Fishing for wahoo is all kinds of action and excitement on the water. But it’s important that you remember that there are some cardinal rules for safety too. Since it’s always safety first, we’ll go over those rules and then introduce to the best trolling rods for wahoo we found on Amazon.
Don’t Be a Yahoo Fish for Wahoo (Safely)
There are some important tips and tricks to make sure you are safe. Don’t put in all the work finding the best fishing rods for wahoo just to injure yourself or others. Part of what makes fishing for wahoo such a thrill is that they are powerful and dangerous fish, and that requires you to be on top of your game, safety or otherwise.
Safety Rules for Wahoo
Always wear boots! You do not want to step on anything sharp. This may sound like common sense. But common sense is a bit of a misnomer if it’s not common at all.
Listen to your deckhands and others on the boat. Especially if they are bringing a gaffed fish over the rail. Sportfishing is a team sport. Your crew will have valuable information and they might be the ones bringing in your prize fish after all. So be sure to listen to what they are saying, even in the midst of the excitement.
Give people a heads up when you are casting. Even if you’re trolling, you’ll want to cast your line out into the right direction. Make sure to yell that you’re casting so others are aware that a sharp-ass hook is in the air somewhere. Even the best wahoo fishing rods are no good when the hook is stuck in a human instead of a fish.
Keep your eye on the jig when casting! Turn your head to watch it. Again. It has the pointy part on it.
Safety pro tip: when retrieving your jig, stop 15’ from the boat and pause. Let it sink and retrieve it slowly the rest of the way. Like Larry Brown says in this blogpost, which outlines these rules and more, “avoid a wahoo missiling [sic] out of the water into the boat with his open mouth slicing off somebody’s arm”.
Put everything away in its home. Everything has a home on the boat. You especially want the hooks correctly stowed in the reel and the trolling hook embedded in the rod’s handle, if appropriate. And we’ll let you know the best wahoo fishing rods you should be using in the rest of the article.
Lastly, wahoo teeth are sharp. You do not need to use your fingers to test this fact out. Sounds obvious. But curiosity sometimes gets the better of us. So keep this advice… at your fingertips. El oh El.
Hot Rods for Wahoo Trolling
When you are doing heavy duty trolling, it seems like the market for rods all blends together. So how do you know if you are getting one of the best trolling rods for wahoo? It might get personal. Are you just fishing for wahoo? Dorado too? Do any day-time marlin fishing?
All of these variables could influence what rods you would want on your boat. And if you’re spending less than thousands of dollars, some custom build equipment is probably out of your reach.
But the truth is, wahoo get big. So you might want to be prepared for the fishing to get serious. A lot of high-speed trolling is done for wahoo because of how fast the fish are, and that means a lot of wear and tear on your equipment. In that case, the best trolling rods for wahoo will be ones designed to stan dup to the abuse.
Alternately, if this is a “because I can” set up, the best trolling rod for wahoo might be something that’s not too pricey but can get the job done.
So without further wahoo (I mean ado), let’s round up some of the best trolling rods for wahoo on Amazon.
OKIAYA COMPOSIT 30-80LB White Marlin Saltwater Big Game Roller Rod (6 Foot Long)
Clocking in at around 80 bucks, the Okiaya Composit rod here has a solid 4.5 stars on 15 ratings. AND free returns and Prime shipping, as well as being Amazon’s choice. That’s a nice resume for less than a hundred bucks of fishing rod!
Because Okiaya is a fishing brand, they back their stuff up. 2 year warranty against defects definitely stands out, and the combination of composite and aircraft grade alloys should give a nice balance between strength and sensitivity.
So what’s a reason this rod wouldn’t be one of the best trolling rods for wahoo? Why not stop the search here?
There are some features that this rod lacks. It doesn’t have a bent butt, which is mighty convenient when trolling. If you’ve got a world record, 8 foot, 150lb plus fish on the line, you might be a little out-matched.
But trust and believe: 80lbs of wahoo is definitely enough to make a lifetime memory, and that’s right in this rod’s wheelhouse So if you aren’t looking to break the bank, this is definitely one of the best trolling rods for wahoo.
Ready to cross that hundred dollar a rod threshold? Fiblink has a very solid choice for you, and it makes a strong case for being included as one of the best trolling rods for wahoo.
For the low low price of 104.95 American dollars Jeff Bezos will have this 7’ bent butt Fiblink rod sent right to your door.
Although Fiblink might not have quite the on-brand marketing that Okiaya does, this rod checks all of the major boxes to be one of the best wahoo trolling rods that doesn’t cost more than a used 2004 Toyota Camry. (If you run around the web a little, it’s easy to see rigs crossing the three thousand dollar mark).
Reviewers love the fact that it’s a bent butt rod, which makes alot a lot easier to catch more fish with less work. For folks who aren’t ready to take a rod out of the holder and into a harness, this rod is in an inexpensive way to give them a great fishing experience.
In fact, the only critical reviews seem to be folks with some trouble around “reel alignment”. So you definitely want to make sure your reel fits before heading out on the open water. (A reviewer also mentions that the rod is heavy, but bent butt rods are generally more at home in a holder anyway).
When you’re looking for the best wahoo trolling rods, it can hard to find options that are even long than 6’, so the fact that you can buy this rod with the 7’ length is a major bonus. If you’re in the market, there are not many reasons why you shouldn’t pick this rod up right away. It wouldn’t be suprising to see the 7’ option sell out fast.
On a budget? Don’t worry. One of the best trolling rods for wahoo that is available to us little (wallet) people can be had for $62.99, and you still get free Prime shipping and free returns.
Sticking with the Fiblink brand means that you get a rod rated for 50-80lbs that should handle most of the wahoo you’ll see out there. Reviewers are surprised by the quality, but they also mention you might want to lubricate the rollers on arrival.
One note of caution to be had, is that some of the reviews are for some fishing pliers (thinking face emoji). Amazon isn’t exactly the tidiest ecommerce platform so there’s probably not too much to worry about there, but it does raise an eyebrow.
However, for 60 bucks and free returns, you might just want to make the gamble. Worst case scenario, you send the product back, and best-case scenario you get to enjoy features like stainless steel roller guides, EVA foam handles, and hook keepers for what might be the most competitive price on the web.
With options like these, you should feel on track for choosing the best trolling rods for wahoo that’s going to work for you.
As always, SAFETY FIRST and Happy Fishing!
