The Full Moon and Wahoo!
The Full Moon and Wahoo!by Robert Trosset
The full moon is coming on January 21st and with it is the prime time to hunt wahoo. The three days before and after the full moon are the best times to find them schooling on the reef in schools of 50 fish or more. The large numbers of fish make it easy to get a shot on one but landing a wahoo is something special.
To bring home a wahoo we first have to analyze the body of this extremely fast fish. They are very slim and soft. The lack of heavy bone structure makes for an excellent tasting fish although this presents a problem for the spearfisher. The strong fish can easily tear out a typical reef tip from a spear shaft.
The best way to prevent a tear out is to spread the load out over a broader surface. I like to use a slip tip that is about 5” long with a flexible cord to attach it to the shaft. This increases the chance of landing a fish but it still requires patience.
Once you have the proper tip it is important to slow the wahoo down. They can run faster than 40 mph so if your line comes to a sudden stop it could put tremendous pressure on the fish. I always use a long float line with a small buoy. When I make the shot I can let the entire rig loose to let the buoy do the work. Just be careful it doesn’t hit you from behind.
The most important thing to remember is to always dive with a trained buddy. If you are pushing yourself to find that big trophy fish there is always the chance something could go wrong. When it does you will be thankful your dive buddy is right next to you to fix the problem.
Remember if you need advice or equipment to stop by our shop or book a trip for the fish of a lifetime.
Robert Trosset
FINZ Dive Center
5130 Overseas Hiwy,Key West • 305-395-0880
www.Finzdivecenter.com • Info@Finzdivecenter.com