duces better results because of the diameter..
Live Bait is probably the King of getting finicky
wahoo to bite. Mullets or big Hard Tails work the
best. During the winter months live bait can be
hard to come by, but if you can find it, your success rate will be much higher. A live bait rig is
about a 4ft. wire attached to an owner live bait
hook (5/0) then attach either one or two stinger
treble hooks to the live bait hook with 2-3 inches
of wire in between each hook. When your ready
to rig your live bait you put the j-hook in the
head or mouth then attach 1 stinger treble to the
mid-section, and 1 stinger to the tail section. If
your live bait is small you can get by with a two
hook system, using one j-hook in the head and 1
treble in the mid-section. Be-careful with this rig
because this is the one that sticks fingers and
hands most often. Usually the live bait is not cooperating as your inserting the hooks into his skin
and they will wiggle and squirm, so be sure to
keep a tight grip on the bait to prevent getting a
hook in your handOne of the most important
pieces to your lure arsenal is how you store them.
Between all the treble hooks, wire, huge J Hooks,
and rough seas you can end up with a giant mess
on your hands.
The last thing you want to have to do is untangle your lures during a hot wahoo bite or any
other time for that matter. Most days there isn't
enough time for that and the bite will be over.
You need to be able to get to your bait of choice
quickly and get the line back out into the water.
The most simple and easy way to organize your
diving plugs is by using a 5 gallon bucket and
PVC Pipe. You can get a 5 gallon bucket anywhere. You also need to cut enough 3 inch pvc
and 2 inch pvc in 1ft. sections to fill the five gallon bucket to create a tight fit. Just like that you
created a Wahoo tackle box. Once you have the
bucket ready to go you can drop your diving
baits in it. You want to roll the wire up in a circle
so that it rests tightly at the top of the pvc. This
way you can pull them out of the pvc pipe quickly
without tangling it. You will also want to drill
some holes in the bottom of the bucket so that it
will drain. At the end of the day you can put your
lures back in the bucket and wash them all down
inside of it. Allow everything to dry before storing
it, and your good to go for the next trip.
The type of rods and reels to use is really personal preference. Most people aren't going to
have a rod n reel for each species of fish they
plan to catch. It is however important to use a
high quality reel that can handle a fish that is running 30 mph or faster and burning your drag and
can hold at least 400 yards of braid or mono. A
real with 6:1 gear ratio is definitely a plus. I personally use Torsa 40's spooled with 400 yards of
100lb. braid with an 80lb. mono top shot
matched with medium weight custom stand-up
rods (60-80lbs.). This set-up works great for me
and how I like to fish. Some people use heavy
weight rods and reels (50 tiagras and 80-130lb.
stand up rods) while others go much lighter. The
initial strike is going to be fast and hard so you
just have to be sure that you have the right tackle
and can handle a fish like this. A must have is a
good 6ft. or 8ft. gaff, depending on leader length
and a long pair of pliers or de-hooker to remove