Albacore tunas used to run off our coastline, and although they seemed to more or less disappear decades ago, every once in a while someone trolling for yellowfin tuna picks one up. Last fall, however, they started popping up once again in numbers significant enough to target them directly. Ready to target that fall run of longfin? Here’s all you need to know.
- Albacore like it deep. Don’t even think about pulling back the throttles until you hit the 50 fathom line, and set your course east from there.
- Work the edges and canyon tips. Look for rips, too, which they often congregate around.
- Put out a spread of Green Machines, Green Machines, and more Green Machines. Birds trailing a triple Green Machine daisy chain are effective, too. For whatever reason, albacore go utterly bonkers for this lure.
- Carry some Green Machines rigged with 80- to 100-pound leaders. Yes, that’s unusually light by traditional thinking, but the lure will have noticeably more action than it will when rigged on heavier stuff. When the bites are few and far between try trailing these tempting morsels and you’ll get more hits.
- Zigzag continually. Albacore seem to like it when those lures are moving in and out of the wakes, as opposed to just dragging in a straight line behind you.
- When you hook up, work the area thoroughly. These fish travel in large packs and where there’s one there’s more.