Wahoo! Wahoo!

Catch the spring wahoo run from Crystal Coast ports.

Crystal Coast fishermen can take advantage of the spring run of this sought-after bluewater fish.

The Run Off isn’t the fastest charterboat on the Morehead City waterfront, but Capt. Brian Harrington and mate Marty Hiatt work hard to fill the fish box and usually do it well, even if it means a little earlier departure from port.

That sometimes means 5 a.m., but with wahoo waiting along the edge of the Gulf Stream, it’s never a deal breaker, and fishermen are usually excited when they head through the no-wake zone and get up on plane toward Beaufort Inlet and the waiting ocean.

Hiatt spends the long trip out rigging baits and getting the cockpit ready, so that when Harrington brings the Run Off down off plane to start trolling, everything is ready. Expecting a showing of wahoo, plus an occasional yellowfin tuna or dolphin, Hiatt’s spread of baits includes ballyhoo rigged into an assortment of sea witches, plus a few plastic skirted trolling lures — all rigged on wire leaders to keep the wahoo’s teeth at bay. They were set out at various distances behind the boat, with one bait deep in the water.

Only a few minutes into the first trolling run, one of the outrigger clips released with a loud snap. Unfortunately, the fish missed and the snap wasn’t followed by the sound of a screaming reel.

Still, pulse rates shot up with the now-excited fishermen.

“Wahoo,” Hiatt said as he examined and replaced the mangled bait. “They have a knack of striking right behind the hook. They also manage to throw it a lot too, so be ready to go when one hooks up.”

Those words were barely out of Hiatt’s mouth when the big 80-wide with the planer bridle jerked hard, and its clicker began wailing the song all fishermen love to hear. Harrington kept the Run Off at trolling speed for another minute or so, hoping to attract a second strike.

By this time, Scott Davenport, a member of the fishing party, was in position beside the howling reel, and he began to crank as soon as the half-empty reel slowed its backward spin. With the boat slowing some, Davenport gained line on the fish. Suddenly the planer popped out of the water and Hiatt quickly unsnapped it from the bridle on the line. Davenport continued reeling the now tiring fish and in another couple of minutes the snap swivel to the leader reached the rod tip.

With skill gained from many years in the cockpit, Hiatt reached down and grabbed a wrap of leader around his palm. In his other hand, the gaff was positioned for a strike. The wahoo’s stripes flashed across the stern, and Hiatt swung the gaff, impaling the fish near the head. Once he was sure the gaff was secure, Hiatt quickly hoisted the flailing fish into the cockpit.

“Good job,” Harrington said from the bridge. “Let’s get the spread set again and catch another. That’s a good start, but we want some more and some big ones too.”

Shortly after the lines were all in position again, one of the outrigger clips popped loudly, and a reel began singing. Patrick Durfee jumped into the fighting chair, and Hiatt jammed the rod butt into the gimbal, instructing him to reel hard and fast. Durfee was working for every foot of line when suddenly the pressure relaxed.

“Reel, reel fast,” Hiatt said excitedly. “He’s charging the boat and you have to get the line back tight or he’ll throw the hook.”

Hiatt’s prediction was eerily correct. The fish spit the hook.

After a few more missed strikes, some other species caught, a couple of fish lost, the ocean went dead for a while.

“I’ve been following these ledges,” Harrington said, pointing to the shifting bottom terrain on the chart-plotter screen. “I think we’ll move inshore a little and look for an eddy or something else fishy. There isn’t quite as much action out here today as there has been.”

Shortly after pointing the Run Off towards the beach, a current rip became visible ahead. Almost as if following a script, the planer rod bucked from a strike when Harrington steered the Run Off’s baits along side the rip. This time, Carroll “Junior” Lineberger was in position and ready to reel before the fish, a larger one, slowed.

After straining for a while, Lineberger had gained enough line the shine of the planer was visible in the depths. The fish obviously thought this was close enough to the boat and made another run. Several minutes later, Lineberger got the planer to the transom and Hiatt quickly removed it.

“This feels like a nice one,” Hiatt said. “Keep it coming steady, and let’s be sure to get it in the fish box.”

That last hundred feet was the hardest, but after a few minutes a blue-and-silver missile began to materialize in the depths. Once Lineberger reeled it to the leader, Hiatt grabbed the leader and maneuvered it for a gaff shot. A scant few seconds later, he heaved it across the transom, and the big wahoo was flopping on the deck.


DESTINATION INFORMATION:

HOW TO GET THERE — US 70 and NC 24 are the highways that lead to Morehead City, Beaufort and Atlantic Beach, home ports for most boats that head the the bluewater. Fishermen trailering boats to head offshore use two main public ramps: one on US 70 next behind the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries office, one in Beaufort at the east end of Front Street beside the former Beaufort Fisheries menhaden reduction plant.

WHEN TO GO — Wahoo are present along the Gulf Stream edges all year, but the best times are the spring, as the water first starts warming, and the fall, as the water cools. Wahoo move along the warm sides of the temperature breaks and eddies at the inshore edge of the stream and makes them easy to locate.

TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Wahoo require heavy equipment. Some are caught each year on live-bait tackle by fishermen targeting king mackerel, but the fights are long. The standard for wahoo is 50-pound class tackle in stand-up or boat rod configurations. Wire leaders are used to resist cutoffs. Wahoo will strike swimming lures but require heavy-duty lures that will not shatter from the impact of their vicious strike. Plastic trolling lures and medium ballyhoo rigged with Sea Witches are primary lure. Use wire leader and 8/0 or 9/0 forged hooks. Blue-white and red-black are favorite color combinations.

ACCOMMODATIONS — Crystal Coast Visitors Bureau, 800-SUNNY-NC, http://www.crystalcoastnc.org/.

FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Run Off Sportfishing, http://www.runoffsportfishing.com/, 866-259-3631; Wet-N-Wild Sportfishing, 252-504-3862, http://www.wet-n-wildsportfishing.net/; Dancin Outlaw Charters, 252-504-2342, http://www.dancin-outlaw.com/; Mattie G II, 252-622-7481, http://www.morehead-city-fishing-charters-reports.com/, Pelagic Sportfishing, 252-904-3361, http://www.pelagicsportfishing.com/; Rock-N-Roll Charters, 919-604-2466; Sunrise Charters, 252-726-9814, www.time4fishing.com/sunrise. See also GUIDES & CHARTERS in Classifieds.

MAPS/CHARTS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, http://www.captainsegullcharts.com/; SeaLake Fishing Guides800-411-0185, http://www.thegoodspots.com/; Grease Chart, 800-326-3567, http://www.greasechart.com/, Maps Unique, 910-458-9923, http://offshore-fishing-map.com/; GMCO’s Chartbook of North Carolina, 888-420-6277, http://www.gmcomaps.com/.

About Jerry Dilsaver 1168 Articles
Jerry Dilsaver of Oak Island, N.C., a full-time freelance writer, is a columnist for Carolina Sportsman. He is a former SKA National Champion and USAA Angler of the Year.

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