HELP

Finlander · 03-16-2005, 09:20 PM

I am new to this fishery.Would someone please help me with places and methods for catching wahoo. Thank you very much!

FinalPoint · 03-17-2005, 08:54 AM

If only we knew [-o<
Best advice I can give you is go to the Bahamas.

jerry · 03-17-2005, 09:49 AM

Finlander, I am not sure where you are but there is some excellent wahoo fishing in Florida. An article in the latest Saltwater Fishing mag lays out some great info. And ofcourse the Bahamas has some excellent wahoo fishing.
I live and fish in Jamaica and we have a tremendous wahoo season from October through April.
There are a few main ways of fishing for wahoo and I will just briefly mention them here as each method has been tried and true.
High speed trolling, seems to be the newest rage in the Bahamas. Guys are using very heavy pointed lures and trolling between 12-17 knots and having great success. This eliminates baits as they wash out very quickly. They are also using heavy trolling leads with shock leaders to again keep their lures subsurface at these speeds. I guess because of the long edges they are fishing that this method may work wonders in the Bahamas. Their fishing is also greatly influenced by the rishing and falling tides as this moves the bait onto or off the bank.
In Jamaica we are fishing primarily offshore banks. Our fishing is dictated by ocean currents and where they are hitting the bank as this drives bait onto that part of the bank. So a good strong current is key here to the wahoo bite. We also have to pinpoint where on the bank the current is hitting as this determines where the wahoo will hang to feed.
We dont fish high speeds because this point we are trying to find can be quite a small area. Consequently we are fishing at regular trolling speeds 6-8 knots and working a small area as dictated by the current.
We fish primarily ballyhoo with skirted lures over them. I am fan of illanders over my baits. We also use No Alibi feathers with the heavier heads on our deeper running baits. I favor the 8,10,12 oz lures. Another killer lure here is the Yozurri Bonito. I favor the red and black and fish mine just behind the prop wash.
We are wire line fanatics here in Jamaica for one reason, they consistently produce. I have tried downriggers, planers, zwings but always come back to a wire line for its simplicity, ease of use and downright effectiveness. We usually run a ballyhoo with a heavy No Alibi on the wires. I also use trolling sinkers and shock leaders when we need to get deeper. Almost any lure can be fished over a bait and that comes down to personal preference. There is no greater sound than that of a 12/0 being peeled by a big wahoo.
I have been trying just lures recently, wahoo bombs, jet heads etc and although they do produce at times, the bally lure combination is still the most effective.
Wahoo are a great fish to catch and not to mention they are incredibly delicious.
Have fun catch a few. One thing, be very, very careful of their mouths. They have very small teeth like a kingfish but they are razor sharp. Just a brush of a wahoo's mouth, whether swinging them over on a gaff or just sliding on the deck and brushing up against your feet can result in a nasty cut.

FinalPoint · 03-17-2005, 12:49 PM

Jerry - correction. There is one better sound than that of a wahoo ripping line of a reel on a trolling boat. It goes something like this. You are drifting on a calm very quiet night...click...click click click....BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... and it is produced by none other than the broadbill.

jerry · 03-17-2005, 01:42 PM

Hey FP, whats happening man? I hear you, only problem here is that on most of the fish we have caught so far we never heard a thing. 4 of the 5 were just balloons moving and you know the rest. The one fish that screamed off a tip rod we lost after a couple of minuites.
Never the less bro, any singing drag is awesome be it whatever

FinalPoint · 03-17-2005, 03:45 PM

The instant screamers are the best. What a rush man, for real. It can instantly turn pessimism into optimism. Fishing is sweet man. Only about a week until I get to leave the Boston area and try to catch some beasts down in FL for a few days.

Finlander · 03-17-2005, 09:59 PM

Thanks guys......lets hear more please

jerry · 03-18-2005, 09:14 AM

Hey FP, bet you cant wait to get to Fla. Remember if you get a wild hair you can always come to Jamaica, we got some great rum, beer and ofcourse Swordies.

cogzwell · 03-23-2005, 09:49 AM

I'm new to fishing for Wahoo. Does anyone have an opinion on what the best season to fish for them in S. florida?

jerry · 03-23-2005, 10:35 AM

I fish in Jamaica, but our wahoo are definitely migratory. They start showing up in OCtober as the cold weathers starts up north. THey must be running from the cold water and following bait down south. They run here from OCtober through the end of April. There are always some resident fish around but our big runs follow the cold weather. Not sure if the season is the same in Florida but I would imagine that they are following the same migration and may get to you sooner and continue later.

03-16-2005, 09:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
Finlander Grunt Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ft.Lauderdale Boat: fishing Occupation: Retired Posts: 28	HELP I am new to this fishery.Would someone please help me with places and methods for catching wahoo. Thank you very much! __________________ Finlander

03-17-2005, 09:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
Finlander Grunt Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ft.Lauderdale Boat: fishing Occupation: Retired Posts: 28	Let's hear more Thanks guys......lets hear more please __________________ Finlander

03-23-2005, 09:49 AM	#9 (permalink)
cogzwell Hooked Up Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Boca Raton / Jackson Hole Boat: 2003 34 Venture Best Catch: crabs -- but well worth it Occupation: debt collector Posts: 262	I'm new to fishing for Wahoo. Does anyone have an opinion on what the best season to fish for them in S. florida? __________________ The Hailey Ryan

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03-17-2005, 08:54 AM	#2 (permalink)
FinalPoint Hooked Up Join Date: May 2004 Location: Lighthouse Pt., FL Boat: Contender 36 Fisharound Best Catch: 1183 lb. Swordfish Occupation: School Posts: 897	If only we knew [-o< Best advice I can give you is go to the Bahamas.

03-17-2005, 09:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
jerry Hooked Up Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Jamaica Boat: 35ft Contender Best Catch: they are all good Occupation: Operations Manager Posts: 355	Finlander, I am not sure where you are but there is some excellent wahoo fishing in Florida. An article in the latest Saltwater Fishing mag lays out some great info. And ofcourse the Bahamas has some excellent wahoo fishing. I live and fish in Jamaica and we have a tremendous wahoo season from October through April. There are a few main ways of fishing for wahoo and I will just briefly mention them here as each method has been tried and true. High speed trolling, seems to be the newest rage in the Bahamas. Guys are using very heavy pointed lures and trolling between 12-17 knots and having great success. This eliminates baits as they wash out very quickly. They are also using heavy trolling leads with shock leaders to again keep their lures subsurface at these speeds. I guess because of the long edges they are fishing that this method may work wonders in the Bahamas. Their fishing is also greatly influenced by the rishing and falling tides as this moves the bait onto or off the bank. In Jamaica we are fishing primarily offshore banks. Our fishing is dictated by ocean currents and where they are hitting the bank as this drives bait onto that part of the bank. So a good strong current is key here to the wahoo bite. We also have to pinpoint where on the bank the current is hitting as this determines where the wahoo will hang to feed. We dont fish high speeds because this point we are trying to find can be quite a small area. Consequently we are fishing at regular trolling speeds 6-8 knots and working a small area as dictated by the current. We fish primarily ballyhoo with skirted lures over them. I am fan of illanders over my baits. We also use No Alibi feathers with the heavier heads on our deeper running baits. I favor the 8,10,12 oz lures. Another killer lure here is the Yozurri Bonito. I favor the red and black and fish mine just behind the prop wash. We are wire line fanatics here in Jamaica for one reason, they consistently produce. I have tried downriggers, planers, zwings but always come back to a wire line for its simplicity, ease of use and downright effectiveness. We usually run a ballyhoo with a heavy No Alibi on the wires. I also use trolling sinkers and shock leaders when we need to get deeper. Almost any lure can be fished over a bait and that comes down to personal preference. There is no greater sound than that of a 12/0 being peeled by a big wahoo. I have been trying just lures recently, wahoo bombs, jet heads etc and although they do produce at times, the bally lure combination is still the most effective. Wahoo are a great fish to catch and not to mention they are incredibly delicious. Have fun catch a few. One thing, be very, very careful of their mouths. They have very small teeth like a kingfish but they are razor sharp. Just a brush of a wahoo's mouth, whether swinging them over on a gaff or just sliding on the deck and brushing up against your feet can result in a nasty cut.

03-17-2005, 12:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
FinalPoint Hooked Up Join Date: May 2004 Location: Lighthouse Pt., FL Boat: Contender 36 Fisharound Best Catch: 1183 lb. Swordfish Occupation: School Posts: 897	Jerry - correction. There is one better sound than that of a wahoo ripping line of a reel on a trolling boat. It goes something like this. You are drifting on a calm very quiet night...click...click click click....BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... and it is produced by none other than the broadbill.

03-17-2005, 01:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
jerry Hooked Up Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Jamaica Boat: 35ft Contender Best Catch: they are all good Occupation: Operations Manager Posts: 355	Hey FP, whats happening man? I hear you, only problem here is that on most of the fish we have caught so far we never heard a thing. 4 of the 5 were just balloons moving and you know the rest. The one fish that screamed off a tip rod we lost after a couple of minuites. Never the less bro, any singing drag is awesome be it whatever

03-17-2005, 03:45 PM	#6 (permalink)
FinalPoint Hooked Up Join Date: May 2004 Location: Lighthouse Pt., FL Boat: Contender 36 Fisharound Best Catch: 1183 lb. Swordfish Occupation: School Posts: 897	The instant screamers are the best. What a rush man, for real. It can instantly turn pessimism into optimism. Fishing is sweet man. Only about a week until I get to leave the Boston area and try to catch some beasts down in FL for a few days.

03-18-2005, 09:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
jerry Hooked Up Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Jamaica Boat: 35ft Contender Best Catch: they are all good Occupation: Operations Manager Posts: 355	Hey FP, bet you cant wait to get to Fla. Remember if you get a wild hair you can always come to Jamaica, we got some great rum, beer and ofcourse Swordies.

03-23-2005, 10:35 AM	#10 (permalink)
jerry Hooked Up Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Jamaica Boat: 35ft Contender Best Catch: they are all good Occupation: Operations Manager Posts: 355	I fish in Jamaica, but our wahoo are definitely migratory. They start showing up in OCtober as the cold weathers starts up north. THey must be running from the cold water and following bait down south. They run here from OCtober through the end of April. There are always some resident fish around but our big runs follow the cold weather. Not sure if the season is the same in Florida but I would imagine that they are following the same migration and may get to you sooner and continue later.

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