Blue-water fishing for wahoo is hot. Boat captains willing to run out to 150 feet of depth have caught wahoo up to 70 pounds this past week. Weather has been good. The 50-mile weather buoy has been the jump-off point for most blue-water fishermen.
Sailfish and white marlin also have been hooked and released at the 150-200 feet depths. Wahoo fishing requires a fast trolling speed: 8 knots and faster. Dark, bullet-like lures - purple and black, red and black - are effective for wahoo and tuna. Large, red spoons trolled deep also will produce wahoo. Most wahoo caught have been 30 to 40 pounds.
Wahoo are considered the fastest fish in the ocean. When hooked, your drag will sing. Thirty- and 40-pound class tackle are effective for wahoo. Good drag systems are a must.
This time of year, blackfin tuna can be caught early and late in the day, as well as white marlin and sailfish. Use skirted ballyhoo on the surface as dolphin also might pay your spread a visit. Look for debris, flotsam and tide rips. These conditions offshore will hold bait, which attract pelagic species. June, July, August, and September are the blue-water months.
- Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters out of John's Pass, Treasure Island. Call 727 709-9396 or e-mail him at huffyl@tampabay.rr.com
