Do you know how to setup your High Speed Wahoo Trolling Spread to catch big fish?

Speed and weather will influence which spread you will choose when High Speed Trolling for Wahoo. When the ocean is flat and you are on plane going 20 knots (23 mph), then you hear the clicker screaming a single constant tone. You know you chose the right high speed wahoo trolling spread for that day! Then you hear not one, but three reels crying out their song. What could be better? Wait till you learn about using a tag line release and a shotgun line!
We are about to get blood on the boat and everyone on board will like it!!!

Speed and weather will influence which spread you will choose when High Speed Trolling. Wahoo (also called Ono) can swim at least 60 mph, You will not out troll them. Go FAST! Going fast is good, getting up on plane is good, but getting your teeth knocked together is not. So limiting your speed in relation to the waves and current are also a good thing. When you are limited on the choppy days to 10 knots, you will still have options. It will be harder to keep some baits down below the water line. (rougher water = deeper wahoo) The extra drag created and speedily taken away will mess with some spreads. Weed lines, getting broken up and pushed in, have hampered more than one day for me.

Let’s dive in and get to the 5 methods I use to High Speed Troll for Wahoo! As most of you visiting this post, I would expect have more than a general idea as to what high speed wahoo trolling is, and what is involved when the boat gets up on plane. This may be a little simplified, but for a few of my new friends, they had no idea what they were getting into… Back to the subject. Today we will only cover high speed trolling. There are so many other options such as slow speed with live bait, fast and slow pitch jigging, and the simplified way of trolling a ballyhoo with a skirt at 6 knots. These are not the topic of the day. So let’s not think of them for now. Let’s talk about the 5 ways I High Speed Troll for Wahoo!

1. Weighted Wahoo Trolling Lures, they are first on my list!
2. Deep Diving Plugs are my newest obsession to high speed troll for wahoo.
3. Planers are another option that I have used on occasion.
4. Downriggers are always used when I troll for dolphin and I have used them when I kicked the speed up. (Hint double #64 rubber bands)
5. All followed up by high speed trolling for wahoo Naked! Relax, you will learn more about trolling naked soon.

This is what people think of when they hear High Speed Trolling for Wahoo!

Going 20 knots, dragging heavy weights in front of really large cone shaped lures with very long skirts. That’s High Speed Wahoo Trolling! All in hopes of hooking up with that zebra striped demon. Yes that dream stealer that is also being aggressively followed by the TAX MAN! Did I say GO FAST YET? Are you interested in what we have to offer? It’s an INTENSE way to fish. Also one of the most dangerous. Can you tell I am addicted? Other than freediving, picking out the individual monster of a wahoo from the pack, and sticking it with nothing more than a big stick and a rubber band. There is not much more in this industry that I can say I enjoy more.

Once the addiction of trolling a lure at these speeds has begun, you will have trouble finding a more adrenaline creating way to get your fix. Have you ever been shocked by an electric socket so bad it tossed you across a room? Yeah it’s something like that. Oh, you will also need to have an experienced crew on board to make this safe for those involved. No need to get tossed around now is there. We will talk about that fish catching crew soon.

Breaking the organization down for this spread, we will start with a single outfit.

The Rod, usually prefer a heavy bent butt with roller guides. The Reel, please use at least a 50 wide and 80 wide is wise. The Line, braid and shouldn’t run less than 80 pounds, I like hollow core too. The Weight, snapped onto the line with swivels, 1 to 5 pounds of lead or stainless steel. Weight can be attached with harness, but I prefer not for this method. The Shock Cord, 25 feet of 220 hard mono leader. The Ball Bearing Swivel, crimped, NO knots here. The Lure, cone shaped, either resin or stainless steel. Weighted is a plus. The Hook, #10 or #11 J hook. Yep, this is just the beginning!

You are not going to cross over your favorite fresh water bass rod for this morning adventure. Nope, nope, nope!

When we have Rough Days on the water fishing we must make altercations to the spread!

We have from two lines on a rough day all the way up to six lines on a calm morning. What the spread looks like from a drones eye view. You are using a drone right? Anyway, looking down. Rough days may call for as little as two lines in the water. Let’s start with a three rod spread. I set the longer line in the port rod holder and send it out 250 feet with 16oz of lead. This is my long shallow lure. The starboard rod gets 48oz’s of lead and only 150 feet out. Close in and deeper. If possible I will add a heavy cowbell, usually 48oz’s before adding lead, as a third in the center 75 feet back in the center of the white water wash.

On the good days of fishing flat calm morning waters, we rock it!

This is a more complex lineup and only when we have at least five experienced people on board. We run one in each corner, port and starboard. One on each side using a tag line release. (more on this soon) One way the heck out, yep out of sight. The sixth is up close and personal to the motors.

The weighed spread broken down, we have the shotgun long line out 500 to 600 feet with no weight at all. Just skipping along by it’s lonesome. The tag line releases are attached to the outriggers. They run 350 and 450 feet back with a pound on each. The corners get set back, one with 3 pounds and runs 250 feet back, the other has 4 pounds and pulled 150 feet back. These baits I tend to run farther out than most people high speed trolling. But then, that heavy cowbell keeps showing up between 50 and 75 feet back and makes a lot of noise about it too. Yes THAT close and it gets hit HARD. Have the drag set as light as you can, it’s up close, and personal at 50 feet.

I will be trying a 64 oz weight once I get my hands on one. That’s 5 pounds of weight and the added weight of the lure cutting threw the water at 20 knots!

When the chop starts to come up or we don’t have the crew, we drop the tag line release baits from the spread and maybe that noisy thing chasing our props. Even with all of the heavy weight. This spread only drops the lures down from 5 feet on the far lines to 20 feet on those heavy ones up close to the boat. That cowbell, beware of it, do I need to remind you it likes to jump around in that squirrely water.

The Yo-Zuri Bonita has been a staple in my trolling spread nearly every time I put lines out and the outboards are in gear. Speed didn’t seem to make much difference until I hit 8 knots as it runs tight. Once I topped over 8 knits the plug started to cause a little more issues with the light tackle I was using. Throttle forward three decades to expand my trolling addiction, buying heavier offshore trolling gear, the addition of hollow core braided line, now the Yo-Zuri started breaking the 8 knot barrier. It has been ripping up the white water and it is increasing speeds along the way. Some say it can be pulled steadily at 15 knots with the right conditions and gear. Give me a month and we will test it to the maximum limits it can withstand before breaking the surface.

Next up, MagTrak! This thing looks amazing! I was disappointed when upping the speed and trolling it. It had an extreme price tag when I bought it, yet it didn’t produce for me. This high speed wahoo plug will get a lot more testing as I really think it will do well. I thought it would destroy the Yo-Zuri numbers. One part of my testing will be running a heavy mono leader and ditch the multi strand wire after seeing how Nomad Design are running their plugs.

One key feature I really like on the MagTrak is the front hook has a slot and magnet that pulls the hook into an optimum location. This also keeps the hook from scratching the lure and becoming fouled up onto itself.

BONITA YO-ZURI and MagTrak

If you are high speed trolling for wahoo with plugs, The DTX Minnow and The Madmacs are two wahoo lures that you MUST add to your spread. Nomad Design has shaken up the industry with these two plugs.

 The DTX Minnow and The Madmacs

High Speed Wahoo Trolling with a Planer Board is Often Called the “Poor Man’s Downrigger.” 

For a long time the planer board method for trolling was a mystery to me. There was not much information about them and I didn’t know anyone that was currently using them. It wasn’t till I read about a planer in a magazine and how to use them for kingfish did I start to understand just how effective they could be. One draw back was the need to hand line the fish to the boat, the other was how slow of a speed I was limited to.

The rage today is using a bridle to harness the planer to the line. With a few simple snap swivels tied onto the line using rigging floss, I was able to add and remove the planer at will. The planer didn’t need to be tied or crimped to be used.

Speed was still a major factor on how I used the planer. It always seemed to trip when I became a little heavy on the throttle. What did I find as a cure? Braid! I was running 150 feet of 400 pound mono leader as a shock cord. This was unnecessary to use on a planer with the equipment I was using. Since I was now using a bridle I was not going to be hand lining a wahoo or kingfish to the boat. Using 100 feet of the 80 pound braid I used as a main line with a 25 to 50 foot shock leader spliced into the braid, I still had some shock absorption. It’s not as good as all mono leader for shock, but it will do. It also let me up my speed again as there was less drag in the water.

Yes, I did mention kingfish in the last paragraph. Since I am now trolling at 8 to 12 knots I am also getting a few hits from kighfish. They are running on the higher size, but it is still a bycatch I would rather not have when focused on trolling for wahoo.

When I high speed troll for wahoo using a planer spread I use 3 rods and only 2 of the rods have a planer. Adding more to the spread has only caused to much confusion and lost fish. Can you run more, yes, but I don’t.

The spread has a shotgun line out the back with an Islander type lure. I set that one out first and it is 5oo feet back. Yep it’s another turn long line. The next planer rod is set in the port corner rod holder and runs 300 feet back, again with an Islander type lure. The third rod has a planer and is placed in the port corner. This one also has an Islander type lure set back 150 feet. Remember we also have 150 feet of leader after the planers so we have a lot of line out.

Downriggers are recommended to be trolled at 6 to 9 knots! Oops, I didn't get the memo. I attached a couple rubber bands to a ball bearing snap swivel. Dropped it down 90 feet and gave it speed. Granted I was never trolling a heavy lure with a lot of drag. Most of the time I used a skirt with a small lead weight in it and kept the terminal tackle to a minimum. Biggest drawback was dragging a small fish for who knows how long. But the 15 to 25 pound wahoo I have caught using this broke the rubber bands with ease. One hit it as I was still lowering the ball. Another time a 30 pound bull dolphin hit it only 5 feet below the surface as I was still rigging the ball. Ripped the line out of my hand.

When using downriggers in this non typical way, I only use three rods. You will be checking often and adding more to the mix is more complication than necessary. The way I start is with a center held shotgun rod, 500 feet back with a very light lure. This runs on top or just below the surface. Next is my port corner rod holder dropped down 30 to 40 feet down. (lure runs about 10 to 15 feet down) The other corner rod holder will be set 90 feet down. (lure runs about 25 to 30 feet down) All using a 25 foot shock cord with a wax line loop to hold the two rubber bands. This spread I try to pull till just before the breaking point of the rubber bands. No more than 12 knots and 10 would be wiser.

Trolling a Naked Spread has been saved for early mornings when the water is like glass. These lures will not get down in the strike zone for wahoo like the other spreads do. It still catches fish. Even sailfish will hit these lures fished this way. So what is a Naked Spread? It's when I troll three rods all using similar unweighted lures at around 12 knots. I have used Ilander Lures for ages with this method. In the past year I have found Connley Fishing and the lures they make. Their 10 oz Small Torpedo seems to track very well and gets down a little deeper. This Naked Spread I run a shotgun rod down the center 400 to 500 feet back. The port corner rod set back to 350 feet and the other is at 200 feet back. Using a similar spread and distance I would use for tuna, but faster.

Know These Tips Before Trolling For Wahoo!

• Don't Slow Down! Get that head out of the water as fast as possible! Make it SURF!
• Turn into deeper water as soon as possible! Sharks LOVE Wahoo Too!
• Use tie-downs!!! Tie your rods and reels to the boat! You are going FAST and rods will fly out of rod holders!
• Be sure your rod holders have reinforced caps. I have had my cap broke open, rod holder come up, and rod flew out of boat!
• Drop back and jig the other lures for doubles and triples. Make the lures move erratically.
• Leave the rods in the rod holders. Reel in while in the rod holder. Do not use stand up gear!
• Just as Swordfish love motors, so do Wahoo. Watch what side of boat they need to be brought to.
• Bleed and Chill in an ice bath immediately. Make a slush of Saltwater and ice. Don't use Freshwater.
• Wahoo are VERY Dangerous on deck. They will bite you!

Lures trolled anywhere from 5 to 25 feet down is far more productive than one trolled at the surface when trolling for wahoo.

When building a team for competitive high speed wahoo trolling at tournaments, organization is important. Everyone has a specific part to play and they must keep their position, just as in any team sport. Know your roles and jobs as this is a very dangerous way of fishing.

I like to have these positions covered. A Captain, Mate, Camera, Gaffer, Leader, and a person for each rod in the spread.

• Starting with the Captain. Our Captain is in charge of the boat. What the Captain says goes right! Well here we need the Captain always on the wheel. The focus of keeping he boat moving and navigating in a safe direction at all times. It's the Captains job to know what direction to point the boat and how to make corrections as a Wahoo is being brought up to the boat to be gaffed.
• Our Mate on my boats have had the job of making sure to watch out behind the boat for the Captain. Knowing where everything is in the spread at all times. Plus directing where everyone must be when the action starts.
• A person on the Camera is important, even more so with some of the tournaments. I like to have someone dedicated to running the cameras and documenting each trip.
• Knowing how to Gaff an angry Wahoo is a very serious position. One person should be dedicated to gaffing all of the fish coming on board.
• Having a person dedicated to pulling the Leader once the weight is in the boat keeps the organizational flow going.
• One person should be dedicated to each rod. If you are fishing a 6 rod spread, have 6 people with hands on experience for each rod.

Using this organizational method during High Speed Trolling for Wahoo is the best layout I have seen. You can change up the positions from time to time during the day, but each person must be at ready to do their part to keep a safe boat.

A complete high speed wahoo trolling rig can be made up of a multitude of combinations.

Lunar cycle determines the tides and initiates feeding times.

Season determines where they are moving to and from.

Weather determines the speed and depth to fish.

Getting up on plane and the white water wash are two major influences in the way that you troll for wahoo. Most boats can get up on plane between 10 and 19 knots. Trolling at 19 knots will limit what you put out in your spread and the conditions that you can fish in. The white water wash will also be a sizable factor. If you are running a center console with 5 motors running just to keep up on plane, you will have a massively wide and deep swath of white water that you need to keep clear of.

Recently I have become a huge fan of some of the catamaran center consoles that have some out. In particular are the SeaHunter Boats line. They have three different sizes that all get up and go and the white water seems to be a lot less than my mono hull had. Seeing the results of a SeaHunter 46 CTS with two of the outer engines off, while trolling was very eye opening to me. I will need to do some more testing just to be sure it's what will be the next Coral Heads boat, but it is in good standing as of now.

What boats have you used for high speed trolling, were they fast on plane? What about the white water, were you able to keep a line in the clean water?

How Your Boat Influences The Way You Troll For Wahoo

So you like High Speed Trolling, wait we haven't talked about using live bait or slow pitch jigging or I hope you liked this information.

Wahoo like fast lures, will they hit a slow bait, Yes. But they will react to fast lures and baits more than slow. Plus you are covering much more water. Wahoo are a very nomadic fish and will move from one structure to another very often. They don't school like a dolphin or tuna. Yet they will be found in loose packs around structure. We have found that high speed trolling has been the optimum way of finding them. Once located cover that area well as there may be more. Have you tried high speed trolling?

Our Favorite Brands and Educational Websites (Not Sponsored Links)

• In The Spread - High Speed Wahoo Trolling Videos
• Florida Sport Fishing TV+ Streaming 24/7/365
• Black Bart for Wahoo Lures
• Connley Fishing for Custom Wahoo Fishing Rods and Lures
• Diamond Fishing for a complete High Speed Wahoo Fishing System

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