Large hook penetration on a high-speed troll is a vulnerable point. Fish may shake the lure and disengage the hook. (Photo by Steve Dougherty)
March 19, 2024
By Rick Ryals
Short of possibly a blue marlin, I’m not sure any fish creates more panic in the crew of a bluewater fishing boat than a stout wahoo. The blistering first run of a big wahoo has startled many an angler so much they reach for the drag lever, afraid they would run out of line. Equally bad, the scream of the reel has caused a captain to commit the fatal mistake of taking the boat out of gear. If you’ve prepared your reel properly (100 yards of mono top shot, backed with a mile of braid) you are not likely ever to run out of line.
First off, let’s look at all the things that go wrong when you stop the boat with a hot fish on. For one, all your other baits stop fishing. You’ve looked for the fish all morning, and the minute you find them, you ruin your chances of hooking another one.
What’s the first thing to do when a wahoo starts screaming line off your reel? Nothing!
Keep the boat in gear as your guest reels in a wahoo and have your crew know in advance how to handle long shock leaders, if you’re using them. (Photo by Steve Dougherty) After the fish’s initial run, make a gradual turn towards the direction your hooked wahoo is running. By continuing your speed, you not only increase your odds of getting a double or even a triple, you also decrease the odds of the hook falling out, by keeping pressure on the fish. If you get scared that you’re truly running out of line, chase the fish at an angle from the bow first, but never stop the boat.
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Once you’re satisfied that the fish is tiring, keep the pressure on. You want to lead him to the side of the boat, not hope he happens to swim within gaff range.
Nearing the gaff is when more wahoo are lost than at any other time. If you’ve done your job as captain properly, the fish is very tired. If you’re fishing a line without a trolling sinker, keep him under control by keeping the boat moving forward, with the fish off one of your stern quarters. If you’re fishing a short wire leader, just keep him on the rod. If you’re handlining him in on a longer shock cord or leader, you’ve sacrificed the rod as a shock absorber.
When he shakes his head, I’d much rather have the rod absorb the shock, than the fish be able to shake the hook free, because he’s shaking against my stationary hands.
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If you are high-speed trolling, the hole in the fish’s mouth is apt to be bigger than the hook hole of a bait-caught fish. Slow down too much near gaff time at your own peril.
A "good" gaff shot is any gaff shot that hits solid mass on the first strike. Second chances are rare. (Photo by Steve Dougherty) Gaff time is something that needs to be discussed before the fish is hooked. Who’s going to leader the fish (if necessary) and who’s going to gaff the fish? Perhaps most importantly, who’s going to hold the trolling weight? Think about the ramifications of even a moderate-sized wahoo spotting a shark closing in on him. If you’re haphazardly holding a trolling weight when a wahoo freaks out, it’s apt to end up hitting someone in the head. The person in charge of holding the weight has to be told that if a wahoo suddenly makes a last second run, the weight has to be dropped overboard out of harm’s way.
Hopefully you have a gaff man ready who has already learned to always position the gaff behind the leader. Hopefully your boat is moving forward fast enough to keep the wahoo swimming parallel to the boat. That way he can be behind the angler, and swing the gaff up the length of your wahoo, burying the gaff right through the shoulder.
