“Troll the spoon on a planer about 50 feet down, around 8 or 9 knots,” McElveen says. He uses 50 feet of 80-pound monofilament between the planer and the spoon. “A snap swivel at the spoon helps keep wahoo from biting off, and also prevents the line from twisting as the spoon spins.”
What line do you use for wahoo?
While heavy polyethelyne lines (braided lines) will require a shock cord of 200- or 300-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon leader, monofilament main line has enough stretch in it to absorb the shock of a wahoo hit.
How many pounds of fishing line do I need?
In freshwater, a 4-12 lb test is standard. For small trout and sunfish, a 4 lb test is okay. For bass or general freshwater fishing, 6-8 lb test is the norm. In saltwater, 12-15 il test is standard when using light tackle for smaller species, while 17-20 lb test allows you to target bigger fish.
How much line do I need for offshore fishing?
In general, you can get by with a 6 to 7-foot medium-action offshore fishing rod with a heavy baitcaster reel and 20-pound test monofilament line. If you’re going for deep-sea bottom fishing, however, you’ll need 50-pound line.
What depth should I troll for wahoo?
5 to 15 feet down
Depth and Speed
For wahoo, a lure trolled anywhere from 5 to 15 feet down is far more productive than one trolled at the surface. Subsurface lures and baits trolled rapidly yield more strikes. Although high-speed trolling (upward of 20 knots) is popular for wahoo, many are caught near the 10-knot range.
How fast should you troll for wahoo?
Wahoo (also called ono) can swim at least 60 mph, so trolling at 14, 16 and even 20 knots is now commonplace using techniques developed by Capt. Ron Schatman, winner of a dozen major Bahamas wahoo tournaments over five years.
What is 8lb fishing line good for?
It’s light enough to pull in a pile of Panfish, and heavy enough to get your Largemouth Bass dockside. However, when you get more specialized a lighter test (2-4 Lb.) for Panfish and a heavier test (8-12 Lb.) for Bass is a good rule of thumb.
How strong is 10lb braided fishing line?
10-lb Braid Strength. After several knot strength tests, the FG knot tied to 20lb leader using 5lb braid held up to 11lbs of pressure. This is plenty of pulling structure to handle fish on the flats or open water. On the other hand, 10lb braid tied with 20lb leader held up to 20lbs of pressure.
What is 30Lb braid good for?
We recommend using 20-30Lb braid for if you are site casting to redfish or fishing with artificials. With 20-30Lb braid you should not have a problem catching even the biggest of redfish. Braid is EXCELLENT for red fishing. Braid has excellent castability and very little stretch with makes for great redfish hook sets.
Is 150 yards of line enough?
It’s rare that you’ll need more than 100 yards but 150 will definitely keep you covered! You can do a monofilament backing if 150 yards of braided line is not enough to fill up the spool.
Is 300 yards enough fishing line?
Most freshwater anglers keep a minimum of 150 yards of line on their reel when they’re trolling. For offshore anglers, that number multiplies significantly. Most offshore reels can accommodate 800 yards or more of heavy line, which is critical for landing large gamefish.
Is 125 yards of fishing line enough?
Is 125 Yards of Fishing Line Enough? On a top-shelf 1000 size spinning reel such as the Daiwa Exist, 125 yards of 8-pound mono would be enough. Above this reel size, using 125 yards only will start affecting casting performance unless you increase line diameter significantly.
Is 200 yards enough for surf fishing?
Surf Fishing Reel
Regardless of which style you choose, its important to select a high-capacity reel that can hold at least 200 to 300 yards of line. Always be sure to use a reel designed for saltwater use, as freshwater reels will corrode over time if used for surf fishing!
How do you tell if you have enough line on your reel?
Casting reels should be between an eighth of an inch from the top and all the way to the top. If you get too much line on them, you’ll get a weird sound when you cast. Spinning reels should be all the way full, right to the top. If you get too much line on them, the line will jump off the spool in coils.
What line is best for surf fishing?
Braid
Braid is the preferred line type for surf fishing. Make sure to have enough to fill your reel with the right amount of line. If your reel can spool 500yds of 25lb braided line, then make sure you spool it with about 500yds of 25lb braided line.
What is the best bait for wahoo?
They can be caught on live bait such as speedos, pilchards, blue runners, cigar minnows, ballyhoos, mullet and more. They can also be caught on vertical jigs, and if you find structure floating there is a good chance by dropping a vertical jig down 100 feet or so, the wahoo you are looking for is down there.
Do you have to bleed wahoo?
Bleeding them is key and letting them stay on ice to firm the meat up works well.
Where is the best place to wahoo?
San Salvador & Cat Island, Bahamas
With undersea ledges that drop off sharply just off the islands, the area is a magnet for some of the largest wahoo in the world. The best time to fish these waters is between November and January.
What water temperature do wahoo like?
between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit
Locating the Fish
Wahoo tend to be ambush feeders, so they look for places to hide. Their preferred water temperatures is between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They have, however, been taken in water temperatures as low as 68 degrees and as high as 85 degrees. On rough days wahoo tend to stay deep.
Is wahoo a good fish to eat?
HEALTH & NUTRITION
Hawaii Wahoo is an excellent source of healthy, extra lean protein. It is also low in saturated fat and low in sodium. It is rich in niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus and selenium. Hawaii Wahoo also provides about 375 mg of omega-3’s (DHA and EPA) per 4 ounce serving of fresh fish.
Is 8lb line enough for bass?
For trout fishing, for example, one might use a 4- or 6-pound test line. For bass/walleye/northern pike fishing, use 8-pound test and up. There are three basic types of fishing line: monofilament, fluorocarbon and braid. Monofilament line is the most popular.