AS SEEN IN THE WINTER 2003/04 ISSUE 

Without hesitation I would say that chasing winter wahoo off Florida;s southeast coast has to be one of my favorite types of fishing. Only a small percentage of the sport fishing community is aware that at particular times of the year the local wahoo bite can be outstanding. Actually, throughout the year anglers trolling around floating debris for dolphin or working one of the many reef lines for kingfish do occasionally run into one of these speedsters.

Though, the accumulation of wahoo commences in late fall when your chances of success greatly increase. During the winter months the strong currents and enormous bait concentrations invite migrating wahoo into local waters for a feast of all feasts. As each approaching cold front drives temperatures down, the action intensifies.

On a typical outing, targeting wahoo locally can be hard work. Even though we;re blessed with numerous reef edges and drop offs, we;re not privy to the extreme depth variations that are associated with the steep drop offs found around Bimini, a locale known world wide for its outstanding winter wahoo bite. Luckily though, there are enough fish and plenty of structure to make a local trip worthwhile. Plus, as the winter progresses, it does become more difficult finding a window of opportunity to make the crossing. Successfully targeting ‘hoos in local waters is similar to just about any other type of fishing in that the more you understand the nature and characteristics of the targeted species, the more likely you are to consistently score. With wahoo, the main things you want to look for are temperature breaks, color changes, structure and most of all, bait. While always taking into consideration the tide and moon phases. If you;ve ever taken the time to study a wahoo, you quickly realize these fish mean business.

Wahoo are the epitome of successful underwater hunters. Their streamlined torpedo shape allows their powerful tail to propel them through the water at astonishing speeds. Large specimens have been recorded to charge baits at bursts of speed over 50 mph! Wahoo are short lived and grow extremely fast, reaching sexual maturity and approx. 40 inches in their first year. On the front end of this member of the mackerel family, you;ll find a set of razor sharp dentures completely lining their crushing jaws. Wahoo, don;t nibble. Their main menu includes bonito, tuna and even dolphin. The color of the fish is steel blue above and pale blue below the lateral line. There is a series of 25 to 30 irregular, vertical bars on the sides. The unique camouflage pattern allows them to charge unsuspecting baits from far below. Rocketing through the water they deliver a devastating blow, often slicing their prey in half. It;s no wonder wire and cable leaders are the norm for big ‘hoos. Prior to departing on your local wahoo trip, it;s important to familiarize yourself with the tides. The last hour of the incoming and first two of the outgoing always seem to produce the best results. These periods are when bait concentrations are the most active which triggers wahoo to go a feeding spree. The phase of the moon also plays an important role. Reviewing years of log books tells me that the back side of the new moon up to the full moon phase has been the most productive time period. For reasons unknown this particular moon phase period triggers local populations of wahoo to shift into gear and search out prey.

As an example, I recently fished a particular location where the bait concentrations have been abundant all week and was catching 15 to 40 lb. ‘hoos on a steady basis. Days later, during the full moon period, I fished the same area and didn;t get any bites while not marking any bait. This example doesn;t mean the fish weren;t there, only that they were down deeper and not turned ‘on;. Without the influx of a food source, the fish were not enticed to come to the surface to feed. Color changes which are often combined with temperature breaks are also great focal points that you should pay careful attention to. Wahoo and numerous other predatory species pursue their prey along these edges. If you spot a solid color change, work both sides of it but remember that the cleaner blue side will always be warmer and should be your starting point. Water temps ranging in the high 70;s to low 80;s are best when it comes to winter wahoo fishing. As far as depth is concerned, wahoo can be found in numerous areas the globe in as little as 50; or as much as 2000;. Locally, focusing your efforts around reef lines or color changes in 100; to 400; would be a great place to start. Pinpointing the exact depth range that the fish are holding at requires that you thoroughly fish through the spectrum. If trolling, a zig-zag pattern would be a great way to start. Drifting from 350; into 150; or visa-versa would be ideal when live bait fishing. If you catch a wahoo or two in 200;, then tighten your trolling patterns or shorten your drifts and only focus on the 150; to 250; range. Reiterating, what;s equally as important as depth is finding the structure and the bait concentrations.

Now that you know the basics, you;re probably interested in bait selection and rigging techniques along with knowing exactly where to fish. First, load your bait box with as many rigged ballyhoo, bonito strips and mullet as you can. All three make excellent choices and all should be rigged on #6 to #8 coffee color wire. The addition of a skirt will help prevent the bait from washing out too quickly. When rigging baits intended for wahoo, add a chin weight and make sure the hook is set further back than usual. This slight adjustment will provide a better hook-up ratio.

I have always found that using single hooks is the best way to achieve a proper presentation with swimming baits. Believe it or not, when wahoo fishing you;ll lose more fish on double hook rigs than you would with a single hook. For best results, it;s essential that all baits are rigged correctly and swim properly. The characteristics of these fast keen eyed warriors make pinpointing their exact location on a day to day basis a little difficult. We primarily fish out of Boca and Hillsboro Inlets but from December through February concentrations of wahoo can be found all up and down the coast. Large wahoo tend to be solitary hunters but luckily for us average size fish in the 10 to 40 lb. range can often be found in packs of up to ten fish. When heading out for a day of winter wahoo fishing, we always start our trip at the break of dawn and often start trolling right outside the inlet. This is where the tide is affected the most. In addition, the intuitive wahoo know that the relentless flow of water funneling out of the inlet brings with it a steady supply of breakfast treats. With a spread of bonito strips, ballyhoo and mullet we begin trolling somewhere between 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 knots while holding a heading of due east.

Once we reach 400;we begin a zig-zag pattern and head either north or south. Our spread usually consists of two deep baits fished off planers or with 24 oz. trolling leads and three additional baits presented higher in the water column. This spread allows us to cover a large range of depth and helps us pinpoint the exact depth the fish are holding at. As the trip progresses, we adjust our bait presentation according to any activity that has occurred. When targeting wahoo locally, you really don;t need to prepare with an arsenal of big guns so leave the heavy 80 lb. class outfits at home. Instead, 30 lb. or 40 lb. class conventional gear maxed out with high quality mono should be sufficient. As far as terminal tackle is concerned, wind-on 80 lb. to 100 lb. leaders are a great choice. If you choose not to use wind-on leaders, make sure to have a healthy piece of shock leader between the main line and your 18” length of wire leader. The size of the wire leader you use should correspond with the bait.

With a bonito strip, you can get away with #5 or #6 wire while a large rigged mullet would require #7 or #8 wire. As you troll along your baits should be staggered from up close to further back. If you;re not getting any takers vary the depths of your baits by dropping them back further or using different size planers and trolling leads. Once the action starts, keep a mental note of the depth and continue to work that area. Other important aspects that should be noted include the direction and speed that you were trolling in. When the strikes occurred, were you headed with the current or against the current? Were you going up sea or down sea? Keeping close tabs on this information will help you consistently catch more fish. There are days that rigged baits simply don;t produce. When this occurs, it;s time to get out those high speed trolling lures and modify your strategy.

You;ll want to look for the same promising signs and work the same areas, except with the high speed lures you won;t be able to use planers and you;ll have to step up your tackle. With increased trolling speeds reaching 12 to 14 knots this technique allows you to cover much more ground. I have found on days when wahoo seem reluctant to hit natural baits, high speed trolling is often the way to go. The fast lures flying through the water at close to 20 mph, mimic fleeing baitfish and trigger a natural impulse in the fish to strike. With high speed trolling, a three to five lure pattern is usually the norm. Much more suitable for this type of fishing are wire line outfits or 60 lb. to 80 lb. trolling gear. If either pulling rigged baits or high speed trolling isn;t producing, you;ll always have the option of live baiting. As a rule, you won;t catch as many wahoo with live bait, but you will get some bites and often from larger fish. Depending on the size of the live bait you;re using, a 3/0 to 5/0 live bait hook and 5; to 10; of #5 to #8 wire is an ideal set up. Make the connection from your wire leader to the main line with an albright knot or with a SPRO heavy duty ball bearing snap swivel. Slow trolling the live baits from your outriggers will allow you to cover additional ground and allows the bait a little more freedom to swim in a natural fashion. Anglers can attract savage strikes by fishing live baits deeper in the water column off of downriggers. Just remember when using small tuna or bonito for bait, to hook them in the mouth, otherwise they will most likely die. Regardless of how you decide to present them, using hardy, fast swimming bait such as blue runners, bonito, small blackfin tuna and goggle eyes seems to produce the best results.

Wahoo, like many other ocean going predators must enjoy stalking and pursuing their prey, I guess they consider the challenge half the fun. Once hooked, wahoo violently shake their heads in an attempt to rid the hook. Due to this and their excessive speeds it;s often easy for them to cut you off. When fighting any size wahoo it;s important to keep your line tight at all times. If it;s a large fish and he runs toward the bow, pop the boat in gear to help tighten the slack. In the excitement of boating wahoo, never forget that these fish have a mouthful of vicious razor sharp teeth, so take great care in gaffing and transferring fish into the box. Lastly, quite a few small to medium size wahoo can often be found hovering around weed lines and floating driftwood. Typically, anglers troll around the debris, catch a few dolphin and then leave. What they don;t realize is that waiting patiently well below the flotsam, there are likely a a couple of wahoo waiting for their share of something edible to come their way.

Try dropping down a heavy metal jig or trolling around the debris with a deep diving plug. You just might be surprised with what slams your offering. When it comes to consistently scoring with Florida;s winter wahoo, year after year the above mentioned techniques have worked great for me and will for you too. If you don;t have success the first time out, don;t give up as your time will surely come.

About the Author:

Cory Burlew was born in New York and has lived and fished in Deerfield Beach, Florida for over 25 years. Cory is a full time professional captain currently running Reaper, a tournament equipped 55; Ocean Yacht out of the Cove Marina in Deerfield. Captain Cory Burlew has fished all over the world and is experienced in every aspect of big game angling, including of course wahoo fishing. Cory was also named the top swordfish release captain of the year and spends many nights chasing Florida;s gladiator of the deep. Cory can be reached by contacting C and S Charters at 954.570.6849 or on his cell phone at 954.695.0447

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