In Louisiana, you need to stop at the Puglia's Sporting Goods shop in Metairie, go to the wall of colorful wahoo lures, and pick up some Braid Marauders and Rapala Magnums. You might need teaser lures, too, such as the Dancin' Dolphin daisy chain of three rubber dolphins, which look realistic and attract the fish's eye. You should also bring onboard a downrigger - a device that lowers your bait depth when trolling. You need a boat big enough to handle blue water up to 80 miles offshore. And you'll need lots of fuel, because you're always moving. The boat we're on cost half a million dollars. To go fishing.

Earl Dufrene and his My Lil' Buddy Charters are one of a handful of boats based out of Venice that will fish for wahoo on request. Similar charters operate through the southern U.S., as well as in Mexico, ­Thailand, Brazil, and South Africa. The Bahamas hosts an international wahoo championship each year. In the Gulf of Mexico, wahoo season runs all year long in blue water, and from November to April closer to shore.

Kevin, the skipper, and Jonathan, his first mate, finish tying up the leaders. Like a lot of guys in the delta, both are well acquainted with a fishing boat. As he climbs back up onto the captain's deck, Kevin pulls out 39 cents from his pockets and flings the coins overboard for good luck. "He does that every trip," says Jonathan.

The Sackett Bank sits in the Gulf about 22 miles southwest from the tip of the Louisiana delta. Imperceptible to the naked eye, it's actually a massive underwater dome, about 200 feet below the surface, and surrounded by water twice as deep. Currents around the mound create natural upwellings that attract small fish, which in turn bring top pelagic predators like tuna and wahoo. Anglers call this area the Midnight Lump. It's about seven square kilometers of excellent fishing.