In recent years, false albacore have created
quite a stir in the fly rod community. Though, for some
time, a few anglers have been aware of the great sport
these fish provide, the word has gotten out. A tougher,
faster, harder hitting fish is not to be found wandering
the beaches of the northeast, and they cause major delight
for anglers finding themselves in a vicinity of a school
of the speed demons. Racing down beaches and surf lines
in the fall devouring silversides and sandeels, watching
these things feed at twenty miles an hour is a thrill.
And they've caught on as a viable fly rod target in the
Outer Banks of North Carolina, where a fall fishery has
developed for the time that they are there.
Well, here's a small secret that a lot of people, who have gotten addicted to the
kind of madness a false albacore creates on the end of a fly line, may not be
aware of. While they visit the entire eastern seaboard, they live in Florida. Year
round. In all sizes from tiny one to three pound flocks of so called "bullets" that
are perfect four and six weight fish to the trophy, break out the twelve weight,
fifteen to eighteen pound and up beasts. And very few people actually fish for
them. They don't meet the criteria of a "good" fish due to their meat being less
than palatable. So, they are largely unmolested and available to the few chasing
them.
Where:
The area between Miami and Stuart Florida has an almost continuous
reef running the length of the coast that varies in distance from less than one
mile,(offshore Miami 'till it reaches Palm Beach) to about six to eight miles
offshore Stuart. This reef is the main focal point of the false albacore. Often
they can be found running the schools of baitfish along the beach into a panic,
but the majority of the fish will be found in sixty to two hundred feet of water.
When:
In the area surrounding Palm Beach where
I guide, the first big false albies start showing up
in late March. There are roving packs year round, but
the fall and winter fish can be tough to locate with
any regularity. What I call fishable numbers of fish
arrive in late March, just about the time the cold fronts
lessen enough for water temperatures to climb into the
mid-seventies. The numbers continue to increase through
April until reaching a crescendo in early May. Large
schools of fish will remain in the area through July
and into August, when they remember that they need to
pay a visit to North Carolina and move
out for the most part. Which is OK, a four month season of
these beasts is pretty hard on ones body. And just about
the time they leave, dolphin fishing as well as other species such as wahoo,
sailfish and skipjack tuna heat up.
How:
These fish can be caught using the traditional, purist
type, techniques. You can cast directly to fish crashing bait
on the surface. The predominant prey you'll find them crashing
are small flying fish, sardines, pilchards, and small Sargasso
fish. You want to approach the action as quietly as possible and
set up a drift that will bring you within reach. Running up
on the school is a good way to put them down in a hurry, and
when they come back up, if they come back up, they'll probably
be several hundred yards off. At times, though mostly they'll
hammer anything that looks good, they can be very single
minded in what they're feeding on, so try to identify what
it is they're eating and match your fly accordingly.
Blue/ white flies to resemble flying fish, small yellow
flies to match the baitfish that hang around the clumps of
Sargasso weed and green/white flies should cover most
situations. Clouser minnows take a good number of fish,
but the water clarity, often more than a hundred foot,
makes a very realistic fly with eyes, such as a Deceiver,
3-D Fly or my own pattern, the EATME more productive patterns.
Having some small squid patterns is a good idea also for
when they're on the menu.
One of my favorite ways of fishing them is going deep on
fast sinking lines. The line I use mostly for this is WetCel
IV lines by SciAnglers. This line will get a fly down better
than sixty feet depending on how strong the current is. I do not
recommend any sink tip lines, or lines that have any floating running
lines for doing this technique. The objective is to get deep,
and a floating running line defeats this. I also don't recommend
a line that is so heavy you can't cast it fast or accurately.
The nice thing about the SciAngler line is that it's not so
heavy that you can't hit something on the surface if the chance arises.
If you can, have a rod set up with a super fast sink line
in case the fish are holding very deep. Deepwater Express by
SciAnglers or a leadcore line, both with a sinking running line will scratch the
one hundred foot mark and deeper.
This is a simple technique that anyone can use, regardless
of their ability. Basically, you mark a concentration of
fish on the fishfinder, or get into an area where you know
the fish to be and send the lines deep. Then adjust the speed
of your retrieve till the fish cooperate. Most of the time
a moderate to fast stripping action will entice a strike,
but some days a dead drifted fly will be what they want and
other days going warp speed on the retrieve will be necessary.
The most fun about this kind of fishing is that on a Florida
reef, you can never tell just what is going to take a liking
to your fly. Not only false albacore, but also Spanish and
king mackerel, jack crevalle, cobia, assorted runners, dolphin,
and barracuda will come along. I've even had sailfish, wahoo
and several kinds of tuna taken on this method. There is
another method I've been playing with that is reserved for
days when the ocean is a touch on the rough side, or the
fish are hard to locate. It's basically the same bait and
switch technique used for billfish. Dragging hookless teasers
until the fish start chasing it, reeling it within casting
distance, yanking the teaser out of the water and replacing
it with a fly. Small rubber squids, plastic lures, almost
anything resembling food can be used as teasers.
But hands down, the most insane way of getting into a
marathon session of knock down, dragout battles with the
false albies is to live chum them. If done correctly,
this method will put you in the situation of being forced to
admit your limitations. Think a twelve or fifteen pound
false albie is tough to fight on fly gear? Think about
having to do multiple fights, back to back, with
no break. Live chumming means this with false albacoreà.
if you don't want to be hooked to one, DON'T put your
fly in the water. That includes setting your
rod down and leaving your fly trailing in the water next
to the boat. Very bad things will happen if you do this.
I once saw a two piece rod turned into a five piece rod
in a nanosecond this way. Myself included, I know nobody
who can stand more than a half day of this extreme fly
fishing without several recovery breaks. I know of few
types of fly fishing that'll have you dripping sweat like
this will, and it's not from the temperature.
There is some specialized equipment needed to make chumming
with live bait work. Several hundred baits are a minimum
to do this effectively, so a large livewell with very good
circulation is a must. The live baitfish you'll be throwing
by the handful must be in good condition. A constant supply
of fresh seawater pumping fast enough to create good turbulence
is what is needed to keep the baits lively. Using dead chum
baits will work, but while the albies like deadbait OK, they
LOVE liveies.
A large cast net attached to someone who knows how to throw
it will make acquiring the baits fairly quick and easy.
Usually the large schools of pilchards, sardines and menhadden
show up at the same time the false albacore do. Tracking them
down will only take some research. The last thing needed is at
least one extra set of hands. Two extra is better. This is not
something to be done solo. Once you've gotten into the area
where the fish are, and several handfuls of baitfish have
rung the dinner bell good and loud, someone must keep a small,
but steady, stream of food entering the water or the fish will
leave and you'll need to start the whole process over.
After several dozen baitfish are in the water, there will
be explosions resembling small children being dropped into
the water. Baitfish running for their lives, large, violent
swirls, fish crashing the surface. The dinner guests have
arrived. It's a good idea to refrain from hooking one up
immediately. Let them get comfortable in their gluttony for
a minute or two, the activity will bring in more and more
of their brethren. Once there are dozens of albies zinging
around, have at it. There is no need to throw directly at
specific fish. Just make a comfortable cast in any direction
and start a fast, erratic strip. The fish will find the fly,
and in short order. But remember to have someone designated
as chummer, driver and fish de-hooker. Take my word for it,
life will be much easier and everyone will get a chance to
fight fish.
Frankly, a guide will make this whole scenario easy and
fun for all. He'll know where to get the bait, where the
albies are and it's his job to throw baits, drive the boat
and release fish.
Tackle:
Go big on the rod size. Not that these fish couldn't
be done on lighter gear, but two things happen with the
light stuff. Prolonged fights will draw the attention of
the numerous sharks and barracuda that live in the area.
Though it's an everyday event to experience decapitations,
I figure the toothy guys should have to work for their food.
And you'll still have your hands full for the fight with a
ten or twelve weight rod. Most of the time, these fish average
twelve pounds. If the fish are running smaller, then scale
down the gear. But try not to fight the fish into a weakened
condition that is hard to recover from. Reels need to hold
at least two hundred yards of line. At times, that won't be
enough. Direct drive reels with palming rims are good. Being
able to stop an albie dead in his tracks is nice during the
last part of the fight when he's spinning twenty feet below
refusing to come up. Leaders need not be fancy. A forty pound
butt section tied to a fifteen or twenty pound class tippet
and a bite tippet of forty pound test is fine. Overall length
between eight and twelve feet depending on water clarity.
Fluorocarbon line is very handy if the water is gin clear
and you're not getting slammed on every cast with regular
monofilament. The albies don't have much for teeth, but the
forty pound bite tippet is more for the dolphin, who do have
teeth and who quite often show up on the scene of the feeding
frenzy. And the bite tippet is also for the person leadering
the albies to the boat. Your leader man will go home looking
like he's been in a knife fight if all he has to work with
is fifteen pound test leader material. His attire should also
include gloves. Other tackle items that are quite handy are
fairly obvious. Hook sharpener, pliers, and a large, longhandled,
landing net. Have LOTS of flies, leader material and spare lines.
They are all sacrificial hardware. Expect to break to stuff,
including rods and reels. This is not trout fishing! It's more
like a street fight. If you're particularly attached to your
own equipment, borrow someone else's. And tell them you're
going trout fishing. ~ Scott Hamilton,
Email: BlueH20Fly@aol.com
About Scott: Hamilton Fly Fishing, Inc., Scott's business,
is located in West Palm Beach, Florida. JC and I have fished with
Scott and he is a first class guide and boat captain. We highly
recommend him. You can reach him at (561) 439-8592 (Until 9PM, EST)
or on his website at:
www.flyfishingextremes.com
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