Mahi's temperature band (75–90°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.

In 3D

Drag to rotate, pinch or scroll to zoom. 3D model traced from a NOAA Fisheries / Jack Hornady, United States government work; public domain reference — source.

How it's fished

Run and gun to weedlines, boards and birds; pitch ballyhoo or jigs.

Region by region — right now

RegionSeasonPrime waterTempFish it atMonths
Mid-Atlantic off-season reaches Montauk 75°F —
J
F
M
Southeast Atlantic in season reaches Cape Hatteras 82°F 0–131 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
Florida Keys in season reaches Islamorada 86°F 0–131 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gulf of Mexico in season reaches Tampa 86°F 0–131 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
California in season — — —
J
F
M
A
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 100-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 100-fathom lane
The Charleston Bump
Marathon (West) Hump
Monterey Submarine Canyon