Males are able to reproduce when they reach 2.8 feet in length females are sexually mature when they reach 3.3 feet. Male wahoo appear to reach maturity at a smaller size and possibly younger age than females. They usually live to about six years of age but can live longer. Wahoo are sexually mature at one to two years of age. The Lahaina Harbor record is 78 pounds aboard the Charger back in 1984 by Capt. The Hawaii state record is 133 pounds, three ounces in 2000 off Pohoiki, Hawaii. The current IGFA all-tackle record is by a woman at 184 pounds, eight ounces on 80-pound test from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 2005. Not only do they get long, they get girthy. A 183-pounder was almost seven feet long. Latitude appears to influence size, with average weight increasing with distance from the equator, apparently correlated to cooler temperatures.Ī 58.4-pound fish caught was five feet, three inches long a 66-pound fish was five feet, three-and-a-half inches long with a 71.7-pound fish five feet and six inches long. After reaching a length of 38 to 41 inches, individuals grow at a rate of 1.2 to 1.5 inches per month. Typically, individuals attain a size of 39 to 66 inches. The maximum reported size for the wahoo is 98 inches total length with a maximum weight of 184 pounds. Two- and three-year-olds are five feet long. They grow fast, attaining a length of three-and-a-half feet the first year. They are also often found near banks, pinnacles and flotsam (natural debris drifting in the ocean). They are frequently found alone or in small, loosely connected groups rather than in compact schools. Most often the peak ono season is between late spring and early fall, and they are normally found in abundance during the summer. Wahoo live in tropical waters year-round but move with the changing seasons, traveling into cooler waters during warm summer months.

Wahoo are open ocean swimmers found near the surface in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. The Hawaiians had long recognized the quality of wahoo with their name “ono,” meaning delicious or tasty. Then and now, Oahu, which they pronounced and sometimes spelled “Wahoo,” was an important base. The name “wahoo” logically dates from the early whalers and missionary settlers seeing and utilizing the fine edible species in the Hawaiian Islands. It was scientifically named (Solandri) to honor the great Swedish scientist on board the Endeavour, Dr. In 1769, the crew on James Cook’s Endeavour, north of Tahiti, caught the first of these speedsters to be recorded in the Western world. That “tribe” contains the 18 species of Scomberomorus (king and Spanish mackerels) around the world, with the unique wahoo in its only species, Acanthocybium solandri.Įven the names, both common and scientific, are interesting. What exactly is a wahoo? It is a unique member of the tuna family called Scombridae a “tribe” line of the tunas and mackerels called seerfish. It can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour in short bursts, allowing quick capture of prey species. Wahoo, better known in Hawaiian waters as ono, are the biggest, fastest and meanest mackerel in America. Little is known of the early life history of wahoo, however it is known that wahoo larvae are pelagic and prefer shallow water less than 330-feet in depth.The best day saw 30 ono caught, with two other days seeing 19 fish hanging. An average female may produce 60 million buoyant eggs per spawning. In the western central Atlantic, wahoo spawn from May through August with peaks in activity during June and July.

The simultaneous presence of wahoo at varying stages of maturity may indicate year-round spawning in some areas. Spawning appears to occur over an extended period of time, at sites in the Caribbean Sea and near Florida. Wahoo have been recorded swimming at speeds of up to 47 miles per hour in short bursts, allowing quick capture of prey species.

Their fusiform body and great endurance allow them to pursue and overcome prey, which can be readily captured with their strong jaws. They have been recorded feeding on tunas, little tunny, porcupinefishes, flyingfishes, dolphinfish, jacks, herrings, pilchards, scads, and lanternfishes, as well as many other species. Wahoo feed primarily upon other pelagic fishes, as well as squid. Food Habits:Īlthough wahoo are attracted to floating debris, their diet suggests they venture out to forage in open waters. Wahoo reach maturity between 1 and 2 years of age and live 5-6 years of age. International Game Fish Association (IGFA), the all-tackle record is 184-pounds and on a fly 77-pounds, 2-ounces. Latitude appears to influence size – increasing in cooler waters. After reaching a length of 38- to 41-inches, individuals grow at a rate of 1.2- to 1.5-inches per month. Typically, individuals attain a size of 39- to 66-inches. The maximum reported size for the wahoo is 98-inches total length, with a maximum weight of 182-pounds.

Wahoo fish other names