Wahoo Fun in the Bahamas

(Originally published November/December 2022)

By Lee Green

The Bahamas wahoo season is about to turn on, so don’t wait any longer to get the gear back in order and brush up on a few tips and techniques. Wahoo are fun to catch and regarded by many as the best-eating pelagic fish in the ocean.  The downside is they destroy everything they get in their mouth, so pay close attention to the tackle before you get out there and discover everything is a mess from the last trip.

Wahoo can be caught using several techniques but the most popular by far is high-speed trolling. The speed can vary depending on the boat, but high speed refers to speeds of 10 to 18 knots. Most captains like to try to stay at 15 knots if possible but because of various factors, the boat will surge and slow down. Inboard boats tend to hold the speed best; outboard-powered center consoles have a hard time at that speed, so it is definitely a learning curve to figure out the best speed for your boat, and how to hold it there. Usually engines and tabs down help in maintaining the most consistent speed but every boat is different.

The main reason for the fast speed is to cover ground. Wahoo will congregate in pockets of clean water along the Bahamian reefs and by trolling around at 15 knots, captains can search for and find the best areas much more effectively. These areas can be very spread out, so it is important to search around. Some captains will slow down once they find a concentration of fish, but the wahoo have no problem grabbing the lures going fast.

Tide can be a factor as well, so it is typical to