Albie Fishing at the End

by Brendan McCarthy

By September, swarms of rain bait are pouring out of all the ponds, creeks, and estuaries of Long Island Sound and the bays around Montauk Point. Massive schools of bluefish, then some small striped bass, start blitzing around Labor Day. Everyone holds their breath, waiting for the false albacore to arrive. When they finally show, it is in huge numbers, all at once. It is strange and wonderful.

False albacore are, at once, the easiest and hardest fish to catch. Sometimes they are so abundant and hungry, they will eat a 10-inch popping plug. Other times, virtually nothing can fool them into biting. Such is the nature of fishing for pelagic species in the Northeast.

I am fortunate to have learned from some of the best false albacore fishermen around, including Captain Paul Dixon, famed fly-tier Dave Skok, Captain Amanda Switzer, and anglers David Berman, Ken Hawkins, Dave Collier, the late Peter Rothwell, and Ted Shane–some with first-hand help and mentoring, many from watching them fish. I’ll never forget the look on Amanda’s face when I was starting to guide in Montauk with her help. She asked about my flies, and I told her I would just use the clear Clouser Minnows that worked so well in my local waters off Coney Island. “Yeah, right! Good luck with that,” she replied, and she couldn’t have been more accurate. Montauk may have some of the best albie fishing on earth, but day in and day out, they are not easy.

In the 12 years I have been guiding Montauk Point,the albies failed to show in good numbers during just one season. With the right gear, flies, boat, and attitude, it is possible to land more than two dozen in a day. But given the nature of false albacore, it is also possible to get blanked.

The sheer energy and speed of these fish can make even the coolest anglers batty. A school of albies can pop up here, then there, then way over there, and as a charter captain, I am responsible for making sure the anglers catch fish and have an enjoyable time doing it. It is up to me to manage everyone’s excitement and expectations.

This can lead to some initial frustration as most anglers want to chase the albie schools all over the place. I have found that “running and gunning” after breaking fish is rarely the most productive way to catch albies. Not only is it difficult to cast very quickly, accurately and for distance while the boat is moving, but the wake that running and gunning produces ruins these opportunities for everyone by putting down the fish. This is what I call “Chamber of Commerce” fishing – lots of exciting fish-feeding action and roaring motors, but very few fish actually hooked and landed. It is a natural tendency to want to chase down these fish, but in the end, it’s often futile.

To stack the deck in your favor, look for the most productive drift, preferably in fast-moving water like a current rip or drop-off. The baitfish stack up tightest in a rip, where they offer the most calories-per- unit-of-effort for feeding gamefish. The way the rips are situated in Montauk, there are long, straight lines of current that push bait and massive amounts of water over a rocky bottom. This is where there are the most fish, the most bait, and the best opportunities to hook up.

If you run up-current on the outside of these rips to the top of them so you can drift through, you will accomplish three things. First, you will not run over the feeding fish and put them down, nor will you break up the “bait balls,” which is most important. You will not throw a disruptive wake at the other boats, thus they will not try to block you out every chance they get in the future, which in Montauk, they most certainly will. Lastly, you will be able to cast into the breaking fish with an organized fly-line from a stable platform, and you’ll be able to keep your line tight from the very beginning of the retrieve as you cast across- and down-current. Casting into the current will most often lead to slack line and few bites.

Slow-moving water is an albie’s least favorite feeding situation. In slow water, the fish rarely feed in the same place twice because after crashing through a school of baitfish, the bait will scatter and the albies will move on. In the rips, baitfish cannot swim as well, so they tend to school tightly in one place, keeping the gamefish in one area.

Because the false albacore taste too fishy for most palates, we release all of them and I try to do everything possible to make sure they swim away healthy. As with most tuna and mackerel species, they are bleeders, so I try to use the smallest hook possible, most often a size 2.

Fellow captain John Tondra swears by circle hooks for albies. I think it is a good idea, but whichever hook you choose, the mainstay of this fishery is the Epoxy Minnow in various colors depending on the day and amount of sunlight. Richard Reagan invented the Albie Whore some years ago, and it has been a go-to for me ever since. I have altered the fly so it is much quicker to tie but not nearly as good looking. The fish don’t seem to mind. Pink, chartreuse and silver can all be productive colors. Clear Clousers do work on albies, and they work very well in the striper blitzes, unlike many other flies. Skok’s Mushmouths are a must have, and the Gummy Minnows are effective, even if they are a bit sacrilegious.

I also prefer to fish for albies with a 10-weight fly rod. Yes, they can be caught on 7 weights, but they don’t have much chance of survival with such light gear, and they are so strong, it is hard enough to bring them to hand on a 10-weight. Landing them quickly is best for the fish, and the heavier gear keeps them from running under other boats, into the props or across other anglers’ lines. Rods I like are the Sage XI2/3, the Orvis Helios and Loomis GLX CC.

Needless to say, large-arbor reels with serious drag systems are imperative. I like Tibor Riptide, Hatch 9Plus and the new Orvis Mirage. The latter is a super smooth and reasonably priced large-arbor rig.

The Sci-Angler Tarpon Intermediate is the only fly line I use for this fishing. It is very stiff, throws 80 feet at will, has a thick running line that will not tangle in the wind and is very durable. All of these points are not insignificant.

Going as light as 15-pound-test for the leader can be necessary as albies have large eyes and superior vision.

When retrieving, should you move the fly as fast as you can? That’s up to you. It definitely helps to have the double-handed retrieve in your arsenal of skills. This can mean the difference as these fish feed differently about six times a day. I think this retrieve is most effective, not necessarily because of its speed but because there are no pauses and you are always in touch with your fly. I have found that, most times, slack line leads to missed fish, especially when your line lands in a pile right on top of the fish. It will take three or four strips just to get tight to the fly and get it moving. This is way too late for albie fishing. I would rather see a throw that travels half as far but lies straight. I bet you would catch twice as many fish this way. Most people drop their line hand when making a long cast, but I would suggest you don’t do this. Let it run through your hand, and at the last second before the fly lands, squeeze the line a bit and this will straighten out your leader.

When targeting albies with spinning gear, I use 10- to 20-pound-test outfits. I like pairing Evolution 7-foot rods with Quantum Cabo 40 reels. This combo has good feel, durability, and drag, all of which are important when fishing for albies. Slug-Gos on jigheads, Deadly Dicks and small soft-plastic shads are all effective albie lures. Keep the lures moving erratically throughout the retrieve for more bites.

I use 30-pound-test braided line for albies. It doesn’t throw quite as far as lighter braid, but it tangles much less. Plus, it almost never breaks on a fish. I believe if you have to untangle anything or mess with your gear at all, that is less time with a hook in the water.

Montauk Point is no secret in the world of albacore fishing, and there is good reason for it. If you are the type, though, who doesn’t like the crush and stress of fishing in the fleet and would like a better fish-to-angler ratio, there are many good false albacore spots within 15 or so miles of the Point. Plum Gut, Watch Hill, Block Island, The Race and Gardiners Island are just a few.

Either way, the false albacore only invade Montauk for a handful of weeks per year, and if catching a number of these fish is on your bucket list, Montauk is the place to be. Albies pull as hard as any fish on earth, are as pretty as a picture, and will test all of theangling skills you might posses. In September or October, they are out there, crashing around with abandon in sight of Montauk Light, daring you to try your luck.