Wahoo

Wahoo
(Acanthocybium solanderi)

Current I.G.F.A. all time record: 71.89kg (158lb 8oz) - Baja, CA, USA - 10 June, 1996

Description: Numerous dark vertical bands on the side extending to below the lateral line, finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins, long snout, about half the length of the head, gill rakers are absent, first segment of the dorsal fin, with more than 20 spines, is about as high in the mid region as it is in front, upper and lower parts of tail are almost straight up and down.

Other Common Names: Jack Mackerel, Peto, Pacific Kingfish, Ono

Size: Large by standards of most fish families, reported to reach up to six feet and 100 pounds.

Range: Found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate seas. In Western Atlantic waters, they range from New Jersey to Colombia. Migratory, venturing far northward in summer, returning to the tropics with the onset of cold. The Gulf Stream may be a major freeway for their movements, and the Straits of Florida are a favorite haunt.

Natural History: A large, powerful fish, usually loners, found well offshore even to mid oceanic regions. They are voracious predators, swiftly overtaking prey, of which flying fish and halfbeaks are favorites. Little is known of their reproductive habits.

Fighting Characteristics: Possibly the quickest fish in the ocean that will test tackle to the upmost. Reel drags should be silky smooth due to the speed of the fish. Sometimes jumps but generally this species will make quick surface runs.

Courtesy of Billfish Tackle Supply