Wahoo the striped rocket of the sea!
It’s time to get ready for in my humble opinion, one of the best eating and most exciting saltwater fish to target. This isn’t like going after Redfish or Trout. Unless you do this type of fishing all the time it can be daunting at times. When preparing for Wahoo I start with a checklist. This checklist starts with a drawing of the backside (Stern) of my boat with each rod holder and what rigs I will be starting with on each. I also have them labeled with numbers so that everyone should know exactly which line is being hit or has to be checked. This will help when you haven’t had a bite in awhile and have become slightly complacent. This happens more than I would like to admit but with proper preparation this can be reduced. Communication is a large part of success fishing for these speed demons. When we fish for Wahoo in Beaufort, SC we will usually leave well before sunrise and return right before sunset. The reason we leave so early is to be able to fish the full day since it is 80+ miles on way depending on what ledges and Eddys you are focusing on fishing. We will start with either slow bait trolling or high speed lure trolling. This all depends on how the fish have been behaving and the moon phase. I’m not going to get into a long discussion about moon phases because either you use it or you don’t. I however take every variable I can into account to try a better understand their feeding habits. Remember to check your baits every so often to make sure they are not getting washed out which will happen. You are out there for a limited time so make sure your bait is being presented correctly. When you get a hookup and have the fish coming to the boat designate a gaff man. He will then be in charge of gaffing the fish while the angler walks to the front with the rod to bring the fish alongside the boat. when he brings the fish on he will have his back to bow and will bring the wahoo over the rail and onto the deck pinning him to the transom area. These fish are extremely dangerous especially the larger ones. Make sure everyone is out of the way and towards the bow of the boat until the fish is in the icebox. Take note of what it ate and send the bait back out! In the end if you prepare correctly it will make it a lot easier to fish for and handle Wahoo!
You will need a partner or two. (I prefer the three man setup Captain, Portside mate and Starboard side mate)
Draw the back of your boat for rod holder location and then label each with what rig you are going to use in each.
Create a list of what items are needed
Start rigging
Paint Trolling weights and planers (this will help reduce Wahoo from striking them.)
Fuel up and Go!!
I hope this helps,
Captain Adam