About Wahoo
Wahoo are a member of the mackerel family, but nobody who has hooked one thinks of them as a mackerel. They are long, lean and fast, with tiger bars down the side that light up electric blue when the fish is fired up. The first run is the part everyone remembers. The line just melts off the reel.
For San Diego anglers, wahoo are mostly a long-range fish. The boats run down the Baja coast into warm water, and spots like Alijos Rocks have been producing wahoo for long-range anglers for decades. In warm years, the fish push north and the 2- to 5-day boats start finding them on the offshore banks too, usually mixed in with yellowfin and dorado.
How to Catch
Wahoo bombs are how most long-range anglers catch them. Cast it out, let it sink a few seconds, then crank as fast as the reel allows. A fast two-speed reel with a high retrieve ratio makes a real difference here. When the bite is on, the crew will often tell you to keep the bomb moving and never let it stop.
Trolling is how boats find wahoo in the first place. Diving plugs like the Braid Marauder and Rapala X-Rap Magnum get dragged around the high spots, and a trolling strike usually means more fish are close. Once the boat stops, everyone starts throwing bombs.
Live bait works when wahoo are tearing through bait around the boat. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel on a short wire leader. Without wire, expect a lot of clean bite-offs.
Whatever you throw, use wire. Wahoo teeth cut mono and fluorocarbon without any effort.
Eating Profile
Wahoo is about as good as it gets. White, firm, mild meat that works raw, seared or grilled. It is lean, so keep the cook short. Bleed the fish right away and get it on ice; the crew on a long-range boat will handle the rest.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the wire. The most common way to lose a wahoo is a clean cut above the hook. Wire on everything.
- Slowing down the bomb. Speed triggers the bite. If you stop to rest your arm, the fish loses interest.
- Getting careless at the rail. Wahoo keep thrashing after they come aboard, and those teeth do real damage. Let the crew handle the gaff and keep your hands clear.
- Drag too tight on the first run. Let the fish run. A locked-down drag on that first burst is how hooks pull and leaders part.
Month-by-Month
- Jan to May: Not a San Diego wahoo time. Long-range boats heading far south can still find them in warm water.
- Jun to Jul: Long-range season ramps up. Wahoo show on the Baja trips as water warms.
- Aug to Oct: Best window. Long-range boats find the most fish, and in warm years 2- to 5-day trips start reporting wahoo on the offshore banks.
- Nov to Dec: Long-range trips can still connect. Local chances fade as the water cools.
Check the live counts on this page or San Diego fish counts to see which boats are getting wahoo right now. For the bigger picture on what else lives in that warm water, see our marlin guide.
