QUESTIONS ON JIGGING AND WAHOOS

[WAHOONBOX]

I HAVE READ SEVERAL AMAZING REPORTS OF MANY BOATS SET UP TO JIG FOR WHATEVER SPECIES....AND MANY REPORT BACK TO DA WORLD THAT THEY SEE SCHOOLS OF WAHOOS SWIMMING NEARBY.....NOW HOW COOL IS THAT!

FOR SOME REASON THERE SEEMS TO BE A LACK OF PUTTING THESE SCHOOLING WAHOOS IN THE BOAT FOR SOME REASON....REASONS FOR WHICH I DO NOT KNOW....NOR UNDERSTAND AND I INTEND TO FIND OUT THE REASONS!

I MEAN THE SEA BISCUIT CATCH A STUD MUFFIN A WHILE BACK WHILE SET UP BOTTOM FISHING BUT SEEMS MOST PEOPLE ONLY DESCRIBE SEEING THEM AND ARE NOT CATCHING THEM.....WHY IS THIS?

MY QUESTIONS:
IS THIS BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT CHEW DA JIGS?

IS THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE LOCKED ONTO THE AVAILABLE LIVE BAIT?

WHAT ATTRACTED THEM TO YOUR BOAT TO BEGIN WITH?

WERE YOU OR WERE YOU NOT PREPARED WITH "WIRE BAITS"?

SHOULD WE HAVE A CASTING PLUG RIGGED AND READY IN THE EVENT THE HOO OF A LIFETIME COMES CALLING?


SO.........SINCE MANY CREWS ARE SEEING SCHOOLS OF WAHOOS, WHY AM I NOT READING MORE STORIES OF BOXED WAHOOS WHILE BOATS ARE ANCHORED UP JIGGING OR BOTTOM FISHING ?

[zar2754]

I HAVE READ SEVERAL AMAZING REPORTS OF MANY BOATS SET UP TO JIG FOR WHATEVER SPECIES....AND MANY REPORT BACK TO DA WORLD THAT THEY SEE SCHOOLS OF WAHOOS SWIMMING NEARBY.....NOW HOW COOL IS THAT!

FOR SOME REASON THERE SEEMS TO BE A LACK OF PUTTING THESE SCHOOLING WAHOOS IN THE BOAT FOR SOME REASON....REASONS FOR WHICH I DO NOT KNOW....NOR UNDERSTAND AND I INTEND TO FIND OUT THE REASONS!

I MEAN THE SEA BISCUIT CATCH A STUD MUFFIN A WHILE BACK WHILE SET UP BOTTOM FISHING BUT SEEMS MOST PEOPLE ONLY DESCRIBE SEEING THEM AND ARE NOT CATCHING THEM.....WHY IS THIS?

MY QUESTIONS:
IS THIS BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT CHEW DA JIGS?

IS THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE LOCKED ONTO THE AVAILABLE LIVE BAIT?

WHAT ATTRACTED THEM TO YOUR BOAT TO BEGIN WITH?

WERE YOU OR WERE YOU NOT PREPARED WITH "WIRE BAITS"?

SHOULD WE HAVE A CASTING PLUG RIGGED AND READY IN THE EVENT THE HOO OF A LIFETIME COMES CALLING?


SO.........SINCE MANY CREWS ARE SEEING SCHOOLS OF WAHOOS, WHY AM I NOT READING MORE STORIES OF BOXED WAHOOS WHILE BOATS ARE ANCHORED UP JIGGING OR BOTTOM FISHING ?

box, here in the northeast canyons we catch them jigging near the long line and lobster pot gear, usually right next to the high flyers, but they usually stay deep, highspeed verticle knife jigs is what works here, and ive only done this a few times, but i would imagine you would catch alot more if not for all the mahi eating your jig around the pots

[Ponce]

I haven't had them around the boat when jigging (that we could see) so I'm not sure from that stand point. Sometimes we do get that mystery cut off when jigging, a hit then nothing and the line is cut clean. I think most of the time that it's Kings, but could just as easly be a hoo.

[SeaBiscuit]

My two cents:

Wahoo bite plenty of jigs, mostly on a high speed retrieve. Folks who have experimented with wire assist hooks don't like them as much as kevlar cord (too stiff?) and the kevlar is no match for the teeth of the wahoo.

They come around boats for a couple of reasons. Floating objects attract pelagics and boats fishing are always chumming even if they use no bait. Fish upchuck is a potent chum and all fish upchuck while being fought to the boat.

Throwing shit at wahoos when they come looking is a bad idea! Getting bombarded with plastic and metal turns them off. They will eat, but may have to be coaxed a bit. Little pieces of meat, on the other hand, keep them interested and sometimes put them in the mood to feed.

Once they start nibbling (take your time, don't panic feed them a little at a time!) they are more likely to eat plastic and metal, but they are guaranteed to eat more meat, if presented properly. A frisky live bait darting by them will do it almost every time, while a chunk or dead bait will most of the time. Either way, the terminal tackle needs to be wahoo sized, not mako sized I keep a rod rigged with a trace of 50 lb wire and a small but strong treble hook (2/0, 4x) always ready. I've used it less than a dozen times and only when I have a visual target. It has caught 3 wahoos, one large yellowfin, a couple of cudas and every mahi I offered it to. I prefer mono for pitching to cobia, jacks and mahis and generally save the wire for the toothy ones.

I trust that no one is much surprised by my opinion. I am a meat fisherman and meat is what catches fish. My goal is still to catch them every time I see them. I like to look at porpoise, molas, whales and turtles, but can't stand "observing" my target fish without at least a shot at hooking them and cooking them.

SeaBiscuit

[MAKO19]

i would imagine you would catch alot more if not for all the mahi eating your jig around the pots

Dude I think you are dead on. My Dads buddy keeps telling me about this article he read a while back about using these special wahoo jigs (not sure what they are) and getting down under the Mahi around the weedlines or pots because thats where the hoos are lurking picking off the Mahi for a quick meal. A few times we picked a hoo off a weedline or pot on the planer bait when there were shit loads of Mahi around so I totally agree that this technique would work.

[dubbs]

We encountered that situation on good Friday. I wish we could have figured out a way to get a bite. We casted chunks of bonita right under their nose, we ripped jigs and casted different lures. They didnt spook the entire time. If anything (like sea biscuit said) I think we over did it. It just seemed like they were in a non feeding mode just enjoying a cruise on the surface. They wouldnt even touch the free floating bonita chunks. It was glassy calm so they looked like tailing bonefish. If this happens again I think i will drop a sabiki to the bottom to see if they respond to a live bait.

[The Codfather]

Ive caught the hoos on jigs when fishing the offshore reefs and dropoffs for GTs and Doggies. Ive heard horror stories about them chasing the jig all the way INTO the boat before.

[Bert Rodgers]

I trust that no one is much surprised by my opinion. I am a meat fisherman and meat is what catches fish. My goal is still to catch them every time I see them. I like to look at porpoise, molas, whales and turtles, but can't stand "observing" my target fish without at least a shot at hooking them and cooking them.

SeaBiscuit

God I love that kind of talk

Bert

[MissSara]

Just to add a little fuel to the fire, I was out on Monday and heard on the radio that 5-6 hoos were swimming around on the surface around the Rockpile. Would not hit a trolled bait and cut two jigs off. Don't think they ever caught one. Sounded like the boat was putting a hurtin on the blackfins jigging. If I hadn't been 25 miles south and 2:30pm, I would have (should have anyway) made the run up there.

[weekender]

dang good thread,