Wahoo Fishing – Gold Coast Charters

Fishing for Wahoo.

Wahoo are a pelagic fish species that frequent Gold coast waters between December and April. Wahoo are very similar in shape to a Mackerel but can be distinguished by its different jaw shape, and the length of its dorsal fin. Not to mention its colour pattern of cobalt blue bars over their long streamline silver sides. A big wahoo is a truly majestic fish when first removed from the water. By the same token, they lose their colour quickly. A prime sport fish regularly taken on board our offshore deep sea fishing charters off the Gold coast.

Baits and Lures For Wahoo

Generally speaking wahoo are usually taken while trolling either large hard bodied or hex head skirt style lures. However they also respond to well presented dead or live baits. Best baits include live yellowtail scad, slimy mackerel, tailor, small tuna, bonito, and pilchards. Other species are often encountered when targeting Wahoo off the Gold coast, these include mackerel, marlin, cobia and sailfish. Big wahoo are a true speedster, they can swim at extreme speeds and have been known to hit lures when trolled at speeds up to 16 knots.

Their scissor like jaw action with razor sharp teeth can easily bit through monofilament line so a short wire trace is essential to avoid snip offs and the loss of expensive lures. Even this is no guarantee! We’ve seen several wahoo bite through 300lb wire over the years.

Wahoo are a fairly solitary species but some times of the year they do move in small schools and multiple hook ups are not uncommon. They are a pelagic species and tend to swim high up in the water column near the surface. Its not unusual to see a Wahoo swim right up to back of the boat in the burley trail.

Tackle Required

Heavy tackle is required to stop these brutes, we recommend a main line between 10-20kgs on a reel that has a good line capacity. The Wahoo’s initial run is usually long and extremely fast, only the best quality reels will stand up to them.

Wahoo are a highly prized game fishing species and also make great table fare, a boat is essential for catching Wahoo off the Gold coast as they are very rarely taken from the shore, if you don’t have a boat and would like the chance to try and catch a Wahoo you can visit our home page for more information.