# Wahoo trait?



## bigone (Jan 2, 2008)

Although I have caught my share of wahoo over my 25yrs(largest 63), last weekend at the edge, had a hoo hit a large Marauderr(black /0range) on a downrigger, came up and shot across the the back of the boat, I always keep the boat in gear with a little forward motion, as this fish came to the boat, gaff man ready, nice fish, as round as your thigh, fish charges forward, and in one second is 30 yards ahead off the starboard bow, I try to break left to swing the stern around, fish doubles back, head shake, gone, heartbreak.

This past weekend another hoo not as big, this time I'm ready and keep the boat moving forward, angler yells fish is off and stops reeling, I told him to keep reeling and he comes tight again, and we get the fish. At one point, I was up to 10mph forward speed staying ahead of this fish.

Question: is it a common trait, for these fish to charge the boat, Should I keep heavy forward motion and keep the line tight, always concerned of risk of pulling the hooks, with the boat and catching hell from the crew yelling captain error.

Thanks


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## Jagsare1 (Sep 23, 2011)

bigone said:


> Question: is it a common trait, for these fish to charge the boat, Should I keep heavy forward motion and keep the line tight, always concerned of risk of pulling the hooks, with the boat and catching hell from the crew yelling captain error.
> 
> Thanks


Yes, very common. Don't listen to the crew, keep the boat moving forward. Bump in and out of gear when the fish allows. If it starts pulling drag, bump to neutral. For me, if we are gaining line, the boat is moving forward.


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

I never take the boat out of gear. Always keep the boat moving forward and match the speed of the fish when he is boatside. When the fish is going crazy like you mentioned it's hard to do. I try to watch the fish, not the angler.


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## Head Kned (Mar 21, 2011)

I am sure i have not caught as many Hoo's as the 2 gentleman who have commented on this thread, but just about everyone I have ever caught has charged the boat. And everytime the angler thinks they lost the fish. Always keep the boat moving.


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

Over the years I have gotten to where in all but the largest fish (unless chunking or live baiting) I keep the boat in forward motion for a variety of reasons, and wahoo are known to go all over the place.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Wahoo are just like a big king in their fight style; they'll hit and run, but you never know which direction.

4 yrs ago I was trolling south of the nipple along the 50 fathom line and had a 40lb hoo hit the left flat and come 3ft out and hard forward, landing what seemed like 3ft from the transom. The fish went down, line peeled for 5ft and then went slack. We did the whole swearing routine you do when a nice fish is lost and then I went to reel in the slack line that I saw was cut off. I reeled it in and the line kept going forward until I caught up with the fish at a 2 o'clock position. This had a good 20-30 second interval between. The fish had run hard forward and was now just swimming along with the boat, oblivious to the life-threatening piece of jewelry in his mouth. He then did the normal routine once pressure was on but it goes to show how unpredictable they can be.

Oh yeah, hooks hurt fish my ass. That thing was swimming around with a freakin 11/0 in his face and just swimming along with the boat thinking "I wonder if there are any more of those?"


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Bigone, as the boat captain you know where the buck stops no matter what happens. As the "Captain" you have a lot on your plate every trip out. First off you have to find where the fish are hanging out, then you have to get a spread of lures out that appeal to said fish, you need to know if you have to give the throttles a goose to set a hook in a Bill Fish and/or slowly throttle it down to the point where the man on the rod can bring it in while keeping pressure on the fish. You need to maintain situational awareness on what's going on in the cockpit as well as maneuver the boat to get the fish alongside. There is a world of difference between a seasoned crew and an impromptu get together of buddies to go fishing. So just do the best you can and have fun!


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

bigone said:


> Although I have caught my share of wahoo over my 25yrs(largest 63), last weekend at the edge, had a hoo hit a large Marauderr(black /0range) on a downrigger, came up and shot across the the back of the boat, I always keep the boat in gear with a little forward motion, as this fish came to the boat, gaff man ready, nice fish, as round as your thigh, fish charges forward, and in one second is 30 yards ahead off the starboard bow, I try to break left to swing the stern around, fish doubles back, head shake, gone, heartbreak.
> 
> Question: is it a common trait, for these fish to charge the boat, Should I keep heavy forward motion and keep the line tight, always concerned of risk of pulling the hooks, with the boat and catching hell from the crew yelling captain error.
> 
> Thanks


Wahoo are notorious for making a hard initial run away from the boat, then turning back and charging the boat. Most people cannot reel fast enough to keep up (keep the slack outta the line). Also, when reeling on wahoo, because they stay up on top for the most part, you do NOT want your angler pumping and reeling as if it was a fish down deep, like a tuna. Too much action in the rod tip and it is more often that not, just enough to put enough slack in the line for the fish to shake the lure out. Just straight winch them in. If you're fishing a center console, put the angler right next to you (assuming you're driving). If the angler tires, then go fast enough to keep the line tight, essentially "dragging" the wahoo if need be. Wahoo shake their heads like pitbulls and can throw a mouthful of trebles like it was nothing. Depending on what the fish is doing, you will want at least one engine in gear, (use more power if necessary) the entire time. If it gets to the point where the angler can barely reel, you are going too fast.

For what it's worth, I have also had wahoo greyhound like marlin, and in that case, ya we are hauling ass away from the fish just to keep line tight.

Also, just to confuse you a bit more  you do NOT always need to keep the boat in gear. If you have a fish like a tuna or marlin down deep, then you can fight them from a dead boat. You always want your angler right next to your driver so the driver can see what the line is doing. Keep the rod out the side (perpendicular to the gunwhale) and do what you need to stay vertical with the fish. You want that line straight up and down. If it's angled in anyway, adjust the boat as needed. If the line is angled forward, chase that fish down until it is back up and down. Driving on fish is definitely an art and takes some practice. Hope this helps.


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

Good write Woody..!


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

I've caught multiple hoos over 70 pounds, never had one put up a fight worth crap on even a 30 wide. Panziest fish out there. During a hot hoo bite, I typically drop to around 3 kts and wind em in. Lose alot less than I did when I first began fishing and dropped the rpms to just above idle.


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

Another Crazy Wahoo


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## xyzzy (Oct 26, 2008)

Troll faster to prevent this when targetting wahoo


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## Jagsare1 (Sep 23, 2011)

xyzzy said:


> Troll faster to prevent this when targetting wahoo


Prevent what?


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## matttheboatman (Aug 25, 2008)

You are going to0 slow before the hit! The Wahoo don't care if you run 5, 10, or 20 knots. So long as you can keep the lure in the water go faster!!!! Then, he will peel so much line off the reel after the first strike that by the time you get him to the boat he will be a gentle as a baby (with very very sharp teeth!!!!!). Capt. Matt


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