Wire Rig for Catching Wahoo. Photos for Jon. Example Courtesy of Peter Wann

By Jim Field

This summer Peter Wann (photo at left on the Sea Ya Bea off Hatteras) loaned me a wahoo rig from his tackle box so that I could reverse-engineer (i.e., copy) it. Sad to say, but up to this point in time (5 years deep sea fishing), I couldn't claim knowledge of how to build a genuine wire rig, and thus didn't have one onboard for routine use in catching wahoo--unquestionably my favorite pelagic fish to eat. So while on vacation, I spent an afternoon preparing four rigs for the Sea Ya Bea, one of which was immediately--and successfully--deployed in landing a wahoo on a trip with Dan. Note to readers: mission accomplished!

Peter has mated on a number of charter boats out of Hatteras Village, and he knows his stuff; accordingly, his rig is "tried and true" and should be treated with the appropriate respect due gear known to work and get the job done. As the photos below demonstrate, the rig is simple yet elegant--100% functionality with no frills attached. Jon: hope it brings you good luck too, my friend.

Materials:
- #7 forged steel J hook (may prefer stainless)
- #9 or #10 wire, 30-50 foot section (depends upon desired length of leader)
- lead egg weight of choice
- bally rigging wire or spring
- skirt of choice (black/red for wahoo typically preferred)

Steps: (refer to photos below)
(1) pass bitter end of wire through eye of hook and double back
(2) make haywire twist approximately 2-3 inches in length, as determined by desired span between eye of hook and wire rigging post for passing through bally's beak
(3) slide egg weight onto other end of wire and down over haywire twist to point of desired distance from hook's eye
(4) make 3-4 tight circular twists with wire
(5) position wire to point "north" relative to J hook
(6) clip off wire end to create rigging post of desired length
(7) slide rigging spring down other end of wire, tapered cone pointing away from hook
(8) or attach rigging wire through eye of egg weight with twist
(9) slide skirt down wire in correct trolling direction
(10) make haywire twist in bitter end of leader








Steve Wann (Peter's dad) with 20 pound wahoo caught on photographed rig, last week of July 2010, on the Sea Ya Bea, inside the Rockpile, Hatteras

Dan with wahoo caught on copied rig made by Jim, first week of August 2010, on the Sea Ya Bea, southwest of Rockpile, Hatteras

Oceanic Glossary: Pelagic

Pelagic: (1) Pertaining to the part of the open sea or ocean comprising the water column, i.e., all of the sea other than that near the coast or the ocean floor (2) Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore is in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means "open sea." The pelagic zone can be thought of in terms of an imaginary cylinder or water column that goes from the surface of the sea almost to the bottom (3) Pelagic fish live in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake. They can be contrasted with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish which are associated with coral reefs.

Wave Heights Increasing Over Time. A New Book Looks at Giant Waves

By Jim Field

A new book on giant waves is stocked and waiting on the shelf of a bookstore near you. It reports on the phenomenon of giant waves, aggregating stories and information about their existence--as it turns out, the little hard information that exists on these monsters, despite common knowledge among seamen of their power and peril. Notably, the book offers data showing that wave heights are increasing over time--a stunning 25% from 1960 to 1990--with many scientists expecting this trend to continue in the future given global warming and its impact on sea and weather patterns.

What does this mean for us--the weekend sportfishermen? Well, maybe that we should really enjoy and, indeed, even savor (like a good wine), those infrequent days when the sea is calm and there's little current--particularly when we're hoping, and actually able, to bottom fish. Seems like we're headed for fewer of these special days ahead.

Here's a passage from the book review that appeared in the NYTimes this past Sunday.

THE WAVE
In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean
By Susan Casey
Illustrated. 326 pp. Doubleday

She [author Casey] pushes the scientists on the big question: Will global warming lead to stormier oceans and bigger waves? With varying degrees of hesitation — because the data is not in to confirm a long-term trend, not because they are global - warming deniers — the answer is a resounding yes. (Though, as one attendee pointed out, “you’re not going to be able to prove it until it’s too late.”)

Scientists do know, however, that average wave heights rose by more than 25 percent between the 1960s and the 1990s, and insurance records document a 10 percent surge in maritime disasters in recent years. From 1990 to 1998 alone 126 vessels were lost, along with more than 600 lives.

The future most likely portends meaner hurricanes, freakier waves, higher ocean levels and dramatic geologic events that will create devastating tsunamis. Given that 60 percent of the world’s population lives within 30 miles of a coastline, wave science is suddenly vital science, and the experts are keenly aware that there are levees, oil rigs, shorelines, ships and millions of lives at stake.