Wahoo
Wahoo, or "skinny" are truly one of the great sport fishes of the world. It is a fish full of character and can test the angler’s skills in finding them, hooking one up, and then landing it. It generally swims alone, but can be found in small groups especially while feeding, in both deep waters of the open sea and along relatively shallow canyons and offshore pinnacles and banks. I once had a pair of 50 pounders come right up to my boat while anchored in 15 feet of water on a shoreline reef edge, casting lures.
Wahoo have long slender cigar-shaped bodies, with a pointed head. Its first dorsal fin is low and somewhat spiny. Coloration is metallic-blue or green above, fading to silver along its sides with dark Mackerel-like (it is a Mackerel) stripes along the sides tinged with blue, which light up, especially when excited. Its mouth is very bony and full of razor sharp teeth, which may or may not be tinged in blue (due to bacteria). More injuries are caused by dead Wahoo than any other fish, live or dead, as they die with their mouths open, exposing their sharp teeth. They say that getting cut or bitten by one of these fish can cause the severest infections of the wound of any non-poisonous fish known if not treated very quickly.
Wahoo are powerful fish with phenomenal speed and great fighting ability, particularly during the first half of the fight. In the top 5 list of fastest fish in the ocean, this fish can attain speeds of up to 70 miles an hour. They are tricky fish as well. Strikes have been known to break rods and fish have been known to hit swivels, severing the line or even nipping the hooks off of lures without even pulling the line from an outrigger. Their strikes are legendary and spectacular, you will definitely know when you’ve hooked up a Skinny. Upon striking a lure, they will make a long fast run with abrupt changes in direction that can empty a reel in a hurry. The long slender bodied fish will sometimes leap from the water, but usually sounds immediately.
Techniques for catching Wahoo are many, too many to describe in this short section. I go into all of the methods in my book, but to give a quick overview here ... Wahoo will hit just about any offshore (straight-running) lure at any given time and unless targeting them with lures and bait setups specifically designed to catch these fish, you will likely encounter them randomly, while trolling for Mahi (Dorado), Billfish etc. Wahoo designed lures, such as jet-heads, are usually straight running and heavier, since you would troll for these fish at higher speeds, 10 to 15 knots. Popular Wahoo hard baits, such as Marauders and large Rapala-type lures also work well, but are best run with a downrigger, in order to keep speed up and the lure in the water. Wahoo strike lures with a laser-direct ferocious hit at speeds up to 70 miles an hour. However, bait-fishing for them, with live or dead baits, are slow trolled, with these fish actually swimming up to them, slashing and biting.
Wahoo in Mexican waters average 30 to 50 pounds, but get to well over 100 pounds, up to 150 pounds. They seem to be smaller in the Gulf of America and east coast Atlantic, with a 50 pounder being exceptional. I've had 6 of them over 90 pounds, the largest being 106, all of which were caught out of Los Cabos. Wahoo are absolutely superb eating, especially steaked! Nobody ever releases them, unless they get in to an over- abundance of them.
For more info on the Wahoo and other fish species, order my book "Fishing ... Mexican Style".