The edge · 600 ft · shelf break and canyons

Wahoo

Acanthocybium solandri. Prime water reaches Cape Hatteras in Southeast Atlantic right now (84°F at the surface). Fish it 16–197 ft down — that is where 85–79°F water sits off Cape Hatteras.

Wahoo identification illustration
LaneThe edge · 100 fa (600 ft)
Depth it holds197–6562 ft
Prime water73–84°F (workable 73–89°F)
Holds in the column16–197 ft down below the surface, over 197–6562 ft of water
Judged onsurface temperature (NASA MUR satellite)
Structurenone

The water column off Cape Hatteras

0 ft299 ft598 ft180 ft of workable water16–197 ft · 85–79°F

The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 598 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Wahoo's temperature band (73–89°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.

How it's fished

High-speed troll (12-16 kt) with weighted lures over ledges and color changes.

Region by region — right now

RegionSeasonPrime waterTempFish it atMonths
Southeast Atlantic in season reaches Cape Hatteras 84°F 16–197 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
Florida Keys in season reaches Islamorada 86°F 16–197 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gulf of Mexico in season reaches Tampa 85°F 16–173 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 100-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 100-fathom lane
The Charleston Bump
Marathon (West) Hump