BY ALLEN D. RILEY
CORRESPONDENT
Will they, or won\’t they? That is the question that surfcasters ask every year around this time.
\”They\” is a reference to false albacore: a southern species that runs along our
coastline in late summer seeking food for the nourishment needed for their long journey southward.
(PHOTO: ALLEN D. RILEY)
Tony Martino of Union works the early morning Sandy Hook surf with metal jigs. Right, he shows off an albie caught along \”Albacore Alley\” at Sandy Hook.
The question on the minds of all surfcasters who have ever tangled with
this worthy opponent is whether or not albacore will make a surf appearance this year.
And if they do decide to show up, anglers wonder if the run will be a strong one.
Personal journals from past fishing campaigns document that some years the surf
albacore run is extraordinary; many runs, however, are just mediocre. There are years – like last year – when not a single surf albacore is even sighted.
There are many theories about the inconsistency of surf albacore runs from one year to the next. Some years the fish that spend the summer months far offshore just do not take the inshore route home to southern waters; other years they are conspicuous by their absence even in offshore waters.
Since I got hooked on catching surf albacore many years ago, my yearly catch is indicative of just how unpredictable each season can be. I caught 28 in
1999, 38 in 2000, 12 in 2001, 18 in 2003, 19 in 2004, and only 4 in 2005.
The single best year I ever had with surf albacore was 2002 when I landed 58. That was the year that many surfcasters caught their first albacore and the species achieved cult status.
Like many other surfcasters last year, I put in the required time and effort trying
for albacore only to be disappointed. While working lures for albacore, I did manage to catch many bluefish, which was a lot of fun — but not the same as hooking up with a single albacore. What will happen this year is anyone\’s guess.
Everyone\’s hope is that they will make a strong showing and add some real pizzazz to the late summer surf.
Whether you are a surf albacore ace or someone who is just getting into surf fishing, here is some information about these hard-fighting speedsters that will help you locate, hook, and land them.
Feeding patterns
Warm water and large schools of bait draw albacore into the late summer surf where they use their blinding speed to feed on migrating schools of bay anchovies, peanut bunker, sand eels and spearing to fuel their energy needs. With their relatively small and unhinged mouths, albacore prefer feasting on small baitfish like these that they can swallow whole.
Albacore like to feed in clear, flat water where their vision and quickness give them a distinct advantage over their prey. Their sharp eyesight allows them to target small baitfish from great distances; their strong bodies enable them to attack prey at incredible speed.
On occasion they can be seen jumping completely out of the water in spectacular rainbow leaps in their hot pursuit of small baitfish. Once the false albacore run begins, they can be found feeding along our entire shoreline wherever abundant bait is found.
The Sandy Hook shoreline that I fish regularly has the reputation of being \”Albacore
Alley\” but odds are that even beaches not known for yielding this species in past years would do so if anglers simply tried for them.
Timing
Labor Day weekend traditionally kicks off the surf albacore season. They can be caught anywhere along the shoreline after this date until sometime late in October (when bait availability dwindles and the ocean begins to cool down).
Most fish are caught in low-light situations, like those found around dawn and dusk, but they can be caught virtually anytime during the daylight hours when the relatively short run is at its peak.
Their extraordinarily sharp eyesight cannot function as effectively in the lower light levels present at those times, giving an advantage to anglers.
When the run begins, begin distance-casting for them about a half hour before sunrise — or about an hour before sunset. Sometimes you will see them feeding in front of you; often you will not.
When the run is established, assume that stray fish and small pods of albacore are making sporadic passes through your casting zone. Do not bother to move around a lot because the fish eventually come to you.
Random casting-and-retrieving is a laborious but effective technique that eventually triggers strikes. There are days when albacore will simply ignore any lure thrown at them; there are other days (admittedly very few) when they will viciously strike anything moving through their feeding zone.
Scattered false albacore are sometimes caught just before the outbreak of a bluefish blitz. The great majority of surf albacore that I have caught over the years were single fish that high-quality product, because albacore test the limits of all your equipment.
Setting your reel\’s drag correctly is another critical factor in being able to successfully fight a false albacore. Adjust your drag loosely enough so the fish can make their spectacular runs without breaking your line, but tightly enough so they pay a price in the energy they consume in doing so.
In addition to the other elements of your presentation package, you need lightweight yet strong gear. Rods like Team Daiwa\’s 9-foot 902MRS and St. Croix\’s Avid Surf 10-foot ASRS100M2 give you the leverage to reach fish far offshore and have the strength to win any fight; high-speed retrieve reels like Daiwa\’s Capricorn CA4000A (4.9:1 gear ratio) and Team Daiwa\’s new Advantage TDA3500 (4.9:1) reels can zip lures back through the surf to shore.
source http://www.app.com
