Wahoo
Acanthocybium solandri · Hoo, ono
Texas has a real, nationally known winter wahoo run. From mid-December through March (January–February core) the fleet runs 100+ miles to the Flower Garden Banks, Stetson and the shelf-edge rocks just inside the 100-fathom curve, where wahoo hold on the bank edges in 68–75 °F blue water while the rest of the shelf is cold. Typical fish run 40–80 lb; the state record is 124 lb, caught off South Padre in July 1987.
October: GoodEarly fish show as the water cools.
Texas and federal rules · Checked Oct 22, 2026
- Daily bag
- No Texas or Gulf federal bag limit
- Size
- No minimum
- Season
- Open all year
The Atlantic's 2-per-person limit doesn't apply in the Gulf. Louisiana set a 5-fish limit in 2025, and the Gulf Council has asked the states to consider rules: check before you go. In the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary: hook and line only, no anchoring.
Check the current rules ↗At a glance
- Best months
- Dec–Mar; Jan–Feb core
- Where
- Bank and rock edges in 150–350 ft near the 100-fathom curve
- Water temp
- 68–75 °F in winter (70–76 °F is ideal)
- Time
- The first two hours after sunrise
- Troll
- 6–9 kt with big lipped plugs; 12–18 kt with leads
How to identify them
- Long, torpedo-shaped body with a long, beak-like snout and a mouth full of razor teeth.
- Electric blue back and 20–30 dark blue vertical "tiger" bars down silver sides (fading after death).
- Long, low first dorsal fin; no spots. King mackerel have no bars and a shorter snout.
Month by month
- JanPeakPeak: the Flower Gardens, Stetson and the shelf-edge rocks; trips in the one-day windows after a norther.
- FebPeakPeak continues; the Texas Winter Wahoo Championship runs Jan 1 – Mar 31.
- MarGoodTapering through March as the water warms.
- AprFairScattered; blue-water species shift to mahi and billfish.
- MayFairA bonus on the spars and weedlines.
- JunFairSummer fish at the floaters and rips; deeper at midday.
- JulFairBycatch while trolling for mahi and billfish; the state record came in July.
- AugFairSame: weedlines, rips and spars in blue water.
- SepFairTransitional; floaters and spars.
- OctGoodEarly fish show as the water cools.
- NovGoodThe banks start producing in 72–75 °F water.
- DecPeakNumbers arrive mid-December: Wahoo Winter begins.
Where to find them
The Flower Garden Banks and Stetson
Salt-dome banks on the outer shelf about 100 nm (115–120 mi) southeast of Galveston; Stetson about 80 mi from land. Wahoo hold on the rock edges in 150–220 ft of water, just inside the 100-fathom curve. Sanctuary rules: hook and line only, no anchoring.
Shelf-edge rocks and rigs
Rocks begin west of the Flower Gardens and run east along the shelf. Off Port Aransas, the Southern and Baker rigs 35–45 mi out fish in 250–300 ft from January into February, and the floaters 110–125 mi out in late winter.
Summer
Wahoo spread to the spars, floaters, weedlines and rips in blue water, where they're mostly a bonus while trolling for other fish.
Texas spots to try
| Spot | From | Run |
|---|---|---|
| East and West Flower Garden Banks | Galveston / Freeport | ~100 nm (115–120 mi) |
| Stetson Bank | Freeport | ~80 mi |
| Southern and Baker rigs | Port Aransas | 35–45 mi, 250–300 ft |
| Deepwater floaters (Boomvang, Hoover-Diana) | Freeport / Port O'Connor | 100–125 mi |
| Perdido | Port Isabel | ~120 mi east |
From the wahoo research (Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, Salt Water Sportsman, NOAA). Distances approximate.
How to catch them
Lipped plugs at 6–9 kt
The Texas and Louisiana standard: two 10.5 in Rapala Magnums 40–50 yd back on the riggers, two Braid Marauders 15–30 yd back on the flat lines, one lure in the prop wash. Firetiger, orange/black, black/purple and blue mackerel colors.
High-speed trolling
Tournament boats troll 15–18 kt with 2–4 lb leads ahead of 1–2 lb skirted lures on 400 lb cable, covering about a mile back and forth over the bank edge.
Dawn and live bait
At first light, slow-troll ballyhoo under a pink Ilander. At the rigs, jig blue runners on a Sabiki and slow-troll or drift them on wire.
After the strike
Keep the boat moving and circle back: winter wahoo travel in packs and the second and third strikes often come fast. Cast poppers or irons to the school.
Reading the conditions
Water temperature
In January and February, 68–75 °F water on the shelf edge is the warmest around, which is why the fish stack there. A front that drops the water below about 65 °F sends them deeper.
Weather windows
Winter windows are usually one day, sometimes half a day, after a norther lays down and before the east wind returns. Most boats run out overnight, fish the night for swords or bottom fish, and troll at dawn.
Current and edges
Fish the up-current side of the bank and any temperature or color break along it. Eddies touch the Flower Gardens about 15 days a month and change the water fast.
Moon
Full-moon lore is anecdotal; no study ties it to Texas wahoo. The map gives the moon only a tiny weight.
Tips from the water
- Be on the bank edge at sunrise; the first two hours are the bite.
- Wire or cable, always: wahoo bite at the head and cut mono instantly.
- Work S-turns along the edge, not over the shallow crest (barracuda live there).
- Keep the boat in gear during the fight to keep the line tight.
Common mistakes
- Running out on a marginal day and getting caught by the next front.
- Mono leaders.
- Stopping the boat after the first hookup and losing the pack.
Handling and release
Wahoo teeth are razor sharp: use a gaff and keep hands clear of the mouth even when the fish looks dead. Bleed and ice them right away.
Use it today
- Best wahoo spots right now
- How to find fish offshore
- Conditions and Gulf seas today
- Moon & weather
- Fishing reports
- Wahoo guide
By port: Sabine · Bolivar · Galveston · Freeport · Sargent · Matagorda · Port O'Connor · Rockport · Port Aransas · Corpus Christi · Port Mansfield · South Padre
Go deeper
The full wahoo guide: the winter run, charts, tactics and the bite model →
Sources (5)
Other species
Regulations change: confirm bag and size limits in the TPWD Outdoor Annual and with NOAA Fisheries (federal waters) before you keep a fish. Not for navigation.