Offshore
Mahi-mahi
Coryphaena hippurus. Also called dolphinfish or dorado.
Length to weight chart, typical size by age, and how to photograph a mahi-mahi so fishline measures it well.
- Typical top length
- 55 in
- about 59.4 lb
- A 41 inch fish
- 24.6 lb
- 24 lb 10 oz
- Age at 41 inches
- 1 to 2 years
- rough, varies by water
- Growth levels off
- about age 4
- gains slow to a crawl after
Mahi-mahi length to weight chart
Estimated weight for a mahi-mahi in average shape at each length, from the formula W = L^3 / 2,800 (W in pounds, L in inches). It is the same relationship fishline uses when it measures a mahi-mahi from a photo.
| Length | Weight | Rough age |
|---|---|---|
| 20 in | 2.9 lb | under 1 year |
| 24 in | 4.9 lb | under 1 year |
| 28 in | 7.8 lb | under 1 year |
| 32 in | 11.7 lb | under 1 year |
| 36 in | 16.7 lb | 1 to 2 years |
| 40 in | 22.9 lb | 1 to 2 years |
| 44 in | 30.4 lb | 1 to 2 years |
| 48 in | 39.5 lb | 2 to 3 years |
| 52 in | 50.2 lb | 3 to 4 years |
| 56 in | 62.7 lb | 4+ years |
| 60 in | 77.1 lb | 4+ years |
Total length, nose to the tip of the pinched tail. Weights are for a mahi-mahi in average shape. A fat fish, like a female before the spawn, weighs more and a thin one less, which a girth measurement picks up. Rows past 55 inches are bigger than typical for the species.
Size by age
fishline's growth model puts a typical mahi-mahi at around 55 inches when fully grown, with most of its growth done by about age 4. Younger fish add length fast; older fish mostly add weight.
Age from length is rough. Fish in warm water with plenty to eat grow faster than this, and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower. For a quick estimate from any length, use the fish age calculator.
| Age | Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 32.6 in | 12.4 lb |
| 2 years | 45.9 in | 34.6 lb |
| 3 years | 51.3 in | 48.2 lb |
| 4 years | 53.5 in | 54.7 lb |
From a von Bertalanffy growth curve. Fish in warm, food-rich water grow faster than this and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower, so treat every row as a rough middle.
Weigh your mahi-mahi
Enter the length, and the girth if you taped it, for an estimate on your fish.
Photo tips for mahi-mahi
fishline reads length from the photo using whatever is in frame for scale, so a clean, side-on shot gives the tightest number.
- 1On a rocking deck, lay the fish flat beside a cooler, a fish box hatch or other standard hardware and shoot from straight above.
- 2If you hold it up, keep it level and close to your body with both hands so the lens does not stretch it.
- 3Shoot fast. Colors fade quickly out of the water, and a clean outline matters more to the measurement than color does.
Or skip the tape. Snap a photo and fishline measures it.
Species, length and weight from one photo. 5 free measurements every month.