Wahoo

Wahoo are long, slim, torpedo-shaped mackerels with an electric-blue back, silver sides crossed by 25–30 vertical cobalt bars that flare on a hooked fish, a long beak-like jaw packed with razor teeth and a saw-toothed dorsal fin. They are the largest member of the Scomberomorus-like mackerels and live in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. US anglers find them in the Gulf Stream off the Carolinas and Florida, around the Bahamas, over Gulf of Mexico rigs and ledges, off Southern California in warm years, and year-round in Hawaii, where they are called ono. Most run 15–40 lb; 60 lb-plus fish are trophies and the all-tackle record is 184 lb.

Wahoo are solitary or travel in small groups, hunting flying fish, squid, skipjack and small dolphin along drop-offs, seamounts, weed lines and floating debris, usually in 100–600 ft of water on the edges of blue currents. Their first run is the fastest of any gamefish hooked on trolling gear, often 200 yards in seconds, followed by a stubborn, head-shaking fight. Because their teeth part mono instantly, wire leaders and heavy-duty lures are standard. High-speed trolling for wahoo is a sport in itself, particularly in the Bahamas, and the firm white meat is among the finest in the ocean.