Wahoo! Tournament time for the best fish out there — flying, speeding, or biting
I can’t tell you how many people ask me this question, “What is your favorite fish?”
Before answering, I almost always ask them to be a bit more specific.
“Are you talking inshore fish or fish in general?”
If they say fish in general, the answer is always the same: “Wahoo!”
For you non-fisher people, chances are you have no idea what a wahoo is, what it looks like, where they are found and whether they any good to eat. If there is a one fish near and dear to my heart that I could write an entire book on, that would be a wahoo.
Without getting ahead of myself, this topic got me all pumped up to write about the instant I saw local captain Marc Pincus’ name on my ringing iPhone. Though we have known each other for years, I knew he was calling to tell me that the S.C. Wahoo Series tournament was on for 2020.
Since it began in 2012, Marc has taken this tournament from 22 boats to incredible heights. Just last year, over 100 boats entered from Georgia’s St. Simons Island on up to Little River, South Carolina.
And talk about money, if my memory serves me correctly, last year’s winner walked away with $50,000 in cash and, in all, $140,000 was awarded to other boats that placed. That is some kind of payout.
The tournament is interesting, particularly in the way it is organized. Instead of fishing one or two days in a row, entrants are allowed to fish any three days they choose between Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, April 25. With this format, things like high seas and high winds become a non-issue.
Boats are allowed to weigh in only one fish per trip, with the top prize going to the heaviest two-fish aggregate weight, or should one fish weigh more than the leading two fish aggregate, it wins. Weigh-in stations will be located in four or five locations up and down the coast.
So, what the heck is so special about a wahoo?
Even though they are a member of the mackerel family, their similarity to, say, a king mackerel is possibly their speed, razor sharp teeth and basic body shape. But that is where the similarities end.
Able to reach speeds nearing 60 mph, they are the Rottweiler-Greyhound mix of the sea. The Rottweiler part is simply because of their weight and determination while the greyhound part is obvious. Bullet-shaped, wahoo can grow to over 100 pounds, and when they hit a trolled bait or lure at 40 to 50 mph, it is a sight to behold.
Add to that, excited wahoo possess the ability to “light up.” Normally a drab bluish-gray color, once hooked, vibrant blue and purple stripes that are almost neon appear down their entire length, along with equally incredible bright greens, yellows and pinks.
As for table fare, I will take a wahoo over just about any other fish that swims. If you like sashimi tuna, it doesn’t hold a candle to fresh wahoo. Grill it, broil it — even fried — they are the best of the best.
Why do I get so jacked about these fish? Mostly caught in or near the Gulf Stream, it is almost impossible to describe the crystal-clear blue water out there and if you’re lucky, watch a lit-up wahoo fly 10 feet in the air with one of your baits in its mouth.
Growing up and being lucky enough to have a dad who adored Gulf Stream fishing as much as myself, I have seen techniques for catching wahoo evolve by leaps and bounds.
Because they are attracted to anything flashy, large silver spoons were the ticket back then.
But now, certain color lures with ballyhoo outfish old-school spoons 10 to one.
Even more incredible is high-speed trolling for wahoo. Using heavy artificial lures with a short length of cable to prevent those teeth from cutting through even the heaviest leader, they are trolled from 15 to 20 knots! That is smoking fast but these fish can run that lure down in a heartbeat.
But when using this method, everything, and I mean everything, must be perfect. Knots, line, leaders all have to be flawless because when an 80-pound wahoo grabs it while you are going 20 knots, it is as if you snagged a speeding locomotive. I kid you not.
Wahoo are out there year-round, with March to June being the best months.
You don’t need a huge boat to fish this tournament and with such a huge payout, it may just pay off your mortgage.
Lastly, watch out for those teeth, and for more information, go online to scwahooseries.com or call Marc Pincus directly at 843-298-0377.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 5:30 AM.