Predatory fish enjoy eating baby Dolphinfish. It is not related to dolphins and is also known as the Mahi-mahi which means very strong in Haeaiian. This is what our green and yellow Lefty’s Deceiver is designed to imitate.

Lefty's Deceiver Saltwater Fly Hook size 2/0, 4, 6 - $US each

Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) are good eating. They are sought after for their firm meat and delicate flavour. Although Dolphonfish are almost at the top of the food web, they are prey for a number of predators. Dolphinfish have been found in the stomachs of a variety of tuna and marlin species. These colorful fish exhibit hues of yellow on it’s lower body, iridescent greens on its upper body and backs, The average size of the mature dolphinfish is between 1.5 - 3 ft. and weighs 15 - 30 lbs. The largest fish ever recorded was an 87 lb. fish caught off the coast of Costa Rica. . It inhabits tropical and sub-tropical oceans worldwide and prefers water above 70 degrees F. These fish like open waters near the edges of the continental shelves in tropical and sub-tropical environments. Dolphinfish are migratory fish that travel in schools known as pods.

Dolphinfish’s favorite prey include flying-fish squid, shrimp, crustaceans, smaller fish and even small dolphinfish. These big saltwater fish have been found as far north as Georges Bank, Nova Scotia in the western Atlantic, and as far south as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. They are abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, off the North Carolina coast, in the Florida Current, off Central America, and throughout the Caribbean Sea. In the eastern Atlantic, they are found between the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France, and has reportedly been detected as far south as South Africa . Dolphinfish inhabit the Mediterranean Sea, and are frequently found around the Madeira and Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. Dolphinfish in the western Pacific are distributed from Japan in the north, to New Zealand in the south. They are frequently found off the Philippines Islands and Taiwan. In the eastern Pacific, they have been encountered from the Oregon coast to the offshore waters of Peru. They are prevalent in the Gulf of California, Panama Bay, and Peruvian waters. Dolphinfish have been collected off the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania, and are known to exist throughout the northern and central Indian Ocean

Dolphinfish’s favorite prey include flying-fish squid, shrimp, crustaceans, smaller fish

THE YELLOW AND GREEN LEFTY'S DECEIVER CATCHES PIKE
I know that this fly was designed to imitate dolphinfish but it also does a great job of imitating juvenile pike that have a green back and yellow tinged body. Big pike are cannibals and will eat young pike if they can catch them. I was on a fishing trip visiting different lochs in the middle of Ireland when I first used this fly. I had three yellow and green lefty’s deceiver in the bottom of my tackle bag left over from my last trip to Florida. I had been catching small trout and young pike most of the morning but I was hoping to hook into a big pike that I knew lived in these waters. I enjoy the fight. As I was releasing the young pike back into the water I noticed that there colouring was similar to the lefty’s I had in my bag. I tied it on and gave it a go.

I was using a boat to explore the water. Most of the smaller caught fish had come from flies fished high in the water on floating lines, that were being skated by the wave. I felt that the bigger pike weren’t near the surface. A change of tactic was required as well as a change of fly. I needed to be able to present my yellow and green lefty’s deceiver streamer fly further down in the water to tempt the monsters. I set up a line with a spliced sink-tip and I fitted a spool with intermediate striped bass line. Because it is a saltwater line it behaves more like a slow sinker in freshwater.

These changes enabled me to work the deceiver more to my liking. I picked up a number of reasonable sized pike on the new fly and rig as I fished the margins. My catch rate was improving. They really liked this fly. The colour was right and the way it moved on the retrieve just shouts natural swimming action. The fly looks alive in the water. Lefty Kerh knew what he was doing when he designed this fly. After an hour I had to change flies for another yellow and green lefty’s deceiver as numerous razor sharp pike teeth had started to shred the first fly. It had caught five double figure vicious pike and survived which was not bad.

Just as it was getting dark I saw a large shape line up behind my fly. I was prepared for a take but not one of this ferocity. Bang, in an instant the pike had engulfed the fly, turned and was trying to drag me out of my boat. I saw this huge fish jump high out of the water flaring its gills in an effort to dislodge the lefty’s deceiver. My rod bent and reel squealed. After several runs the pike finally ran out of energy and could be landed. She was 25lbs of pure muscle. After removing the hook she was returned back to the water to be able to fight another day.

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