This big bull dolphin, caught by the author, put up a tremendous fight. Photo courtesy of Bennett Kirkpatrick.

To most of the general public, the word dolphin automatically congers up the image of "Flipper" that was made popular by the motion picture industry. That type dolphin is a mammal. The dolphin that offshore saltwater anglers target is a beautifully colored fish that is delicious any way it is prepared. When dolphin are first removed from the water, they have dazzling hues of gold, pink, green and blue.

Dolphin have an average lifespan of no more than five years, and are a very fast-growing fish. Catches average 15 to 28 pounds but seldom exceed 33 pounds. They are fast swimmers, and can reach speeds of 50 knots. Jumping ability and exceptional flavor make them a top choice for many blue water anglers.

My most spectacular day of dolphin fishing that took place on a trip out of Edisto Beach many years ago comes to mind. John Good and I were fishing with Jim Young on the Fish Hawk. Following a 120-degree heading out of Edisto Beach will bring a boat to the continental shelf in roughly 65 miles, and the continental shelf was our destination that morning. The seas were relatively calm and the trip took around three hours. Currents had formed long lines of sargassum weed on the surface and baitfish were plentiful in the shade beneath. In addition to two outriggers, we trolled two flatlines off the stern. Our baits were Sea Witches tipped with ballyhoo.

Explosive topwater strikes were common as we skirted down the sides of the weeds. Quite often, we would have two and three dolphin on at a time -- the action was intense! It didn't take long before our cooler was about full. Action that fast doesn't take long to take the sap out of fishermen. I called out to Jim, "Let's catch one more, and head home."

We hadn't gone far when a huge dolphin struck at a bait and missed. Immediately, I flipped the lever on the 4/0 Penn reel to let line out. This allows the bait to settle momentarily and come back to life as the lever is closed. Most of the time, a dolphin will come back for a second try at the bait. He did but missed again. Without going into all the gory details, the fish finally hung the hook on his sixth try. Having let extra line out every time he missed, the lure was a long ways behind the boat. The bull jumped in a high arc when he realized that he was hooked. The stiff rod had a deep bend in it as I struggled to turn the fish. My arms ached as the muscles were swollen from a hard day's fishing.

Jim called back to me, "Do you want me to use the boat to let you get some line back?"

"Yes," I replied over my shoulder, "I'm tired!"

I reeled fast to take up the slack as Jim turned the boat in a wide arc. Even reeling fast, I was unable to keep slack out of the line. The giant came to the surface, and just lay there like he was sunning himself.

John said, "That fish doesn't know he's hooked. If I can get a gaff in him, do you want me to try?"

"By all means," I huffed, still reeling slowly to take up slack without getting the line tight. As the boat pulled alongside the bull, John stuck the gaff in the fish's back, and swung him on board. As soon as the fish hit the deck, the gaff came free, and the fish went wild! He was green as grass and his thrashing tail was smashing everything in his way. The first thing to go was a 48-quart drink cooler as drinks and ice scattered over the floor. We jumped up on the seat to keep from getting our legs broken.

You've heard of the proverbial "bull in a china shop"; this was what we had. John gaffed the fish a second time, and lifted it off the deck. The dolphin's tail was still vibrating back and forth like a paddle when it hit John in the stomach. The force of the lick pushed John all the way up to the driver's seat.