Wahoo the Speedster of the Sea

Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) is not an ordinary fish. It’s one of the great game fish of the sea. Saltwater anglers who had entangled with this species will surely testify to its' fighting abilities as a great sport-fish, especially on light and medium tackle.

Distribution

This species is a close relative of the king mackerel, a member of the mackerel family. It can be found worldwide in subtropical and tropical waters. The Hawaiian island of Oahu which accounts in some way for the fish’s name holds abundant of this fighter.

Characteristics

The torpedo-shaped body is long and slim. The head is pointed with a distinguish snout. And like most predatory species it has a very large mouth with a great number of razor-sharp teeth. It has a widely forked tail, tuna-like. The first dorsal fin is long, spread sail-like with about 21-27 spines which can be folded down into a groove. The second dorsal fin is similar to the anal fin which is very small. And both below and above the caudal peduncle there is a row of finlets. It has 25-30 bluish vertical stripes along the full length of the body.

The color of the back is deep blue and the sides are bluish grey with a silvery white belly.

Habitat

Wahoo normally travel alone or in a small group of 2-8 fish than in a large school. Wrecks, deep reefs, drop-offs and even flotsams are some of their favorite hiding places. They’re a pelagic, oceanic species and seasonally migratory.

They can grows very fast, feeding on shoaling fishes such as pilchards, herrings, flying fish, small tuna-like fishes and squid. The average rod and reel caught is around 10-30 lbs with lengths of 3-5 ft. It can reach a length of 7 ft and a weight of 180 lbs. The all-tackle world record is a 158 lbs. and 8 ozs. fish taken off Baja California, Mexico in 1996.

Angling Techniques and Baits

Trolling is the most common fishing method for wahoo, though it’s usually a by-catch. Baits used include whole dead-baits like Spanish mackerel, squid, mullet, ballyhoo and other small fishes. There’re quite a variety of artificial trolling lures which are able to catch wahoo. For examples are feather lures, diving plugs and something like the Rapala Magnum of size CD 18 and above. Drifting using live-baits like mullet, small mackerel and scad is also very effective. Jigging with heavy metal jigs down deep is another method as well as casting with noisy surface plugs and poppers.

Tackle

Tackle used must be sturdy with rod in the 30-50 lbs. class combined with a similar lbs class lever drag multiplier. The drag of the reel must be real smooth and filled with enough good quality nylon or braided fishing line in the 30-50 lbs. class. Heavy duty wire leader is a must for this toothy predator.

Wahoo is a speedster; it’s said to attain speeds of more than 70-90 km/h depending on the sizes of the fish. Peeling off 100 yds. of line in seconds in the first run is very common. You must be prepared to see a smoking reel if the drag of your reel is not of high quality. Be careful too, to keep your hands off the spool and the fast running line. And handle these fish with care; they can create havoc even on board.

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Wahoo

Deep Sea Fishing

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