(Originally published March/April 2020)
By Capt. Ricky Wheeler
WaHooooooooooooooo!!
It’s hard not to yell it when you get one of these beautiful fish on deck and you start salivating, knowing it’s one of the tastiest fish in the ocean. It’s also one of the most exciting to catch. Their initial drag-screaming runs immediately after hookup and some incredible bites make these fish so much fun to target. They are one of my personal favorites to catch.
There are many techniques used to catch these ocean speedsters, with trolling being the most common. High-speed trolling is certainly effective but trolling dead baits at 6 to 8 knots can be equally effective and allows for more opportunities to catch other fish like mahi and marlin. There are many techniques that can be used to catch these toothy missiles, but before that, we need to discuss how to find wahoo.
Wahoo can be found worldwide wherever the water is warm. They tend to hold in water temperatures ranging from 72 to 80 degrees or above. The key to finding wahoo is structure. Wahoo love to hang out on structure. Whether it’s a wreck, a lump, a hump, a ridge, a drop-off, a reef, a canyon wall, a weedline, or other floating debris, wahoo
