A state record fish was landed last week–and it wasn’t one of the fish that we typically think of when we talk about fishing around the Cape and Islands. It was a wahoo.
A wha-what?
The 182-lb fish was landed aboard the Castafari, a 45-foot charter boat out of Red Brook Harbor, in Pocasset. The fish was almost seven feet long.
Perhaps you've come across wahoo on a menu somewhere. Wahoo are long and torpedo-shaped. They're aggressive, fast swimming fish. Fishermen know them for their dangerously sharp teeth, with jaws that cross like scissors.
Though the Castafari is out of Pocasset, it was fishing a good distance south of the Cape, sixty or so miles offshore, in an area known as the Northeast Canyons. This is where the continental shelf breaks into underwater canyons, offering access to very deep water. The Gulf Stream interacts with this underwater structure, creating an ecosystem that attracts open-water fish that we normally think of as more southerly species, including marlin, yellowfin tuna, and wahoo.
According to Kevin Blinkoff, of On The Water magazine, wahoo used to be considered a fairly unusual summer visitor to the offshore waters. In part this was because fishermen didn't used to look for them. Most fishermen went offshore looking for tuna. But that's changing. Now that fishermen are more aware of the prevalence of wahoo at the Canyons, they've begun to target them specifically, using wire leaders and trolling especially fast.
You'll find more details on targeting wahoo in the The Fishing News audio posted below. We've also got the week's local fishing round-up, including news of smaller bluefin tuna about 20 to 30 miles south of the Vineyard that have got fishermen excited. Give it a listen.
