Saltwater · Warm offshore water

Dorado

Coryphaena hippurus

Family: Dolphinfishes · Coryphaenidae
Broad peak: August–September
Primary zone: Floating kelp, debris, weed lines, warm-water fronts, and concentrated offshore bait

REAL SPECIES REFERENCE · gendereuphorbia · CC0 ↗

01 · POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION

Know what you’re looking at.

Use multiple physical markers together. Color alone is unreliable after capture and varies with light, age, stress, and habitat.

Field marks

01Tall blunt forehead, especially in mature males
02Long continuous dorsal fin
03Electric green, blue, and gold coloration when alive

Lookalike check

Pompano dolphinfish

Smaller species with a more angular body and different tooth pattern.

Wahoo

Longer, narrower body with vertical blue bars and a pointed snout.

Range + habitat

Tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide; reaches Southern California during favorable warm-water periods.

Floating kelp, debris, weed lines, warm-water fronts, and concentrated offshore bait.

02 · SEASONAL PLANNING PATTERN

When the pattern tends to build.

Southern California appearances depend heavily on warm-water transport and can vary dramatically from year to year.

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

LOWER RELATIVE ACTIVITYBROADER PEAK

General California planning pattern. Conditions, migration, stocking, closures, and exact water can override it.

03 · PURSUIT SYSTEM

Find the food. Match the zone.

Fast surface-oriented predator that uses floating structure to concentrate forage.

FORAGE

What it eats

Flying fish, sardine, anchovy, squid, and juvenile pelagic fish.

ARTIFICIAL

Lure starting point

Small trolling feather, popper, stickbait, or fast casting jig.

NATURAL

Live + frozen bait

Live sardine, anchovy, or small mackerel.

FIELD SEQUENCETHREE WAYS TO START

Inspect productive floating kelp before leaving

Troll to locate fish, then switch to live bait or casting lures

Keep the presentation active and visible in the upper column

04 · OFFICIAL REGULATION GATEWAY

Verify the rule where you fish.

Reel Fishing Society intentionally does not hard-code possession limits here. Rules can change by date, species, exact water, management area, depth, gear, method, emergency action, or protected-area boundary.

BEFORE RETENTION, CONFIRMSpecies identificationOpen season + areaMinimum / maximum sizeDaily bag + possessionDepth, gear + methodProtected areas + closures

CDFW ocean regulations ↗Current fish regulations ↗Licenses + report cards ↗