Updated Aug. 16, 2026, 6:01 p.m. ET
A wahoo was reeled aboard a San Diego-based sportfishing boat this past week in an extraordinary catch that could be attributed to an intensifying El Niño.
The San Diego on Saturday shared an image of three men displaying the large, slender game fish, along with the description: “Bring everything from 15-pound mono rods to wahoo gear! El Niño has struck The San Diego.”
Southern California vessels are currently targeting dorado, or mahimahi, and yellowfin tuna in offshore waters that are running into the mid-70s in some areas. Both species are encountered only when surface temperatures are unusually warm.
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But wahoo catches off Southern California are exceedingly rare, as the fish are typically found in tropical or subtropical climates.
From the International Game Fish Assn.: “There are indications of seasonal concentrations off the Pacific coasts of Panama, Costa Rica and Baja California in the summer, off Grand Cayman (Atlantic) in the winter and spring, and off the western Bahamas and Bermuda in the spring and fall.”
A weight was not given for the wahoo caught aboard The San Diego, but the IGFA world record stands at 184 pounds, for a wahoo caught off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 2005.