After a nice long summer of eating squid, sardines and tinker mackerel up north, the pelagic fish are coming back down the line…coming home fat and with the feed bag on. We have had arguably the mildest summer in recorded history, with very few days above 90 degrees, and no hurricanes. This could also be one of the best wahoo years we have had in quite some time with numbers and size. Now that the first few frost of the (mid atlantic) fall season are just around the corner, so are the fish. This is the time of year I live for, in regards to fishing. Not only are the gag grouper on the march (coming inshore), but all the tuna dolphin, wahoo and billfish are headed back down the break. This is the time when the nearshore water will start to cool, and the “line” will be stacked with fish of every kind. The “line” I am referring to is the temp break of the under 68 degrees on the inshore side, and above that magic number on the offshore side. The water temp breaks may be visible in the form of color change, and/or current, on a sharp line, but many times, it can be very gradual with blended water and a subsurface thermocline.
This is where some of the best wahoo fishing may occur as wahoo are the masters of the thermocline. These are the days to put out the meat sticks (planer rods). This is not the most sporty of all tackle , but neither is dynamite. There have been many days that the planer rods have saved the day, in both numbers and size…with some of the biggest fish coming from 50+ feet deep. The planer rod can be complex, yet simple at the same time. Once you get a handle on how to rig a planer bridal, it will be just a matter of getting to the fish to start the harvesting process. I would strongly suggest a short piece of wire or cable on these baits, and a shot of fluorocarbon ahead of that. The reason for the fluorocarbon is to seal the deal and get the older/larger and wiser fish that may be leader shy fish to commit to the strike. While trolling around, it’s a great idea to keep your eyes on the recorder, and mark some good bottom in the 200-300 foot depths. During the middle of the day, when the troll bite typically slows down, that would be the time to change gears. “Changing gears” consist of stopping on top of good marks of fish/bait and/or structure,dropping in, and fishing a lite line bait out the back on a sliding float set 50 – 75 feet deep. I would suggest dedicating one crew person to the lite line to insure the line stays clear of the wheel(s). This may not be the way you want to finish out your day, but a fat grouper (or six) and some snapper will make a nice addition to the box.
Pay attention to the bait as this is one of the most obvious places to concentrate your efforts. If you see an entire area full of bait…do not leave this area unless you hear dependable “recon” from another boat. The bait is why the pelagics and ground fish are there. Find the bait, find the fish coming back home.
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