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Offshore Species

Wahoo

How do you make a clicker scream bloody murder? Hook a wahoo. The first run makes you wonder if you've snagged a submarine.

We catch good numbers of wahoo here and are always happy when we do. Blue torpedoes — the first run of a big wahoo makes you wonder if you've hooked a submarine.

Our most common method is to troll Yo-Zuri plugs rigged on wire. Wahoo carry a mouth full of teeth sharp enough to cut you if you look at them too long. They stack up at certain times of year and on certain tides, often around high spots or submerged structure — when that happens, we break out the plugs.

We also get wahoo bites live baiting on blue runners or bonito. The hookup rate is lower — they often bite short, cutting the bait cleanly in half, or cut the leader with their teeth. Still, we've caught plenty on fluorocarbon leaders with circle hooks pegged to keep the line away from those teeth.

A wahoo in the Gulf of Chiriquí

On the table

Among the most delicious fish in the ocean.

Wahoo is clean, firm white meat — and it makes great sashimi and ceviche. It's also really hard to beat grilled or sautéed wahoo.

Catch them, release the rest, and let our chefs turn a fish or two into dinner. Few species bridge the spread and the plate as well.

In the spread

Wahoo at the lodge

A Panama wahoo boatside
A wahoo caught in the Gulf of Chiriquí
A father and son with a wahoo

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