This quick guide will tell you everything you need to know about what wahoo taste like, where to find them, and how to cook them.

Table of Contents

• Basic Wahoo Info & Facts
• Where to Find Wahoo
• What Wahoo Taste Like
• How to Cook Wahoo
• Wahoo Sushi

Basic Wahoo Info & Facts

Even though it isn’t found in restaurants or markets as often a staple like grouper or swordfish, wahoo are common fish that is found in abundance all over the world’s oceans. A Wahoo may look like a large mackerel at first glance, but they do have very noticeable differences to those familiar with the species.

Wahoo are a part of the same same family (scombridae) as mackerel and tuna. You’ll find them most often in the subtropical regions like the Caribbean and Hawaii and are in demand as a local delicacy. Sportsman also hold them in high regard due to their incredible speed.

Wahoo are bluish green on the top half of their bodies, fading into silver on the sides and bottom. The wahoo body is long and covered in tiny scales . They can weigh up to 180 pounds and tend to feed on squid or smaller fish.

Although wahoo populations can be affected by commercialized fishing, their high reproductive growth allows them to flourish without the threat of being overfished. The population status throughout the Pacific and Caribbean is thought to be high and scientists believe this species is of limited conservation concern.

Wahoo have a shorter life span than most fish, around six or seven years and are usually solitary or travel in small groups of two to three fish.

Where to Find Wahoo

As mentioned already, wahoo are found in subtropical waters throughout the world but during the summer months they can also travel to more northerly regions as the waters warm.

Reliably locating wahoo can be a tall order for a novice, but seasoned captains will usually have a better feel for finding them in their waters. Your best bet is typically anywhere between 90-350 feet, especially if ocean ledges, bottom foundations or wrecks are present.

Because they are solitary or only found in small groups, they are a very expensive fish to catch and in turn, buy. While buying wahoo fresh from a local grocery store may be difficult unless living in subtropical coastal regions like the Gulf of Mexico or the Bahamas, there are plenty of websites that package the fish and ship out worldwide.

Like it is with any other fresh fish, you’ll almost always find the best food quality in a coastal area, so be on the look out if you live or visit places with natural fisheries. Wahoo is definitely not the easiest fresh fish to come by, so take advantage if you see it on the menu.

What Do Wahoo Taste Like?

Wahoo has a firm texture and the meat is a nice white color that will stay that way after being cooked. It has a mild, sweet taste and if cooked properly will be flaky and delicate.

The meat is low in saturated fat and contains many vitamins and minerals essential to a healthy diet. Although wahoo are always in the water year round, the peak season and the time they’d be tastiest, is from May to September.

Wahoo tends to have a moderate-to-high mercury level, which can be toxic in very high doses. Many people are put off when by that fact, but it’s really not an issue aside from extreme cases.

Keep in mind though that, like many other seafood items, certain people are more susceptible to potential illness. Children, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, and those with compromised immune systems should take extra care.

The recommendation is that men and women can safely consume 2 servings of wahoo per month while children should have one serving. This recommendation is based on EPA guidance.

How to Cook Wahoo

Wahoo is a great eating fish that can be cooked in a variety of ways. Because it has a meaty texture to it, it’s the perfect fish to grill but also tastes great baked or broiled. However it’s cooked, the most important thing to remember is to never overcook, it may be easy to do since it’s a lean meat. The best bet is to take the fish out of the oven or grill and let them finish off cooking while covered.

Here’s a simple wahoo recipe to enjoy on the grill:

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 dill sprigs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• lemon juice to taste
• 2 wahoo steaks

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium pan and cook the onions until translucent. Add the dill and turn off the heat. Season the wahoo steaks with salt and pepper and either add them into the pan with the marinade and spoon some on top or put the steaks and marinade into a resealable bag and let sit for twenty minutes. In the meantime, grease the grill and preheat on medium low. When it’s time to grill, turn the temperature back down to low, sear each side for about 2-3 minutes and enjoy!

Can be served with grilled veggies and a salad for a healthy, filling meal.

This recipe can also be made either on the stove, in the same pan used for the marinade, or even in the oven. Since fish is such a versatile food and quick cooking, it makes for the perfect weeknight dinner on busy days.

Wahoo Sushi

When most people think of sushi and the raw fish used for it, they often think of a common choice like tuna. As we’ve previously stated, wahoo is somewhat similar to tuna so it’s naturally a great choice for sushi. Because the wahoo has such a light taste, it would be the perfect starter sushi for someone trying it for the first time.

Don’t let the light taste fool you though because wahoo can be seasoned in many different ways in order to make even sushi veteran’s taste buds pop.

As with any types of raw fish, precautions need to be taken when eaten. There are many different types of food poisonings that can come from raw fish so it’s best if the fish are frozen first in order to kill any parasites.

Final Thoughts

Whether you target them for food or for sport, wahoo are an amazing fish that can too often be overlooked. The light, delicate taste makes them a great choice for novice seafood eaters and seasons pros alike. Because of it’s high reproduction growth and low conservation need, this fish will be around for a long time feeding the population.

Next time you see wahoo on the menu at a restaurant or your local fish market, don’t pass it up! You’ll always be able to find the standard seafood offering like tuna, salmon, and grouper, but wahoo is a special treat that isn’t always in stock.

Also, don’t pass up any opportunity to get offshore and catch a wahoo for yourself. There are few fish in the ocean that can make your drag scream like a wahoo. They’re often harder to reliably locate than many other pelagic species, but well worth the effort when you finally hook up!

If you’re a fisherman or an aspiring seafood chef, be sure to check out more of our offshore fishing guides or our food guides.

It’s absolutely worth it to have a well-made gaff on every boat. There are simply far too many fishing scenarios that call for one and it pays to be prepared with the right tool for the job.

I’ve found that there are a lot of options out there and a surprising lack of information. That’s why I decided to write this short guide to my favorite type of gaff and why it makes the most sense for every style of fishing.

Our Top Pick – Kill Fish All Natural Calcutta Bamboo Gaff

• Price: (Click to check current price on Amazon)
• Length: 3′, 4′, 6′
• Shaft Material: Calcutta Bamboo
• Hook: Heat-treated, double-pronged stainless steel

I never thought I’d be overly excited about a gaff. Then I came across one of these a while back and immediately loved it. You’re not going to find a better gaff anywhere. Kill Fish Company has built what I believe is hands-down the best gaff on the market, especially for the price.

Kill Fish imports real-deal Calcutta bamboo to build this product here in the USA. They go the extra mile in treating and completing the bamboo shaft to give you the perfect grip and leverage. It also looks great, but that’s just a bonus. They have sizes that will fit anyone’s needs. Kayak fishermen will be glad to know that the 3′ length that comes with a wrist strap.

The hook is equally awesome. Rather than just throw on some mass-produced third-party hook, Kill Fish changed the game and created their own. They built a hook that is essentially a stainless-steel spear shaft, bent into shape and heat-treated. It won’t rust and it’s ridiculously strong. To top it off, they welded a second prong to the hook. This makes it far more secure than anything else and eliminates any chance that it will spin loose.

Last but not least, Kill Fish Co. is an awesome company owned by guys who love to fish. When you buy one of their products, you’re getting something that was custom-designed and hand-crafted by people who love and understand fishing. They sell their products on Amazon, so you get the best of both worlds- small business craftmanship and care with the convenience of the world’s most efficient marketplace.

The value really is outstanding. I’ve seen guys custom-make inferior Calcutta bamboo gaffs and sell them online for more than double the price.

Here’s another link to the gaff on Amazon – (Kill Fish Co. Calcutta Bamboo Gaff)

If you’re still on the fence, you probably won’t be after watching this video featuring Kill Fish Co’s co-founder Kevin Fortmeyer:

Benefits of a Calcutta Bamboo Gaff – One Gaff to Rule Them All

Most fishermen have probably laid eyes on a bamboo gaff at one point or another. They’re a common fixture on many an offshore vessel, commercial and recreational alike.

At first glance, you’d probably assume that they aren’t as effective as an aluminum or fiberglass gaff. That’s really not true at all. A good bamboo gaff will perform extremely well and outlast many comparable metal gaffs

There’s also a style-factor involved. Whether or not hardcore fishermen will admit it, there’s an undeniably cool look and feel to a handmade bamboo gaff. A well-made, handcrafted bamboo gaff is just as much a workhorse as it is a work of art.

Calcutta Bamboo is Extremely Strong

The tensile strength of Calcutta bamboo is amazing. Calcutta is far thicker than most other types of bamboo and it’s almost unbreakable. You can flex it just enough without worrying that it won’t snap itself right back into form. This isn’t the case for many other gaffs. Bend a metal gaff and it’s probably going to be stuck that way.

It’s borderline impossible to break Calcutta bamboo within the bounds of normal use. The average person would have an extremely tough time exerting enough force to split it.

Keep in mind that I’m making sure to note that we’re talking about “Calcutta” bamboo here. Other types of bamboo don’t compare and I wouldn’t recommend them for any type of heavy fishing use.

Calcutta is a species of bamboo native to South Asia. It has been commonly used throughout history in everything from house frames to concrete reinforcement to lance shafts for the British army. Landing a fish is comparatively light work compared to those things.

It Will Always Float

Yeah, this seems like a simple thing that all gaffs should accomplish, but you’d be surprised. There are tons of gaffs out there that don’t float at all, which is just impractical for 99% of fishing applications. It’s not a matter of when your gaff will go overboard, it’s when.

A bamboo gaff will come right back up to the surface the moment it releases from a fish. Some metal gaffs will float for just a second before they fill up with water, but a bamboo gaff is buoyant enough to hold itself up. Hook size really doesn’t matter and there’s really nothing out there big enough to pull down a normal-sized Calcutta bamboo shaft.

It Will Last A Very Long Time

We all know the effect that salt has on your fishing equipment. Metal gaffs are no exception and that’s why bamboo is a refreshing option.

Aside from the hook (which shouldn’t be a problem either as long as it’s high-quality steel), bamboo is essentially salt-proof. The construction is so simple and it involves only a few materials like bamboo, cord, and maybe some type of adhesive compound. If you take care of it by giving it the occasional rinse and storing it somewhere out of the sun, a bamboo gaff will outlast plenty of those made out of metal.

Kayak fishermen will especially appreciate a bamboo gaff. No matter how you slice it, gear in a kayak gets wet more often than gear in a big boat. A bamboo shaft will handle regular salt baths a lot better than options with metal components.

It’s Just Way Cooler Than A Metal Gaff

I don’t care who you are or what you have on your boat, there’s something to the old-school look and feel of a natural bamboo gaff. They make plain-Jane West Marine gaffs look like crude substitutes.

Every Calcutta bamboo gaff I’ve ever seen has been handmade and high-quality. The work that goes into making one isn’t overly complicated, but it takes a level of skill. You know when you see one that they put a little more “art” into what would typically be a standard, boring piece of equipment that you stash somewhere in your boat.