Built like a torpedo, a rainbow runner has a pointed head, a deeply forked tail and a small detached finlet behind the dorsal and anal fins. It feeds near the surface, takes small trolled lures and fast jigs, and runs hard and straight once hooked. It is also one of the best eating fish in the jack family, firm and pale, and very good raw.
Where a runner fits on a lagoon morning
The one boat on Reelzy that lists rainbow runner is Small Game Fishing in Mahebourg, which fishes the southeast lagoon of Mauritius on light tackle. Runners like clear, deeper water outside the reef more than the shallow lagoon, so on this trip they are a fish you might meet when the boat trolls or casts toward the deeper edges, not one to plan the morning around.
Light trolling here means small lures pulled behind the moving boat. When a runner hits, the rod bends over and line goes off the reel fast, so leave the drag alone and let it run. The boat leaves at 6:00 for 4 or 6 hours and is private for up to 4, with gear and drinks included. If blue water fish are the main event for you, the boats on our trolling in Mauritius page head outside the reef for dorado, tuna and wahoo.
Questions and answers
Short answers to what people ask before they book. Anything else, ask the captain in chat.
Can you catch rainbow runner on the Mahebourg lagoon trip?
They can turn up, but rainbow runners prefer clear water outside the reef, so they are an occasional fish on this light tackle lagoon trip rather than its target. For the best chance, ask the captain whether conditions allow trolling toward the reef edge that morning.
Is rainbow runner good to eat?
Yes. It is one of the best eating members of the jack family, with firm pale flesh that is often eaten raw as sashimi or ceviche. Ask the Mahebourg captain before the trip what you can keep from the morning's catch.