[dropcap]S[/dropcap]eptember marks the beginning of our fall fishery on the Crystal Coast, and that means fun times ahead! The weather gave us a bit of a break with a little cool down in August, so hopefully that will stay the case for September. The water temps will start to cool off a bit and we should be able to start finding more defined temperature breaks, which will help us all find better catches of pelagics.
Our primary focus for the fall is wahoo with the usual âcookie cutterâ 20- to 25-pound fish being the typical catch, but thereâs also a potential for a monster âhoo to make your day! As we get into the fall, we begin to switch our entire spread over to wire leaders, #8 or #9 piano wire to be specific. Over the years we have found that nothing really shies away from this thin wire â mahi, tuna, sailfish and, of course, wahoo will all pile right onto your bait. You will definitely want to be running your planer rod (or cleated planer setup if that is what you have) be- cause the deep baits will often make the vast majority of your fall bites. If you are actively watching your planer rod like you should, you will be able to see the bite and possibly be able to jig him back to that bait, but you should also get someone to jig on the shotgun bait, as these fish very often cut off the planer bait and fall off to hit the shotgun. I personally prefer darker baits for wahoo fishing, but have found that anything with a good contrast can produce â and donât be afraid to run a white bait or a naked one, because sometimes the fish will get finicky and key in on the different bait. These fish generally show better in the 20- to 60-fathom range, so take a look and find a temp break in those depths and start fishing. They are incredibly fast so it doesnât hurt to speed up your troll a bit, provided you are keeping your baits swimming properly.
This may sound minor, but it is often not taken seriously enough â make a good solid gaff shot, and donât be afraid to put a second gaff into a larger wahoo before bringing him over the rail! Those teeth have ruined many a fishermenâsâ day, usually from getting too excited and being careless. A wahoo rarely performs acrobatics behind the boat, but stick a gaff in him and toss him onto the deck and he is likely to go crazy. Make a good shot and control the fish before you bring him in! Blackfin tuna can show up in pretty good numbers in the fall so keep an eye out for these guys,
I have often caught some very nice wahoo that were chewing on a school of very small tuna. You may still find an occasional mahi or maybe a stray yellowfin tuna, and keep an eye out for a sailfish sneaking into your spread. I have found that all these fish will pounce on our typical wahoo spread, so I donât really change anything to look for them.
Watch the weather and head on offshore to a good spot this fall…the fish will be here and they are going to be hungry. If you are prepared and keep your mind in the game and your eyes on the spread, you and your crew can have a fantastic day on the water and bring home one of the best tasting fish in the sea!