Post-full-moon fishing pays off with big wahoos
The wahoo bite in South Florida was good leadinguptothefullmoon on July 9 and for theweek following the full moon.
Capt. Chris Fay had two trips that produced wahoos of 60 and 40 pounds lastweek.
The 60-pounder was caught fishing on a friend’s boat, Off The Hook, out of Boca Raton Inlet. Fay said they were trolling blue-and-white Sea Witches with bonito strips on 12-0 long shank hooks on No. 4 and No. 6 planers at 8.5 knots when the big wahoo hit at 7:45 a.m. in 260 feet.
“My longer planer rod just started screaming,” Fay said. “I got the planer up after about three minutes and I hand-lined the wahoo up whilemy friend Mike Tarmey put the gaff in him. What a day, what a fish!”
Fay, who works on the Poseidon Too charter boat at the Cove Marina in Deerfield Beach, said the 40-pounder was caught on the same lure and strip bait with Capt. MarkDanley. That fish ate in 250 feet off Boca Inlet.
Wahoofishing willpeak again before and after the next full moon, which is Aug. 7. 129 snakeheads and also caught 54 bass. The next tournament is Aug. 12.
Thomas Mueller of Coral Springs caught a 13.5-pound, 27-inch snakehead fishing in a local canal.
Paul Walansky caught 11.16 pounds of fish Saturday using spinnerbaits and Senkos to win the Everglades Bassmasters of South Florida club tournamenton LakeOkeechobee out of Belle Glade. Ed Knorrwas second at 10.39 using topwater lures, followed by Bob Gallik at 9.92, Michael Laviolette at 8.89 and TomPhelis at 8.7.
Neil and Robyn Naber of Pembroke Pines each tagged and released an amberjack fishing on wrecks in 250 feet, Robyn tagged a sailfish, their son Jesse caught a mutton snapper and they also caught six dolphin Saturday trolling in 1,000 feet out of Government Cut on Bouncer’s Dusky 33 with Capt. Bouncer Smith.
Fishing out of Chokoloskee Island, Capt. Brian Sanders of Davie guided Frank Galluzzo of Plantation and his son Matt to four keeper tripletails and a 30-pound goliath grouper on 20-pound braided line.
Karen Thurman of Marathon caught a 17.5-pound dolphin on Blue Magic to win the MarathonMarlin Tournament. No marlin were caught in the tournament, which was Saturday and Sunday.
Hunter safety: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a hunter safety Internet-completion course from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Deerfield Beach. Students who complete the online portion attend the course, which includes shooting instruction and a written test. Register at myfwc.com/huntersafety or call 561-625-5122.
swaters@ sun-sentinel.com, Twitter @WatersOutdoors