10 Jan 2024
Big Wahoo Are Moving in Off Hillsboro!
Over the next several weeks you can expect to see several pictures like the one here. Several 85-to-95-pound wahoo will be caught while trolling or live baiting right out front of Hillsboro inlet. This fish caught aboard the "Lisa B" and was one of several fish landed in a week last January to almost break the scale! When we start seeing blackfin tuna we know that big wahoo are lurking nearby. Big wahoo will swim around the outskirts of a blackfin school. Be sure to pay attention to your bottom machine as you are trolling. Most of the time you can mark schools of blackfin tuna under the boat between 30 and 50 feet down. If you see the tuna you need to work the area by passing by the school several times in different directions. Most of the time you will get a bite trolling while going with the current at a speed of 9knots. Fresh bonito strips fished on a planer rig is key. If you were going to use live bait I would say kite-fishing is the best method in the correct depth. The best depth for the tuna schools will be in around 250-300 feet of water. Stop by the shop and we can get you dialed in.
Over the last week quite a few mahi-mahi in the 10-to-15-pound range were caught by several anglers fishing inside of 600 feet of water. Most of these fish were caught on floating debris. The storms and the windy conditions produce floaters which are havens for wahoo and Mahi-Mahi.
Farther offshore the swordfish bite is heating up. Rough sea conditions kept most offshore anglers at the dock this week but the few that braved the elements were greeted with success. Several swords over 200 were caught this week and we expect good swordfishing to last over the next month.Â
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With all the windy sea conditions please check the weather every few hours and please stay safe!
For an up to the minute fishing report tune in to 105.9 the Paul Castronovo show and the Papas Pilar fishing report at 6:30 on Friday mornings.
RJ BoyleÂ