Bermuda Wahoo Fishing Tactics...

[Wound Up James]

Excellent tutorial James - many thanks! This is solid gold info. The great thing about this style of fishing is that you can fish light tackle. Personally I hate the high speed heavy tackle game. It has its applications but it certainly ain't the only way to get them and is far from the most enjoyable, when they are such good fighters on light tackle and spinning gear.

Thanks again mate

P.

Dustin - you've hit the nail on the head re: heavy tackle wahoo fishing ( although some times it is neccesary)....i'm glad you've enjoyed the info , and look forward to your feed back on the info to come......to put ourselves in the position to target Wahoo on light tackle......and increase our hook up ratio while doing it.....that's one way to make a fishery more exciting !!!!

[babalaza]

Very similar to the rigs in South Africa for slow trolling. You guys running them naked most of the times? It's common(SA) to use small baitomatics to increase visibility + little weight on some of the rigs. Fish tend to come deeper as well so many use a rubberband + sinker to let it down.

I would say some differences may be using 1 last treble or 1 more hook. Kings are lucky creatures

[Captain Fred Archer]

TO ME, VERSATILY IS THE KEY HERE. AND PERSONAL TASTES. SOME LIKE FISHING WITH THE LIGHT STUFF, SOME DON'T. THE MAJORITY OF MY CUSTOMERS EXPECTED ME TO KNOW HOW TO PRODUCE FISH FOR THEM. IF I HADN'T KNOWN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE CAUGHT NEARLY AS MANY FISH FOR THEM AS WE DID.

IF IT HAPPENED TO BE LIGHT TACKLE THAT THEY WANTED TO FISH WITH, THAT WAS CERTAINLY NO PROBLEM, BUT I TOLD THEM AND I WILL STATE HERE, THERE WAS NO WAY THAT I WAS GOING TO FISH THE LIGHT STUFF BLIND WHEN THE BLUE AND BLACK ONES WERE AROUND. I CONSIDER IT NIGH ONTO CRIMINAL TO HOOK UP A BIG BLUE OR BLACK, OR EVEN A BIG TUNA ON LIGHT GEAR AND HAVE TO FOLLOW HIM AROUND UNTIL THE LIGHT DRAG AND LINE TAKES ITS TOLL AND THE ODDS ARE VERY HIGH THAT WE WILL "RELEASE" A LACTIC ACID CRIPPLED FISH THAT WAS GOING TO DIE ON ITS OWN OR BECOME SHARK BAIT.

INSTEAD, WHEN THE BRUISERS WERE AROUND WE EMPLOYED A TECHNIQUE THAT ALLOWED US TO MATCH UP OUR TACKLE TO WHATEVER SIZE AND SPECIES OF FISH THAT SHOWED UP. THAT TECHNIQUE WAS BAIT AND SWITCH FISHING OUR WAY, WHICH IS CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT THAN THE CONVENTIONAL BAIT AND SWITCH TECHNIQUE. IT IS NOT ONLY EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE DUE TO THAT MATCHING OF THE TACKLE TO THE FISH THING, THE HOOKUP RATIOS WERE EXCELLENT AND EVERY BITE WAS A "SIGHT BITE" AS OPPOSED TO A BLIND ONE.

SEEING LIT UP FISH CLIMBING ALL OVER THE TEASERS AND THEN POUNCING ON THE PITCH BAIT IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING SIGHTS IN ALL OF FISHING. AND I REPEAT, HOOK UP RATIOS WERE TERRIFIC ON SHORT LINE THAT YIELDED THE OBVIOUS HOOK SETTING ADVANTAGES THAT INCLUDED NOT GUT OR GILL HOOKING BILLFISH.

EXCITING? YOU BET IT WAS! THE PROOF IS THAT ONCE WE HAD REPEAT CUSTOMERS TRY IT, ONLY ONE GUY OUT OF MANY WANTED TO SIT ON HIS ASS DRINKING AND JUST WANTED TO WALK OVER TO A HOOKED UP OUTFIT AND REEL THE FISH IN. FOR THE REST, TO A MAN THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY THAT THEY WANTED TO FISH AFTER THAT AND BEFORE LONG, THEY BECAME CHAMP PITCH BAITERS, WHICH HOOKED THEM ON THE TECHNIQUE EVEN MORE.

AND MOST OF ALL, WE DIDN'T GO AROUND KILLING MARLIN BECAUSE SOMEONE PREFERRED LIGHT GEAR...WHICH LET US BOTH HAVE OR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. (WE HAD AN ABSOLUTE NO KILL MARLIN POLICY ON MY BOAT AND I COULD CARE LESS WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS ABOUT THAT PRO OR CON. EVERYONE ELSE IS FREE TO DO WHATEVER THEY PLEASE ON THIS.)

THE ONLY AREA WHERE WE SIMPLY COULDN'T USE LIGHT TACKLE WAS HIGH SPEED TROLLING. I NEVER FIGURED THAT ONE OUT AND STILL HAVEN'T. WE ROLL OUT THE HOWITZERS FOR THAT AND ANYONE WHO HAS DONE A LOT OF WAHOO FISHING KNOWS THAT IT CAN BE THE VERY BEST WAY TO CATCH THEM ON CERTAIN DAYS. AND WHEN MY CUSTOMERS WANTED WAHOO AND THE HIGH SPEED STUFF WAS THE WAY TO DO IT, IT GOT DONE.

THE OTHER GREAT AREA FOR CATCHING WAHOO ON LIGHT GEAR, ESPECIALLY DURING THE DAYTIME, IS WITH THE DOWNRIGGER, LIKE WU DOES SO WELL. WE DID NOT DO THIS DURING OUR BLUE AND BLACK SEASON, BUT THE REST OF THE TIME WE CAUGHT A LOT OF WAHOO ON WHATEVER KIND OF GEAR OUR CUSTOMERS WANTED TO FISH WITH (WE DID NOT DECIDE THAT FOR THEM OTHER THAN DURING THE AFOREMENTIONED BIG MARLIN TIMES).

HERE IS HOW WE DID IT.

THAT'S IT FROM ME.

[Captain Fred Archer]

HERE IS A TRICK THAT SHOULD APPEAL TO THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO TROLL LIGHT TACKLE FOR WAHOO AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT SWIMS, EXCEPT FOR BILLFISH, UNLESS IT IS TROLLED SLOWLY. THEN THE SAILS WILL GET AFTER IT. BUT THE REST OF THE TIME AT THE HIGH SPEED END OF THE SPECTRUM IT NOT ONLY CATCHES LOTS OF WAHOO - AND I MEAN LOTS, INCLUDING SOME REALLY NICE FISH, BUT YELLOWFIN (THEY ARE A HELLUVA LOT FASTER THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE), DORADO AND A MYRIAD OF OTHER GAMEFISH NAIL THIS LITTLE PUPPY TOO.

NATURALLY IT IS ESPECIALLY GOOD WHEN LARGE NUMBERS OF LITTLE BAIT ARE PRESENT. AND JUST AS NATURALLY, USUALLY THE GREATEST ABUNDANCE OF BAIT IN A GIVEN AREA CONSISTS OF LITTLE BAITS THAT GROW EACH DAY AND WHOSE NUMBERS ARE WHITTLED DOWN EACH DAY BY BIRDS, FISH, DOLPINS AND EVERYTHING ELSE OUT THERE. THIS INCLUDES REEF SPECIE HATCHES. IF YOU DON'T HAVE (UH OH!) GREAT BARRACUDA AROUND THIS SYSTEM JUST MURDERS WAHOO WHEN LARGE HATCHES OF JUVENILE REEF SPECIES ARE AROUND. DITTO ON OFFSHORE BAIT SPECIES, INCLUDING SMALL SQUIDS.

I LEARNED THIS FROM SOME OLD GRINGOS WHO LIVED UP BY MY PLACE IN CABO. THEY FISHED FROM LITTLE ALUMINUM SKIFFS AND REGULARY MURDERED THE WAHOOS, WHICH THEY SOLD (ILLEGALLY) TO DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS FOR REALLY GOOD MONEY. LIKE ALL PINHOOKERS, ESPECIALLY OUTLAW ONES, THEY WERE TIGHT LIPPED AS HELL AND NEVER SHOWED OR TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THE WAHOO THEY WERE CATCHING. BUT THEY WERE NEIGHBORS AND COULDN'T HIDE ALL OF THE FISH THAT THEY WERE CATCHING AND CUTTING FROM ME, PLUS I SAW THEM OUT ON THE WAHOO MOONS, GOING LIKE BATS OUT OF HELL WITH SOME KIND OF LITTLE STUFF WAY BACK THERE.

I JUST ABOUT HAD IT FIGURED OUT WHEN THEY BROKE DOWN AND SHOWED ME THEIR LURES AND EXPLAINED HOW THEY USED THEM. THAT WAS MORE BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID THAT I WOULD SPILL THE BEANS ON HOW THEY WERE CATCHING SO MANY FISH ONCE I FIGURED IT OUT, WHICH I JUST ABOUT DID AND WAS GOING TO AND THEY KNEW IT. SO THEY SPILLED THEM BEANS AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT THE LAST THING THAT I WOULD DO WOULD BE TO GIVE AWAY A HOT WAHOO TIP TO THE OTHER CHARTER GUYS OR EVEN THE PRIVATEERS. TO A GREAT EXTENT, WAHOO WERE MY BREAD AND BUTTER TOO AND I DIDN'T WANT ANY COMPETITION.

HERE'S WHAT I CALL "THE POOR BOY HIGH SPEED WAHOO RIG". LIKE SO MANY OTHER THINGS, THE SPECIFIC DETAILS ARE IN THE BOOKS THAT SOME STUDIOUSLY IGNORE, I GUESS BECAUSE THEY HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT AND THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO LEARN. OH WELL.

HOPE THIS HELPS YOU LIGHT TACKLE WAHOO FANS WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW OF THIS TECHNIQUE. IT TRULY DEADLY.

[Patudo]

James,

When you're working with livebait how do you avoid trash fish such as cudas, false albacores, jacks etc? Do the wahoos in your area tend to hang out in a different sort of depth range/distance from structure/position in relation to structure, or are they all in there together?

Also, (I think I asked this in another post) what conditions do you favour for going livebait fishing versus trolling? Is it a seasonal thing that they get shyer of lures or is the choice between live baiting and trolling more influenced by particular ocean conditions such as current direction and strength?

No need to reply if you don't want to give away trade secrets

Best regards

P.

[ohfishalee]

Well they say if at first you don't succeed try try try again......great phototutorial. the pics explained a few things for me