Wahoo are one of the most exciting fish to catch. During the first run after a bite, wahoo peels line off the reel as if it were a giant shark. Wahoo are found in warm water from New Jersey to the Caribbean in water as shallow as 50 feet deep. They are generally scattered about and not in large schools. These fish are often found in the same waters as tuna, mahi-mahi, and sailfish and bite on similar baits. This can be problematic because wahoo have sharp teeth and typically require a steel leader to be caught. They primarily eat fish and squid.
Wahoo Fishing Methods
Wahoo can be caught with trolling skirts, deep diving plugs, vertical jigs, and high-speed trolling lures. To get an idea of what anglers thought was the best wahoo lure a poll was started on the Facebook group Wahoo Junkies. The results are shown above and the details of the lures are provided below ranked in order of popularity based on the poll. The two main styles of wahoo fishing are high-speed trolling and regular-speed trolling. Depending on which method is being used will determine which lures and baits will be used.
Wahoo Junkies Poll Results, 152 Total Votes
| Votes |
Best Wahoo Lure |
| 70 |
Bullet Head Ilander Style Skirt |
| 31 |
Nomad DTX Minnow, Diving Plug |
| 17 |
Yo-Zuri Bonita |
| 6 |
Sea Witch with Ballyhoo on Planer |
| 6 |
Billy Baits Mr. Big, High Speed Jet Skirt |
| 4 |
Black Bart, High Speed Skirt |
| 4 |
Cowbell Style Lures |
| 2 |
MOAB Mother Of All Baits |
| 2 |
Chin Weighted Mullet |
| 2 |
Rapala Magnum, Diving Plug |
Trolling Lure: Bullet Head Ilander Style Skirt
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The Iland Ilander is an 8.25-inch lure that weighs 4-ounces. Color options are blue-white, black-purple, and blue-pink. This is the flash version with a mylar and hair skirt.This was rated the number one style wahoo lure which is likely because this is a versatile lure. It can be rigged with ballyhoo and run a planer or downrigger. I have had the best luck using this lure on a planner rigged with a ballyhoo trolling around 8 miles per hour.
Ballyhoo can be added using rigging wire and multi-strand cable or with single strand wire and ballyhoo springs. This lure can also be run at high speeds with an inline trolling weight rather than a planer. At high speeds, the Ilander is often placed over a long rubber skirt and double hook rig. There is also a Tormenter Wahoo Wrecker which is a Ilander style lure with a weight and a rubber skirt.
Trolling Lure: Nomad Design DTX Minnow
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If you are going to be targeting wahoo trolling at under 14 knots then this is a must-have lure. This lure can dive up to 50 feet deep. The sinking version is what you want for wahoo. The 165 version is 6.5 inches, comes with 7/0 single hooks, and weighs 3.75 ounces. I like using Nomads cause they troll straight when traveling at high speeds, even after heavy use. It seems like most other deep diving lip plugs troll nice the first time they are used but go bad very quickly.
Trolling speed for the 165 is 3-12 knots and the max diving depth is 34 feet. The 200 is 8 inches, comes with 11/0 single hooks and weighs 5.5 ounces. Trolling speed for the 200 is 3-12 knots and the max diving depth is 40 feet. A relatively new 220 version is 9-inches, with 13/0 hooks and weighs 7.5 ounces. Trolling speed for the 220 is 4-14 knots and the max diving depth is 50 feet.
How to Rig A Nomad DTX Minnow
This lure should be rigged with wire or cable. The deep-diving lip of this lure is nice because you do not need to run the lure on a planer, downrigger, or heavyweight. My experience with lip plugs is that they work great for a few fish but then become difficult to run properly because the lure gets bent or the rigging gets bent and the rig stops running straight. The DTX minnow is the strongest lure out of all lip diving plugs and has an autotune feature and Hydrospeed Belly that allows the lure to run true at high rates of speed. Running multi-strand wire is a good way to prevent the rigging wire from getting bent.
In the video below Damon Olsen, the owner and creator of Nomad lures explains the best way to rig the DTX Minnow. Different options are number 15 240-pound single strand wire, 49 strand 175-pound cable, or with 200-pound fluorocarbon.
Trolling Lure: Yo Zuri Bonita
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Yo Zuri Bonita’s come it two sizes. The 6-3/4 inch lure weighs 6-3/8 ounces and the 8-1/4 inch lure weighs 10-7/8 ounces. This lure is rigged with two single hooks on stainless steel ball-bearing swivels.
The Yo Zuri Bonita was one of the first high-speed trolling lures. It can be trolled from 6 to 17 mph. A single-strand wire or multi-strand cable should be used as a leader. I like running the Yo Zuro Bonita’s on a planer so the lure dives deeper than the prop wash. You can run the lure straight out the back of the boat on a flatline but it does not seem to dive as deep and catches less wahoo.
This lure can be pulled with or without an inline trolling weight. It can also be placed on a planer or downrigger. The dark colors like black, red or purple work particularly well on wahoo. This lure also catches big tuna as well when a steel leader is not being used. This lure can take some abuse and still runs straight even after catching lots of fish. Nomad and MagBay now have similar high-speed trolling lures.
Braid Cable Trolling Harness for Wahoo Lures
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When trolling wahoo lures at high speeds it can be difficult to get them to troll straight with single strand wire. After catching a big fish the wire can get bent and need to be rigged again. A multi-strand cable is flexible and less likely to bend, kink, and not run straight. If a multi-strand wire is crimped without chafe gear the back and forth motion can slowly break the wire and wear through the cable. Adding a clip like the one on this rig prevents that. Also, it makes it easier to change and store the lure.
Chafing Tube or Stainless Steel Spring Kit
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This chafing gear kit comes with 150 tubes. There are 25 tubes in size 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, and 2.3 mm and come with a clear plastic storage container. Bass Bro Shops has the classic green chaf tubes that can be cut to the desired lenght.
Chafing springs or tubes help prevent wear at the line connections when rigging multi-strand cable, fluorocarbon, or monofilament. Using springs, coated polyester braid chafe tubing, or plastic thimbles are all good ways to prevent lines from wearing through.
Trolling Lure: Sea Witch Rigged with Ballyhoo on a Planer
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This sea witch is 1.5 ounces and has a black-purple nylon skirt. Other color options include black-red, blue-white, and pink-white. I love fishing with a sea witch on a planer rigged with a ballyhoo. When doing so I am always confident I will catch a wahoo if one is around.
Sea witch lures should be rigged with wire or cable and then rigged with a ballyhoo or strip bait. The lure needs to be used on a planer, downrigger, or with an inline weight. Fishing with a sea witch is typically done at a speed of less than 12 knots. This is a good way to target wahoo while also fishing for tuna and mahi-mahi.
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This sea witch rig comes ready for ballyhoo. The wire is #9 105 pound test. A chin weight which is around 3/8 ounce is secured near the hook with rigging wire. The skirt color is rent and black and has a 1/2 ounce lead head.
A ballyhoo spring makes adding ballyhoo to this rig quick and easy. To rig ballyhoo, the hook is placed in near the gill and out the underside of the bait like normal. The weight should be tucked into the chin of the fish and the pin should be placed up through the mouth into the soft top lip. Next, the spring threads onto the pin until the bait is secure. Finally, the excess pin exposed should be cut with a wire cutter and the skirt placed overtop the bait. This rig should be trolled on a planner or downrigger at 7-10 knots.
High-Speed Trolling Planer
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A planer is used much like a downrigger on a boat. It is let out using a yo-yo hand spool and is then tied to the back cleat on the boat. The line is then sent down on a double snap swivel with a rubber band. This makes is so you can troll fast and get the lure below the surface. When retrieving the planer the boat should be slowed down and the line should be kept away from the propellers. It comes rigged with 35 feet of line at runs at about a 45-degree angle. This makes the max depth around 25 feet. This is a good depth for wahoo but a long line can be added to set lines deeper.
Yo-Zuri Bonita style lures, sea witches, and other bullet head skirt baits can be ran with a planer. If there is a downrigger on the boat these same methods can be used just make sure you have strong adjustable downrigger release clips.
Trolling Lure: Huntington Drone Spoon for Planer Fishing
If you do not have a planer off the back of your boat you can use a planner on a fishing rod. If you do not have ballyhoo for the sea witch you can use a drone spoon. So this is an alternative to the Sea Witch Rigged with Ballyhoo on a Plane.
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The Huntington drone spoon is 5-1/2 inches and weighs 1-1/8 ounces. It is rigged with a 10/0 Mustad J-hook. Color options include blue-silver, red-silver, silver-silver, and green-silver. Sizes of drone spoons range from 1-1/14 inches up to 8-1/8 inches.
Leaders are made with 50-100 feet of monofilament and then a short wire, cable, or fluorocarbon leader is added. For wahoo, I would recommend adding the wire or cable. Some people claim the fish rarely breaks off using 80-pound fluorocarbon but with wire, you know the fish will not cut the line. To stay organized the leaders are typically wrapped on yo-yo hand reels.
Sea Striker Size 4 Planer for Drone Spoon
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The size 4 Sea Strike planer has a 4-ounce front weight and will run 15-30 feet deep. Unlike the size 8 planer that is tied off to the boat, this is an inline planer that is connected directly to the fishing pole. Bullet-head skirt baits, sea witches, and drone spoons are typically run 50-100 feet behind the planer.
The line from the fishing pole is connected to the front ring with a snap swivel and the leader is connected to the back of the planer with a quality ball bearing snap swivel.
Trolling Lure: Bost Wahoo Witch Trolling Lure
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The Bost #39 wahoo witch weighs about 7 ounces. Color options include blue-white, green-black, pink-blue, pink-white, purple-black, and red-black.
The lure can come unrigged or rigged with 3 feet of 490-pound cable with two hooks. This is the best-looking and heaviest sea witch-style lure on the market. Perfect for high-speed wahoo trolling. The hooks that come with the rigged version are not intended to be used with ballyhoo.
High-Speed Trolling for Wahoo
High-speed trolling can be utilized when traveling to and from fishing spots. Capable of reaching speeds of 60 mph, wahoo can easily hit lures traveling at 18 mph. When traveling in typical 2-4 foot waves, 18 mph is an average transit speed, so being able to fish for wahoo during these times makes good use of what would otherwise be wasted fishing time. Trolling this fast is not a trivial task however and heavy lures and big game reels with quality drag are required.
Early in the morning is a great time to troll for wahoo, so I often just set out a line during transit. It doesn’t always catch fish, but when it does, it’s a nice bonus fish for the day.
When high-speed trolling for wahoo, the drag is set so the lure resistance is just barely not pulling the line off the reel. When a fish strikes, the speed should be slowly backed off until the boat is at a slow troll speed but still moving forward. Keep the boat moving forward with a slight turn to keep the wahoo away from the motors. When using inline planers or trolling weights with shock lines, the leaders will need to be pulled in by hand. It’s nice to have two people for this process, one person to leader and the other to gaff the fish.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Billy Baits Mister Big
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Billy Baits Mister Big lures are 16 inches long and have a 16-ounce head. This lure comes unrigged. Color options for the skirts are red-black, green-black, blue-white, and white-blue.
The head of the lure is a jet that makes large bubble trails under the water. This lure is intended to be used for high-speed trolling and works well with a 16-24 ounce inline trolling weight.
In the photo is my dad and brother with a nice wahoo that was caught in the Florida Keys.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: EatMy Tackle Slothead Jet
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This EatMy Tackle jet high-speed trolling lure is 24 ounces and 14-inches in length. It has 5 jets drilled trough the 3-inch head. The chrome-plated brass head comes attached with double skirts in colors of red-black or purple-black. This lure comes unrigged or rigged with a 400-pound stainless cable using an 11/0 double offset hookset. This lure is very similar to Billy Baits Mister Big lure. However, the Mister Big lure does not come rigged and is 16 ounces. When high-speed trolling 30-80 class conventional reels are needed.
With a 24-ounce head weight, this lure can be run really far back without needing an inline trolling weight. The jets create a great smoke trail to help get the attention of wahoo. This is one of the easiest lures to use while high-speed trolling. If the reel is spooled with 60-100 monofilament a shock leader is not even needed. For recreation fishermen, this is the easy way to fish for wahoo. Just stagger two 24-ounce lures way behind the boat and troll 14-18 knots and you should have success if there are wahoo in the area.
In the photo is a wahoo that just landed in the boat. It still has nice looking zebra stripes. These stripes go away quickly so get photos shortly after landing the fish.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Black Bart
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This Black Bart High-Speed Wahoo trolling kit comes with all the terminal tackle needed to make a great looking wahoo spread. It includes two Rum Cay Candy lures, two San Sal Candy lures, four 24 ounce trolling weights, and four 20 foot shock leaders that are 300-pound strength. A lure bag is also included to help keep the gear organized.
At first glance, this kit looks expensive but each wahoo setup is about $100 which is about what a good rig costs. When you factor in all the other expenses required for a successful fishing trip the lures are not a place to cheap out. These are quality rigs that many wahoo anglers recommend. These lures work with 30-50 class fishing tackle. Black Bart also has a package with 32 ounce trolling leads that work with 50-80 class tackle.
The video above shows the first wahoo I ever caught while high-speed trolling. I was very excited!
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Cowbell Style Wahoo Lures
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This MagBay Sincero wahoo lure is 11 inches in length and weighs 16 ounces. A size 10/0 hook comes rigged on a 280-pound stainless steel cable. Color options include black chrome, blue anodized, blue iridescent, green anodized, pink chrome, purple anodized, purple chrome, purple iridescent, red anodized, and teal anodized. MagBay Sincero lures come in weights from 8 to 34 ounces.
As water flows through the head it wobbles back and forth creating a loud rattle noise. It also creates nice bubble trails. Many people in South Florida have great success with cowbell style wahoo lures like this one.
Inline trolling leads are not typically used with this style lure but instead, these are placed really far back. A 16 ounce Sincero works well at speeds up to about 14 knots and then a heavier lure is a better option.
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This 34-ounce Sincero Sr is 16 inches in length. Three mylar skirts are used in addition to a rubber skirt to provide a large profile. This comes fully rigged on 480-pound multistrand cable and has a single 11/0 hook placed on a short 900-pound cable. The iridescent head with black mylar makes this look like a small tuna or Bonito.
Being 34 ounces this lure can be trolled up to 18 knots and does not need an inline trolling weight. This is very similar to the 32-ounce cowbell style lure that has been used for years. The head of the lure rattles and creates bubble trails that get the attention of wahoo.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Mother of All Baits MOAB
The wahoo MOAB or Mother of All Baits is a 2.5-pound wahoo lure that is 17 inches in length. These can be found on eBay for about $70 each unrigged. Color options are white-red, white-black, brown-red, and brown-black. The heavy weight of this lure makes it so it can be used without an inline trilling weight.
Trolling Lure: Chin Weighted Mullet Rig
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Trolling with chin weighted mullet is a unique way to troll for wahoo. Mullet can be trolled with or without a skirt, on a planer, downrigger, inline weight, or at the surface. Typical troll speeds are 5-8 knots when using mullet. This can be an effective way to catch wahoo if the fish are concentrated in a particular area.
The rig above is a wire ballyhoo rig that can be used with almost any bullet head shape skirt lure to catch wahoo. The #9 single-strand wire used has a 105-pound test. Hook size options are 7/0 and 8/0. It comes with a ballyhoo bait spring and a chin weight around 3/8 ounce.
The ballyhoo can be secured with a bait spring, rubberband, or rigging wire. A chin weight acts as a keel weight so the ballyhoo runs upright. Ballyhoo is the most popular bait to run for wahoo and mullet is the second most popular bait.
Trolling Lure: Rapala X-Rap Magnum Lure
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This Rapala X-Rap Magnum 30 is 6.25 inches and weighs 2-1/2 ounces. The running depth is 15-30 feet at speeds up to 13 knots. There is also a magnum 40 which is 7-inches in length and weighs 3-3/8 ounce. It is designed to run up to 40 feet deep at speeds up to 13 knots.
The actual running depth will vary based on fishing line thickness speed and amount to line let out. Hot pink, bonito, dorado, and silver are good color choices. These lures also works well to catch mahi-mahi, tuna, barracuda, and king mackerel.
Other Lure Options For Wahoo
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Nomad Madmacs
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The Nomad Madmacs is a sinking high speed trolling lure. Three size options are available. The Madmacs 160 is 6 inches in length, weighs 9 ounces, and dives 4-12 feet deep. Madmacs 200 is 8 inches in length, weighs 11.5 ounces, and dives 4-15 deep. Finally, the Madmacs 240 is 10 inches in length, weighs 13.5 ounces, and dives 4-15 feet deep. All of these can be trolled at 5-20 mph.
Color options include black-pink mackerel, hot pink mackerel, orange mackerel, phantom, sardine, silver-green mackerel, and Spanish mackerel. A stainless steel plate runs through the lure for extra strength. The autotune system helps create vibrating action at both low and high speeds. It also allows the lure to track straight at extremely high speeds for a lure beneath the surface.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Yo-Zuri Vibe
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The Yo-Zuri high-speed vibe is 5-1/4 inches long and weighs 2-7/8 ounces. These lures have patented color change technology. Color options include bonita, bunker, chrome sardine, dorado, holographic black, blue, pink, mackerel, and orange black. The treble hooks are 3 extra strong and connected with through wire connection in the body of the lure.
This is a fast sinking lure that can be trolled up to 15 knots. The lure can also be cast and retrieved or vertically jigged in open water. This lure can also be fished like a blade bait used for bass fishing. In that case, the lure fluttering up and down in the water column can encourage strikes.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Wahoo Eliminator
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The Wahoo Eliminator is 13 inches long with a 24-ounce head, 400-pound cable, and two offset 10/0 hooks. This is my favorite lure to use when high speed trolling for wahoo. This is because it weighs over 2 pounds and can be trolled without adding inline weights. Red and black is great color skirt for wahoo fishing as well.
A skirted squid bait with a heavy lead head is the easiest way to get started fishing for wahoo. Attach the rig to a hefty pole and a 30-80 class reel and you are ready to go wahoo fishing. A 50 class reel is a great size! Troll speeds of 12 to 18 mph are typically used with the lure 400 to 600 feet behind the boat.
Ideally, the lure is really far back and under the water where it can be most visible to fish. If the lure surfaces occasionally that is fine as long as it is under the water most of the time. When fishing for wahoo in transit one or two poles can be quickly set out. If targeting wahoo for the day as many as six lines can be used. If the reel is spooled with a braided line using a shock leader is a good idea and will discuss below.
In the photo, my brother and I are high speed trolling for wahoo. We are actually running about 30 miles offshore. Early in the morning is a great time to troll for wahoo so we just set out a line during transit. It does not always catch fish but when it does it is a nice bonus fish for the day.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Bost San Sal Wahoo Lure
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The pack includes four pre-rigged setups. This comes with two Bost San Sal #36 which are 8 ounces and 13 inches long two and two Bost The Bullet #80 lures which are 8 ounces and also 13 inches long.
Two of the trolling weights are 24 ounces and two of the trolling weights are 32 ounces. These are rigged with 10/0 double hooks on a 490-pound steel cable. This pack includes everything you need to make great looking wahoo lure spread. Hopefully, your boat and fishing reels can troll this great gear.
Notice the shock leaders which are a good idea when trolling for wahoo with braided line. This line is placed between the inline trolling lead and the lure. This helps the setup have some stretch when the wahoo first bites. If you are running without the added weight and are using a braided line it is still a good idea to add a shock leader line before the lure.
In the photo, my dad is gaffing a wahoo. Some fishermen are picking and try and near the gills of the fish to not hit the meat. If the fish is not tired out yet that is more easily said then done.
High-Speed Trolling Lure: Bahama Big Eye
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This is a 15-inch wahoo lure and weighs 8 ounces. The large eye is encased in the urethane head. Color options include red-black, red-eye, turquoise, blue-pink, blue-white, lime-green, orange-black, pink, and purple.
The lure is rigged with 480-pound cable and double non-offset hooks. This lure was used to catch the largest weighed in wahoo ever caught in the Bahamas. It weighed 162 pounds. The IGFA world record for wahoo is 184 pounds and was caught in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Jigging for Wahoo
Most wahoo that I have seen caught were done so using trolling techniques with lures in the top 50 feet of water. Jigging for Wahoo is a lot more work but is a challenge that many serious wahoo anglers enjoy.
A good place to jig for wahoo is in depths up to 500 feet around structures such as wrecks, reefs, humps, or under sargassum weed and debris that is holding mahi-mahi. When fishing these areas, always be checking the finder for fish in the top 100 to 500 feet of water. If a fish or a large amount of bait is marked, it is worth jigging.
Jigs: Shimano Butterfly flat-fall jigs
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Shimano Butterfly flat-fall jigs have sizes that range from 2-3/4 ounce to 11.5 ounces. Good color options include black anchovy, black silver, chartreuse silver, phantom squid, green silver, purple silver, white silver, and zebra glow. Bass Pro Shops lists a very similar Freestyle vertical jig.
A 4-ounce jig is good for water depths above 100 feet, a 6-ounce jig is good for 100-200 feet, and an 8-ounce jig is good for water deeper than 200 feet. These jigs are typically dropped with no resistance in a free fall for 60-90 seconds. The jigs are then retrieved with fast pulls upward and a brief pause while reeling down the slack. Make sure that a fast retrieve spinning reel is being used.
Jigging in areas that also hold tuna, kingfish, sailfish, and amberjack is a good idea because there will likely be more action. Jigging is often done in combination with chunking over wrecks and deep reefs when anchored up and when flying kites for fish near the surface.
Jig Assist Hooks with Wire Cable
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Wire assist hooks are needed to protect against the teeth of wahoo when jigging. A short wire leader is also a good idea because fish almost always strike the jig head first and the line is tied near the eye which is where the hooks should be as well. A short 6 to 12-inch number 7 wire which is a 69-pound test is all that is needed.
Using wire assist hooks is important and needed when jigging for wahoo. Some people say that you get fewer bites when using wire assist hooks. However, normal hooks are attached with thick rope-like string that is also quite visible. I have had polyethylene assist hooks get cut off by fish many times. I always wished I had wire assist hooks when that happens. If a bigger fish eats your fish on the way up having wire and wire assist hooks will give you a good chance of catching it unless the jigging rod and reel can not handle it!
In the photo is a wahoo caught in the Florida Keys. This was several minutes after the catch and you see the wahoo lost its stripes.
Rigging for Wahoo
Leader Material and Hooks
Wire assist hooks are needed to protect against the teeth of wahoo when jigging. A short wire leader is also a good idea because fish almost always strike the jig head first, and the line is tied near the eye which is where the hooks should be as well. A short 6 to 12-inch number 7 wire which is a 69-pound test is all that is needed.
When high-speed trolling for wahoo, rigs are made with 500-pound multistrand cable with 8/0-11/0 single or double hook rigs. When trolling slower between 5-10 knots, bullet-shaped nose skirt baits and sea witches can be rigged with ballyhoo. The ballyhoo can be secured with a ballyhoo spring, rubber bands, or rigging wire. Single-strand wire or multi-strand cable can be used for leader material.
Using Shock Leaders
Shock leaders are a good idea when trolling for wahoo with braided line. This line is placed between the inline trolling lead and the lure. This helps the setup have some stretch when the wahoo first bites. If you are running without the added weight and are using a braided line, it is still a good idea to add a shock leader line before the lure.
Best Locations and Seasons for Wahoo
Where to Find Wahoo
There is good wahoo fishing from the canyons of New Jersey all the way to the Florida Keys, Bahamas, and the Caribbean. Other popular spots include deepwater oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico in the wintertime. In the Pacific ocean, wahoo are frequently caught in Hawaii, Central America, and occasionally as far north as southern California.
Best Seasons for Wahoo
Wahoo in the canyons off the East Coast can be caught from early spring and into the fall. In Florida and in the Caribbean, the best time to catch wahoo is in the winter. In Central America, wahoo can be caught year-round but are nearshore in the summertime months of May-August and are in blue water during the winter months.
Wahoo Facts and Handling
How Fast Do Wahoo Swim?
Wahoo can swim up to 60 miles per hour. It is common to catch wahoo when trolling at speeds of 18 mph. Wahoo are good fighters when caught on medium to light tackle. If you hook a wahoo on a light tackle setup, do increase the drag to the point that it might break the line. Wahoo make several hard fast runs but then get tired and can be reeled in much easier. Even with 50 class reels, the drag should be set around 30 pounds.
Wahoo as Table Fare
Wahoo is in the mackerel family but tastes way better than any mackerel. It is an expensive, highly desirable meat that is typically priced over $30 a pound. Wahoo should be cooked and not eaten as sashimi because of possible parasites. Some people risk it, but why take the chance when it tastes so good cooked. When cooked, wahoo meat is white and firm, similar to a quality tuna steak.
Handling Wahoo After Catch
In my experience, wahoo have beautiful zebra stripes when first caught, but these stripes fade quickly after landing. If you want to capture the striking pattern in photos, be sure to take pictures shortly after landing the fish.
When gaffing a wahoo, some fishermen are picky and try to place the gaff near the gills of the fish to not hit the meat. If the fish is not tired out yet, that is more easily said than done.
Captain Cody has worked on charter fishing boats in the Florida Keys, Virgin Islands, and Alaska. Growing up in Pennsylvania Cody has also done extensive freshwater fishing including bass fishing tournaments. Cody strives to provide detailed information about the best fishing gear and tactics to help both novice and experienced anglers have a more productive and enjoyable time on the water. Cody also has a background in aerospace engineering and neuroscience but really only takes pride in being good at one thing and that is fishing!
