Small boat lowdown for boxing bruisers.

AS SEEN IN THE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2007 ISSUE

{xtypo_dropcap}W{/xtypo_dropcap}ahoo are caught along around the entire coast of Florida, but are most abundant from Vero Beach to the Lower Florida Keys. Reason being; the southeast coast is bordered by endless miles of prime feeding grounds – sloping ledges and steep drop-offs within close proximity to the reef line and more importantly, within close proximity to an abundant food source. Fortunately, this makes targeting this savage killer both easy and economical. 

Even the most experienced blue water veterans find these elusive pelagics fascinating and elite, partly because they can reach speeds of 60 mph and strike with the ferocity of a runaway freight train, and partly because their tender white flesh is unrivaled on the dinner table. Whatever the reason; wahoo are first on our list!

You may not know this, but wahoo are actually closely related to tuna. Full grown wahoo are super-killers capable of shredding full grown bonito in a single slash. Their streamlined bodies are elongated and built of pure muscle. They are painted iridescent blue and green with silvery sides camouflaged by wavy blue stripes. Add in brilliant eyesight and the ability to reach sensational bursts of speed, and it is easy to see why prey doesn’t stand a chance.

Although they are schooling fish, adult wahoo tend to be more solitary when compared to juvenile “weehoo.” Often in large schools, small wahoo can be found near weedlines, color changes, and current breaks hunting with an aggressiveness rivaled only by frenzied sharks. Commonly tipping scales to the 40 pound mark, wahoo can grow in excess of 100 pounds. Last month, a verifiable source reported a 108 pound brute landed off Boynton Beach. The impressive fish fell victim to a slow trolled ballyhoo skirted with a purple/black chugger. While we know triple-digit trophies are taken in the rich waters of the Bahamas, this trophy was surely one Florida angler’s catch-of-a-lifetime.

Undeniably, prime wahoo time is early morning or late afternoons during low-light conditions. Addicts, such as myself, who regularly target wahoo will tell you that most strikes occur way before the sun even peaks its fiery head over the eastern horizon with a serious case of lockjaw setting in at 9:00 a.m. sharp! With ‘hoos, the early bird definitely gets the worm.

HINT:
Along with the wire-rigged baits pulled off the planers, a second pair of swimming ballyhoo fished way back on the surface will entice king mackerel, dolphin and sailfish.

Couple an early morning outgoing tide with a new or full moon when tidal changes are extreme and you’ve just put yourself in the midst of a prime feeding period when wahoo are most aggressive. From my experience in South Florida, the most productive depth ranges from 100 to 300 feet with quality fish taken each season both shallower and deeper. Clean, blue water and the presence of bullets (juvenile bonito and small blackfin tuna) will stack the odds in your favor.