How To Catch Wahoo
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A Little Information About Wahoo:
Wahoo are found in Tropical and Warm Waters worldwide. They often times travel alone or in small groups with typically no more than 6 fish. Wahoo are considered by most to be the fastest fish in the world. Now you might be asking yourself, "How fast can Wahoo swim?". They are capable to swim as fast as 60mph! From our experience, they enjoy the hunt and chase of their prey as much as they enjoy feeding on it. Oftentimes, a Wahoo will strike it's prey in an attempt to bite its tail off to disable it, then they will circle back around to finish their meal.
Tackle/gear needed to catch Wahoo:
To catch the fastest fish in the world, you need the tackle and gear that will be up to the challenge of stopping a Wahoo. We recommend at least a 50 Wide Reel loaded with at least 80lb braid. The 80lb braid typically has a 250lb swivel lock on it which connects to a trolling weight/planer. From the trolling weight/planer you will have a 25' Shock Leader that is typically 150lb-450lb mono. The Shock Leader is then typically connected to the lure. The lure is typically rigged using a stiff rig hookset that is constructed using stainless steel cable and big game stainless steel hooks. The stiff rig hookset and extra strong hook will give the backbone needed to get the hook set in the jaw of the Wahoo.
Techniques:
There are a couple main techniques used to catch Wahoo. The most common technique is to troll between 5kts and 8kts and to use a planer or trolling weight to get your lure down 20ft-60ft to the depth that Wahoo hold at. The most common size trolling weights to use are 24oz-48oz. Some serious anglers even use 64oz weights, however they require heavier rods and larger reels. If you prefer using planers, #4 - #8 Planers are most commonly used with #4 and #6 Planers being the most commonly used. You will want to offset the weights and/or sizes of planers so your lines will be at different depths to prevent tangles when turning and also to cover different depts in the water column.
The second technique and very effective way to catch Wahoo is by High Speed Trolling (HST). This technique is very effective at catching Wahoo largely due to the fact that it eliminates most of the bycatch such as Kingfish, Mahi Mahi, Barracuda, Sailfish and other pelagic fish typically found at the reefs edge. Because Wahoo swim so fast and as previously discussed in the Information above, Wahoo enjoy the chase almost as much as they enjoy feeding on their prey. HST consists of using trolling leads or heavy lures such as the COWBELL trolled at speeds in excess of 12kts, most commonly at speeds between 15-18kts. It isn't uncommon to see Anglers targeting Wahoo HST at speeds in excess of 20kts.
We hope you have learned enough about fishing for Wahoo. Don't forget to check out our collection of Wahoo lures HERE.
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