Species guide

Wahoo Fishing

Wahoo are related to mackerels and belong to the fish family Scombridae. They live in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide.

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Wahoo

Every charter here names wahoo on its own website, checked on the captain's own site

Check before you keep a fish. Seasons and limits change, sometimes in the middle of a season, and a court or an agency can change them overnight. Seasons and limits are set state by state. The ones on this page are Florida's, copied from FWC and NOAA Fisheries in Sep 2026 and listed with their source at the foot of the page. We are not a regulatory authority. Confirm the rule for the water you will fish with your captain or with that state's wildlife agency.

Where to fish for wahoo

509 charters name wahoo on their own website, across 132 towns in 2 states.

State records for wahoo

The heaviest wahoo each state has certified, biggest first.

StateWeightWhereYearAngler
Massachusetts 182.19 lb Veatch Canyon 2016 Derek Wittkampersource
North Carolina 150 lb Ocracoke 1994 Kevin M. Elwellsource
Florida 139.56 lb Marathon 1960 George Von Hoffmansource
Louisiana 139.25 lb West Delta Block 153 1976 Myron J. Fischersource
Maryland 131 lb Rockpile 2014 John Schaarsource
South Carolina 130.31 lb Murrells Inlet 1998 R. J. Mooresource
Texas 124 lb Gulf of Mexico 1987 Terry Cridersource
New Jersey 123.75 lb 28-Mile Wreck 1992 Robert Carrsource
Alabama 123.38 lb — 2006 David Matthew Sumrallsource
Georgia 123.19 lb — 2000 Michael Stefanicksource
New York 117 lb — 8/17 Jonathan Stabe, Brewster, NYsource
Mississippi 111.2 lb — 1998 Jeffery A. Leesource

Each from that state's own records page, linked on every row. A location links to its town only where the agency named that town — a record logged to "Gulf of Mexico" or an offshore block belongs to no city. Weights are printed as the agency prints them. Records are certified by the state and can be broken at any time.

How big wahoo run

Federal interviewers measured 429 of them on charter trips between 2022–2024. The middle half ran 35.5–53.2 inches, with a median of 44.4 inches.

Separately, MRIP's catch records for those trips count 396 kept against 11 released. That is a different tally from the fish that were measured, not a breakdown of them.

  • North Carolina45" median, 291 measured
  • Florida41.9" median, 136 measured

NOAA Fisheries MRIP dockside interviews, 2022–2024. A sample of the fish boats brought in, not a total, and not a forecast for any one trip.

About the fish

SizeUp to 8 feet and 158 pounds. Commonly 3.3 to 5.4 feet
Where it livesTropical and subtropical water, near the surface
What it eatsSquid and fish, including frigate mackerel and round herring

NOAA says wahoo have a short life span, up to 5 or 6 years.

From FWC's species profile, checked Sep 2026.

Which rules apply to your trip

  • FWC publishes one set of limits and links out to the federal rules rather than restating them, so this page does not claim the state numbers apply offshore.

Harvest rules

When can you keep one in Florida?

Seasons and limits are set state by state, and these are Florida's. Wahoo is caught by charters in 2 states on this page; ask your captain which rules apply where you are fishing.

Florida

As published by FWC.

  • All anglersOpen year roundFWC.
No minimum sizeSize limit
2 per personDaily limit. FWC lists no vessel limit.

Questions about wahoo

How many wahoo can we keep?

FWC lists two per person per day.

Is there a size limit?

No. FWC lists the minimum size as none.

Is there a closed season?

No. FWC lists wahoo as open year round.

How big do they get?

NOAA says up to 8 feet and 158 pounds, though they are commonly between 3.3 and 5.4 feet long.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits on this page were copied from FWC, wahoo regulations and FWC, wahoo research page and NOAA Fisheries, Atlantic wahoo in Sep 2026. Rules change, sometimes mid-season. Check the current rule with your captain or FWC before you keep a fish.