Albie reports

[fishinmission78]

Whats the earliest you got into albies in the year?

[basshunter]

I don't have a lot of experience catching them from the surf. I have seen them caught on party boats in sept when they are bluefishing. Think that usually starts around Sept.

[DarkSkies]

Last year was my best year, after chasing them the year before and not knowing what the heck I was doing. I'm starting to chomp at the bit, feel albies in my bones.:drool:

So far, some friends got into bonito near the Shrewsbury rocks almost 2 weeks ago. Another friend just came back from Mass, and told me they were getting albies from boats near the harbor.

C'mon albies!

Post your reports here, even if you heard from a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. :laugh: I don't think it will happen from the surf until the middle of September, but I'm addicted, need my albie fix!!

Trying to get all my work down so the minute I get the word I can run to where they are and get in on the action. :wheeeee:

[SharkHart]

Im hopeful of a repeat performance myself. The bonito came in first last year too. Hung around manasquan inlet for a few days, wouldnt touch a thing the day i was there even though they were breaking water in a giant moving circle. Albies really hung around. I dont wanna any early NE sters that may push them out of the area.

[DarkSkies]

Late report - some guys went out of PP, earlier in the week, I think. Used spoons on the troll, maybe some jigging, forgot all the details. They did get a mess of bonito. Albies can't be too far behind. Nice catch, guys. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Some of the latest reports, second hand, I can't confirm:

All from LIS -
Port Jeff area, reports of bonito being caught sporadically, no consistent bite yet

Bluff Point, Pine Island, Watch Hill areas, reports by the DEP of albie and bonito sightings

Soon, guys, soon:dribble:

[DarkSkies]

Latest reports and sightings:

SH - reports from fri of albies feeding beyond the surf line, none caught.

Monmouth - reports of albies being sighted in the ocean, some guys paddleing out to reach them, no hookups.

Offshore - they're catching albies and bonito from 12-40 miles out, as well as some closer spots.

Yesterday, Allen Riley talked about albacore skies.

The table is set, IMO as soon as the small bait becomes a thick and everyday presence in the surf, people will be catching.

You never know where the first confirmed one will be caught, could be anyone of us.

[DarkSkies]

latest report - a guy I know claims a boat got into albie action inshore in the last 48 hours. This is a 3rd hand report, no way to substantiate. It's time for the albies to feed from the surf!

The only thing that may be holding them back is the bait is not swarming in all spots just yet. That could take another week, but I'm guessing one will be caught in the next 7 days from shore.

Mebbe I'll be right, mebbe not.;)

[DarkSkies]

Well, gotta admit I was wrong on this one, guys. :o I do hope they come to visit the surf, there are more reports of boat guys catchin em.

This morning at the Hook was perfect conditions, lots of bait, stinging NW winds, just like it was last year when they came in. Couple guys tried for them, but even the master "Albacore Al" couldn't hook one.

So if they are actually feeding in the surf yet is anyone's guess. But if anyone can nail them first, Allen Riley will. :HappyWave:

Here's a quote from him:

"The clock is ticking on the albacore run. Each day that passes without them in the mix is another day crossed off within a narrow window of opportunity even during years with strong runs. Time will tell."

[DarkSkies]

So far:

Sun - a capn saw them while out at the BA buoy off Sandy Hook.

Yesterday - some alleged reports of surfers seeing them porpoising and finning near bait.

Reports of albies at the Barnegat ridge

Today - a report of the first NY surf one in the Westhampton jetty area, guy got one on a fin-s teaser whille plugging for bass, great catch!

Allen Reilly reported huge amounts of bait in the surf today, big blues, no NJ surf albies yet, though they were tryin.

Cmon guys, one of us has to nail one soon. Can't win it if you're not in it.;)

[DarkSkies]

First ones caught in NJ yesterday. Guy caught 4 when big blues came in slashing bait. But not out front.

Lucky SOB! :beatin: ;) :thumbsup:

I fished out front usual spot today, bait streaming by, no albies or bluefish till the very end. 2 bluefish caught after I left, no one got any albie action.

Meanwhile some friends were fishing the inside spot from yesterday where the guy got his 4. They fished hard. Despite all the bait, no sign of albies.

These are not easy fish to catch, that's why it doesn't pay to chase reports or locations. You would never expect them to be caught on the inside, but there were.

Tomorrow they may be outside a harbor, or somewhere else. The only ones who will know exactly are the guys catchin them.

My shoulder is sore from all the tins and presentations I threw today, fished hard for 3 hours, 3-6pm. Last night tied up a bunch of DD, crippled herring, etc, flouro rigs, no hardware.

I'm ready, but there ain't no guarantees.:D Frustrating species to fish for, payoff is worth it.:kooky:


My friend and I were talking about targeting them today, and we agreed that when you fight these fish, they give their all, and are half-dead when you bring them in. You have at most 60 seconds before they are completely dead, and a wasted fish.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

If yer gonna take a shot with your camera, please have the camera ready, or wait till the camera is ready when you catch the next fish. If you can, hold them by the tail and bottom as you gently put them back, until they are ready.

Doesn't take much to kill these things on the release, and it's a shame to waste such a worthy opponent. Can't eat em, not worth it. Although last year I did try to eat a fresh killed as sushi. The guys who saw me do it didn't know me, and described some crazy guy who had bloody meat sticking out of his mouth, on another website.:ROFLMAO:

Didn't say anything about it then b/c I was too embarassed, I guess, but fresh kill ain't bad. After that the quality turns into catfood. Believe me on this.:ROFLMAO:

[DarkSkies]

Couple were caught today from a boat about 1/4 mile off a big occo inlet. Guy got 'em with DDs.

A few were spotted yesterday off Breezy. Today some boats got into the action and brought some in.

It may seem like hitting one is the same as hitting the lottery, but they are around. The first ones were caught in a pretty unusual place, and there was one year I was on a jetty in the RB and saw a guy across from me pull one in. You never know where they will turn up, it's definitely albie time.:drool: Be ready with your rigs, you may only get 5 or 10 mins.

[SharkHart]

I can confirm my uncle got 2 yesterday on the boat about a 1/2 mile off the beach and get this, they hit strecth 25s.

[bayyaker54]

went out to the hook two weeks ago, no albies but I did get a JacK first time I ever seen one. released it came home and then I had to go on the web to see what the heck I caught. other then that it's been quiet out there.

[DarkSkies]

**** Robin got over 100 bonito, and some albies, about 20m N of PP yesterday. Supposedly close to shore.

Welcome to the site, bayyaker, jacks put up a good fight for their size. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

I feel like I let you guys down with the lack of reports, but there just hasn't been anything in the surf. Boats are hitting them as close as 1 mile off the beach, no problem there. One guy on another site claims he saw them yesterday, and hooked into one and lost it.

Maybe so, but so far no has landed any other than the guy at SH 2 weeks ago, who hooked and released 3.

Meanshile, a lot of people are fishin hard for them. Allen Riley and his Team Albacore are fishing almost every weekday for them, nothing. A friend who is albie crazy and I have been hittin it hard, nothing.

In the meantime, I am climbing the walls. If we do have any run, time is running out, and it will be short.

Here's some pics from past runs to keep the interest going.

[DarkSkies]

Last year -

[DarkSkies]

Keep the faith, guys, one of us has to hit them soon.:thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

OK guys, 2 were caught yesterday, probably somewhere nomoco. Here's the pic as proof. Guy got one one a hopkins, he wasn't fishing for them , but saw one jump, and reacted quickly enough. :clapping:

Another guy got one on a teaser, here's a pic of the one caught on a teaser, nice fish.:clapping:



There were a lot of spearing nomoco out front moving southward yesterday, so it makes sense that they were there.

Let's catch em up, not many more days left till they're gone. The last day could be tomorrow, you never know.:don't know why:

[DarkSkies]

Got further intel on that albie above, wasn't caught at SH.

What that means is that everyone who is fishing hard for them has a chance of catching one, about 1000 to 1. :laugh:

But one was caught Sun eve, the 4th reported catch of the season. Allen Riley and his team albacore have been casting like madmen every day,. so far no appreciable run has developed.

But that doesn't mean you can't catch one, anywhere from SH to Manasquan. Just find some schools of active spearing or bay anchovies, and cast like a mf'er as far as you can, over and over. Cast small, slim profile metal DD, etc, thought they have been caught on Hopkins ans small teasers as part of a teaser rig.

There are probably more catches as time goes by, they just don't get reported. (and contrary to what some people believe, the internet sites are not the be all and end all of fishing. I have met some amazing fishermen the last few months who would never consider posting or going to the internet for reports.)

Imagine that - fishing hard every day, catching nice fish, and never feeling the need to brag about it on the internet. :laugh: ;) :thumbsup:

stay tuned, I'm sure more good news will be forthcoming.

[BassBuddah]

Just got back from Montauk yesterday.

We also saw some albies jumping about 300' from shore, tried DDs, but could not get any. They were chasing anchovies and small bait, amazing fish.

[DarkSkies]

Glad you almost got into them up there BB, so far down here it has been hit and miss. They have been spotted off Breezy in massive schools. A friend and I are dedicated to finding them and nailing a few, no luck so far.

Some of the other sites report one or 2 scattered catches from the surf since my last report, but there is no real "run" so far to speak of, just isolated catches. However, boat guys are into them and bonito pretty heavy. They are SO CLOSE, but so FAR!

That's good, because it means anyone targeting bass or blues has an equal chance of nailing one, it's just the luck of the draw so far,
your chances are about 1000 to 1.;)

Another friend was after them for the last 2 days, usual spots. Saw them breaking water and chasing bait each day, but they were 1/8 of a mile out. At the usual places, there is no heavy concentration of bait to bring them into the surf, or just beyond the rollers.

Even Allen Riley and his Team Albacore have been getting blanked, every day, despite fishing hard for them every morning. Allen Riley is one of the best surf albacore fishermen out there. He has years of experience. If he can't pull just one in despite fishin for them everyday, that really sucks.

Keep the faith, water temps are still high enough, one of these days more than one guy will get lucky.:D

[DarkSkies]

Nothing happening in NJ yet. A few surfers I know reported some jumping in various spots Moco, but none caught.

Great news from the North fork of LI, don't give up on these fish yet guys, they are still north of us, and out in deeper NJ waters. Caught on Mon and Tue.

The report:


Took a break from a morning hunt on Monday and took a ride to the beach.



Never saw so many trucks and cars in the parking lot when I pulled up, so I knew immediately that something was going on....What I saw was incredible; rods doubled over and some quick maneuvering from multiple hookups led me to believe that there was a major bluefish blitz occuring. Instead, it was a major false albie blitz!!!



I witnessed about a dozen albies get caught and it seemed that Deadly ****'s was the lure of choice . There were even some flyrodders going for it but I think the fish were out of their range.



I was going to ask one of the successful anglers if I could take one for shark bait but I didn't want to scent myself for the afternoon hunt. Oh well, my October mako will have to settle for bluefish!



For all you albie "affishianado's", now is the time!!

[DarkSkies]

A week later and still no appreciable reports of albies in the surf. They were in full swing by this time last year.

I am still holding out hope for them to show up in numbers, because they were north of us last week. The only thing that gives me worry is that although we are seeing small bait, the flow is sporadic. Changes from day to day, and this would definitely affect whether we will get them frim shore.

I believe some will be caught here and there from different shore spots by guys who aren't targeting.

However, as far as a strong run is concerned, each day the possibilities lessen. I still want to keep that hope alive, ready to jump on it at a moment's notice. I always carry my albie rigs with me now - other day I left them in the car, and made a walk back to get them "just in case".

But the clock is ticking, time is running out, I hope we get a few shots at them.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[wish4fish]

yeah, i been out at the hook, and haven'tn seen much except for quick moving birds one day a week ago, and they were too far off.
was there this morning, some bass around, but no albies.

[bababooey]

Thanks for keeping up the reports, DS. My friend got into them yesterday off of Montauk in a boat, so maybe there's still hope for them hitting here. Have to see what the storm does.

[DarkSkies]

Bunkerjoe raised the posibility of it being over for the albies in his report. I would have to second that. Out at SH this am, not much small bait, though I know about the night sandeel presence, nothing in the daytime.

Surf very quiet, if we get any real numbers of albies from here on in Ill be amazed. I'm giving up on targeting them and working to find them, though I will have my albie rigs with me for the next 2 weeks, just in case.

[DarkSkies]

Last year was one of the worst in recent history for surf albie opportunties. I knew of a few caught, but they were not in the usual places. Some people refused to believe that any were caught at all in the surf. :don't know why:

One of the most famous surf albie fanatics is Allen Riley, an old mentor of mine. Albacore Al, as he is called by those who know him, has been pursuing albies from the surf for approximately 2 decades, and really has a pulse on them and how to target them. Here is a quote by him last year, a reflection on the dismal possibilities:

"The clock is ticking on the albacore run. Each day that passes without them in the mix is another day crossed off within a narrow window of opportunity even during years with strong runs. Time will tell."


There were no real catches of albies last year until the first week of September, while boat guys had been hitting them good, but inconsistently, all through August. I think the Fall weather patterns kept them away from the surf line, as we had a few noreasters in a row that dropped the temps and made it tough to fish for them.

Just remember, if they are around, don't procrastinate, set up some deadly ***** pre rigged with flouro leaders, and start carrying them around. The most successful fisherman is one who can adapt quickly. Many times you will only have a small window of 15 minutes or so to catch one of these speedsters.

Their eyesight is incredible. :wow: The guys who can change over to slim metals and pre-rigged flouro leaders will be the ones with the best chances. And you should be prepared to cast dozens or hundreds of times for one solid hookup, if they are there. I did see a guy catch one one a bucktail once, though. :kooky:

The reward is like crack for the surf fisherman, at least it is for me. ;) The adrenalin rush of the first run is awesome, and something every fisherman should experience at least once. That's why we put forth the time and effort, and cast after cast, for these elusive speedsters. :dribble:


So post up what ya know, or read in the reports out there. It doesn't matter how they were caught, or even if there was only a sighting and no catches. Posting here will give us an idea when they're available.

I started the same thread last year, and eagerly await their 2009 arrival. Most importantly, these are a fish that can only handle limited time out of the water. If you catch one, try to have the camera ready and out of the case, ready to snap that shot as you bring it in and quickly release it.

These are not fish that will survive "photo ops". I can tell you from experience that any release time longer than 30 secs, or 60 secs at the most, will leave them floating dead in the water within a few minutes of their release.

If you really care about not wasting a resource, please try to follow the 30/60 sec guidelines.

Ya can't eat these fish, though I have eaten sushi slices off freshly dead ones (ya should see the looks I get and internet reports that guys put out when I do :laugh:). Overall, they are one of the hardest fighting and most exciting fish that any surfcaster will ever catch on medium tackle, so let's try not to waste them, guys and gals. :learn:

Here's a link to a thread "all about false albacore"

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=3663 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=3663&highlight=albacore)

[DarkSkies]

Post up what ya see or hear about, people! Try not to be too specific if the area is small or if you don't want 100 of your closest internet "friends' to be there shoulder to shoulder the next day. :kooky:

Reports/sightings:
-Some sightings already off of jetties in Ocean county, but no confirmed reports. Keep in mind that there are different fish that show the "albacore" feeding behavior, whether they are albacore, bonito, or frigate mackerel, which are usually on the smaller side.

-Some catches of frigate mackerel in the inshore waters in Monmouth County by boaters and kayakers.

-Remember that it's possible for the untrained eye to confuse albies with bluefish. One of the key differences is that when the albies are worked up, they leap out of the water when feeding. Their body shape is distinctive. They look like little fat footballs.





They also differ from bluefish in the speed they travel at. You will see activity in front of you, and 30 secs later they're a 1/4 mile down the beach.

Don't bother chasing them. Even an Olympic track star couldn't keep up. If the small bait is there, just have confidence in your long casts, and keep doing it until you get one or decide to give up, cause "these crazy fish just ain't worth it" :rolleyes:

I don't mind if you guys post "heard from a friend" reports, but please consider the sophistication of your source if you post the report here, and try to generalize the location as much as possible. I know guys who will be fishing for them every day as soon as they start to come around regularly. I would tend to believe a report from someone like that rather than a reported sighting from someone who has never caught one

Have fun, be safe, and please treat these magnificent fish with care. :thumbsup:

[BassBuddah]

We should be seeing them soon at montauk.

[Jackbass]

I was just thinking about albies today. I was looking at the calender and thinking about when I might hear about a couple of canal sightings. The Bonito have been taken off the vineyard by floating reef but I have not heard any of the real deal showing up yet.

[fishinmission78]

I heard some albies were spotted off one of the jetties, but like you said, "heard" is the operative word here. Can't be sure if they were albies, or bonito.

[surfwalker]

As Dark stated, last year was dead for me as far as catching or hearing any chatter on the beach about Albies. I only saw one fella get one,early one morning. But the year before, 2007, I had a field day with them. Middle of October, air/49°, water flat as a pancake and gin clear, in my area of Jersey. You could cast a mile and you just had that feeling that after a few cranks you would be hooked up, not disappointed, and that's they way it played out. Nice Albies, many hook ups, tons of hits, over 10 pounds, and they stayed for a few hours. Smiles were abundant, crowd limited to around 4 casters. Just too much enjoyment to be had.
Jackbass mentioned the Vineyard. In the late '80's up there, I picked up some 10 pound Bonito on a 8 1/2 foot Steelhead rod. The bend of the rod and the many runs are replayed many times over in my mental video.

Happy Trails

[Monty]

Last year I caught the one on a teaser in front of a pencil. I had a hit two casts before in the same area.

If you catch one is there normally more in the area?




I did see a guy catch one one a bucktail once, though. :kooky:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=3663 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=3663&highlight=albacore)

[DarkSkies]

From my experience, Monty, they travel like bluefish, but in tighter schools. So if ya get one, you know there are more in that water. That's why it doesn't pay to chase after them. They move like lighning, but if bait is around will crisscross an area several times feeding.

And ya can't always know they are there, ya gotta work for them, so that leaves the binocular crowd out of the picture. :laugh:

It's frustrating because so many times they will be just out of reach. To get them to come within 100' of the water's edge is often unrealistic, often those guys who can throw the furthest will get them, others will just end up drooling. :drool:

If I remember correctly, when you caught that one on the teaser, it was a pretty nice one. More importantly, no one was targeting them where you were. While we were all jonesing in NJ waiting for them to show up, there was beach in LI behind Montauk where they had them for 2 days!!

You had guys targeting them at inlets and at the ends of the universe, but they didn't show up there. They showed up in the middle, where you were blind casting, working the water, like any good surfcaster is supposed to do.

And you nailed one, it was like picking a needle out of a haystack. :kooky: One of the very few surf caught albies that year, great catch!

[7deadlyplugs]

While we were all jonesing in NJ waiting for them to show up, there was beach in LI behind Montauk where they had them for 2 days!!



I read a report about that on another site but couldn't get there, had to work. Summertime blues.:(

[cowherder]

Some of your posts are inspiring fellas. I'm going to try for them this year. It seems you have to keep at it and can't give up, like climbing the bleachers up and down 500 times. I look forward to the alby reports here.:drool:

[cowherder]

They were reported on another site, the guy said they were in raritan bay channels this week!:lookhappy:
"On the way to Ambrose the other day there were 2 pods of Albies pushing water inbetween the channels. Actually saw a few clear the water. Keep an eye out... "

[fishinmission78]

I heard talk of some being sighted at Barnegat Ridge this week, but the source was not that believable. The guy could have seen albies, bonito, or skipjack for all he knows.

[DarkSkies]

I checked my logs, and the first NJ 2008 surf albie I know of for that non-existent season was on 9-19-08. The guy who caught it is an albie fanatic, I think he nailed 3 that day.

The interesting thing is he didn't get them at one of the well-known NJ surf spots. He got them where there had been a lot of small bait staging for a few weeks, did his homework, and was lucky enough to be in the right place when they came through. He was so lucky that most people didn't believe he nailed 1, let alone 3. :clapping:


As I was checking my NJ logs, they showed we were into monster bluefish, and some keeper bass, by the middle of August last year. The night action lasted for about 2 weeks, died out around the first week of Sept. Then it picked up around the 2nd week of Sept, still with monster blues, but the bass were a lot smaller, sub 28", until the action got a little better.

So now is the time to fish, guys. Even if you don't think they're there, if you are on the move and willing to hit a lot of spots in a night, you will find them. One key is a drop of the water temps into the 60's. Find that cooler water, find the bait, and fish will likely be there. :thumbsup:

As for the albies, I'm hoping we will have some reported catches before Labor Day this year. You may only get a 5 or 10 minute shot at them, be ready! Hope springs eternal in the world of the fisherman. :fishing:

[lostatsea]

Fishing for these things from the surf sounds like drinking three 5 hour energy drinks at once! I never got one from the surf, but have hit some bonito trolling. It's like a whole nother ballgame.:wheeeee:

[DarkSkies]

A 3rd hand reliable source confirmed one was (allegedly) beached from the sand this week 8/21, at a place where albies usually don't show up. Needle in a haystack kind of thing. Guy who got it worked hard, might be considered a sharpie, he knew what he was lookin for. :clapping::clapping:

There was another guy I know of who allegedly caught them in the Ocean county surf on 8/11.

The point here being that anyone who was thinkin they would be the first, that ain't possible anymore :D You never know when, where, or for how few minutes they will show up, get your rigs ready, please try to be quick on that release! :thumbsup:

[Monty]

It was the biggest adrenalin rush I have had fishing.
Great surprise, awesome experience.
This year I will be prepared for them if I am lucky enough to be in an area where they are.
The first time I ever saw them I thought I was seeing things (footballs torpedoing out of the water) :wow:.


Fishing for these things from the surf sounds like drinking three 5 hour energy drinks at once! I never got one from the surf, but have hit some bonito trolling. It's like a whole nother ballgame.:wheeeee:

[clamchucker]

As for the albies, I'm hoping we will have some reported catches before Labor Day this year. You may only get a 5 or 10 minute shot at them, be ready! Hope springs eternal in the world of the fisherman. :fishing:


I saw some pods yesterday morning at IBSP. They were pushing bait and several jumped out of the water, clearly false albacore. They were within range of a very long cast, although I did not see anyone hook up. You made a good call on this one, Dark. Last year they were around at this time, but most of my reports came from friends who were a few miles offshore. I believe they didn't come close to the beach until towards the end of the first week of September.

[ledhead36]

Thanks for the info fellas.

[captnemo]

We ran into some albies yesterday about a mile off the beach in Monmouth county. We were fluking and had 2 fluke to 22", numerous shorts. The albies came through rapidly and then moved north. Instead of chasing them, I set up two rods with deadly ***** and kept them ready. They came back again and were in our area for a few minutes. We got two to 7#, quickly released. BTW the quick release tips are spot on, if you take too long these pelagics end up as crab bait.

[nitestrikes]

2 reports from the island, today a guy saw them crashing bait on the ss, yesterday someone reported seeing them outside FI inlet.

[DarkSkies]

:clapping::clapping: To my friend for gettin 2 yesterday morning, on an open stretch of beach, after chasing them down for 1 1/2 hrs.....on a chartreuse fin-s, 1oz jighead, because nothing else written in the "false albacore from the surf textbook" was working. :laugh:

WTG on the thinking outside the box, man. You now know what the addiction is like. :thumbsup:

[finchaser]

Most of the lumps and bumps are loaded with Albert's and Bonita,
Thursday before the blow out by Little Italy there were Albert's,Bonita and skipjacks as far as the eye could see couldn' get threw threw them to the tuna.

Manasquan inlet late Saturday afternoon had blitz conditions on Alberts all the way to the RR bridge

[DarkSkies]

Tks finchaser, that must have been a blast! :lookhappy:

Yesterday conditions were tough, from sources all up and down the NJ coast, guys had only a few minutes to try the Hail Mary cast, and they disappeared just as quickly. A few were caught in Ocean County from the surf in the morning, and then it was over.

I was at the ocean after work, trying to hit the PM bite. I got there 1 1/2 hours after they appeared. The water was different than the day before. They weren't jumping out 7 at a time like they were on Sun. :drool:

Anyone who saw them had only a brief glimpse. Some might have nailed one, but there were only a lucky few, yesterday was one of those days. :don't know why:

Today, only one caught in the surf so far. Anyone can luck into them at any time, be ready guys. A window of a few minutes, or a half hour, might be all you get.

[plugcrazy]

I'm heading out today after work. I never caught one of these, but I sure as hell am going to try. I hope the conditions are favorable. I plan on using deadly *****. Any other hints to help me catch these?

[DarkSkies]

Don't get into a rut of thinking that they are the only presentation that will work, plugcrazy. They are effective when there are large spearing as part of the forage. When the forage is smaller like rainfish/bay anchovies, you need to match that profile as well, perhaps by tying a fly to the front of your metal, OR.....tying a small fly to the end of it.

I'll try to find an illustration of this, in the meantime check out this thread for suggestions on what to use:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4866

The important thing to remember is if what people tell you to do isn't working, try to think out of the box. A key factor is to get the presentation down to the level where they are feeding. sometimes they're not exactly on the surface or feeding strictly at the top. You need to get your offering to where they are, and in front of them, in such a way that it doesn't look fake, and matches what they're eating at that moment.

A friend got 2 the other day on a 1 oz jig and a chartreuse fin-s. Did I think that would be effective? :kooky: Until I heard the story, I never would have tried that combo. When I first started fishing for them, a guy who didn't catch them before got them on a bucktail, because that's all he brought with him, and they were in a frenzy at that moment.

Be aware they have incredibly keen eyesight, hence the belief that less hardware, flouro leaders, etc, are the way to go. You want to get it to where they are, and not have them reject it, to nail it on impulse. Within those parameters, you have a good amount of latitude.

[storminsteve]

:dribble:I really have to try for one of these things. I thought I saw them today, but could not be sure. Either way, thanks for all the reports and tips, Dark and others.

[clamchucker]

I got one about 8# on a diamond jig this morning at IBSP. They were on rainfish.

[DarkSkies]

A few were reported yesterday, guys and gals, here and there. One friend who is a great fisherman got none, while a friend of his got 2 an hour earlier. These were caught in different places all up and down the NJ coast.

There have also been some spurts of surf action all along the LI beaches.

There is some inconsistency in catching them from the surf unless they're in a frenzy over large quantities of bait, and then you have a better shot. Otherwise just keep casting away, and ya gotta believe! ;)

[clamchucker]

I got 2 at IBSP Thursday morning, deadly *****.

[DarkSkies]

People were asking if the noreasters would drive them away. Some guys have been nailing them in the RB in boats, in the channels. Similar action S and E of Breezy Point. Also some decent catches at, and North of the Barnegat ridge up to SH, all from boats.

Yesterday a friend of mine was chasing them all day. There was a 30 minute period of activity when some were caught in the ocean, they came in chasing bait to the 3rd wave and some surf guys got lucky. He missed that, but was able to get a spanish mackerel, using metal, at another surf area close by. WTG for your persistence. :clapping:

[basshunter]

Thanks for the update dark. I might have seen signs of them in south ocean county this morning, but I couldn't be sure. They were too far out and I didn't have binoculars.

[DarkSkies]

After the epic day some guys had yesterday, I set out early in search of some albies from the surf. I arrived as some of the regulars were leaving, got a chance to meet some of the old-timers I've read so much about in print. :HappyWave: The time spent talking to a regular fisherman of a particular spot is invaluable. Spare the time if you can, you won't regret it.

The bite was only a slow pick today, a few were nailed by blind casting. Based on what they told me, I made a move to another location to catch some different water.

I was throwing an Ava17no tail, flouro leader. 200 casts later I was done. :skunk: Switched over to some top water, mid water, bucktails, and rubber trying to hit a stray bluefish, but I failed in that objective too.

[fishinmission78]

I saw one albie taken today, by a guy down the beach, deadly ****.

[clamchucker]

I got one yesterday morning in somoco, throwing a diamond jig with a spearing teaser. The albie hit the teaser, I would guesstimate she was 10#.

[DarkSkies]

I saw the clouds and the overcast conditions this morning, and said to myself: today is the day to be out there for albies! :drool:

There are 4 or 5 surf locations that could see false albacore come in close. As long as the sun is partially hiding, today could be another epic day. I'm jealous of the guys who are retired, but at least they can get in some good fishin without being mugged. Good luck out there. :HappyWave:

7734

7735

[surfstix1963]

On Long Island around the Shinnecock inlet we have been getting some good shots at them they stayed around for awhile my buddy got ten.But here today gone the next.

[DarkSkies]

I saw the clouds and the overcast conditions this morning, and said to myself: today is the day to be out there for albies! :drool:

There are 4 or 5 surf locations that could see false albacore come in close. As long as the sun is partially hiding, today could be another epic day. I'm jealous of the guys who are retired, but at least they can get in some good fishin without being mugged. Good luck out there. :HappyWave:

7734

7735

Well I was a little off on my prediction. :beatin: The day above I thought would be a good opportunity turned out to be yesterday, Sept 24, 2009. A got quite a few calls about the great albie action for surfcasters. Of course, boaters have been nailing them consistently for some time now, but the surf action depends on whether they come within casting range or not.

Yesterday there was no sign of them when I had to leave for work. I felt for sure the acres of small bait would draw them in. Chas spotted them shortly thereafter, but they were out of reach. When you see albies that are too far out, that's the surf fisherman's equivalent of putting a fresh juicy steak just out of reach of a starving dog. :dribble: :wow:

Yesterday, Sept 24, surf albies were caught along a broad stretch of the NJ coastline, along with quite a few strategic spots in LI as well. Some were there and simply lucked out. Others, like some friends of mine, have been chasing them every day, putting themselves in places they're likely to show up, and blind casting hundreds of times just for the shot at one of these inshore pelagic acrobats.

These guys have been hardcore, risking divorce ;) and sacrificing other opportunities to get a shot at just one. It's hard until you get a big one to understand what it's like. Yesterday some big ones were caught, 10# and better, along with some decent sized Spanish Mackerel.

It's the thrill of catching something that seems like a tuna from shore, that's about the best way I can describe it. :wheeeee:

Congratulations to Surfwalker, my other incognito friends who care more about fishin than any intenet chatter :thumbsup: :HappyWave:, and all the other guys or girls who hooked up yesterday, WTG! :clapping::clapping:

[DarkSkies]

I'm trying to lay this down to document each season.

Last year 2008 was poor no matter how you looked at it. Short and inconsistent. 2007 was pretty memorable, and the first year I started chasing them. I've had the fortune to meet other more experienced anglers who have shared about the great years they have had as well, and were able to pass along some solid intel and tips to me. :HappyWave:

Thus far (if I left anything out, please feel free to weigh in to further help us document it here) 2009 Season:

August 8-15- first reported ones are caught in Ocean county, NJ, along with some spanish mackerel. Then Aug 15 the first reported ones are caught in Monmouth County.

This is significant because according to the old timers who have been schooling me, we don't usually see them until Labor Day. So I believed we were off to a great start this year.

A few days later, they reported them off various LI beaches, and they came in with the spanish mackerel as well.

For the next 2 weeks, guys had them on and off, at different times of the day, in Ocean County. It was slightly more sporadic in Monmouth County, but enough to make it interesting.

Similar circumstances in the LI area beaches as well.

Then we had some noreast weather patterns. Fishing slowed down for a while, but recently started building back up again to where you had a shot.

During this time, there were more reported catches off the LI area, and even some in the back reaches of the LI sound areas, NS LI and on the Connecticut side. The water is warm enough, and the bait is thick enough, that you can expect albies to be reported from NJ to Mass, and they are.

On Sept 20, there was another spike in activity in Monmouth County, with some areas reporting up to 50 caught that day. It seems that Ocean county and various LI beaches had good chances at surf albies that day as well.

In between, sporadic catches here and there, with the most recent spike in surf catches being yesterday, Sept 24, when they were beached in good numbers from NJ to Mass.

Of course, boaters have had a good year as well. They have been reporting that when trolling for tuna and other pelagics, it's hard not to catch the albies, as they are so abundant from 1-40 miles offshore. I appreciate all reports that are sent in to me, whether you guys post them up or not, or just want to give me a head's up.

And this is by no means a comprehensive listing of catches. Many catches go unreported as there are many I know who have no need for the internet. :wow: Corrections and additions are always welcome.

The reason I started these reports last year was so they would function as an online logbook to talk about and identify the trends from one year to another.






Spot or area burning:
Many may notice I try to speak in generalities as much as possible. There's a reason for this. I see no purpose for saying "albies were caught at spot X" yesterday if they will only be moving to spot "Y" today, or 5 minutes after you saw them yesterday.

Spot or area naming serves no logical purpose other than to draw lazy fishermen to a spot when they don't want to do the work. :learn:

People who fish with me know that when we go out for the night, we may hit 5 or 6 areas before we're into fish, that's part of what fishing is about. (to me anyway) :don't know why:

Privacy is best served with PM's. Feel free to PM any specific info privately anytime, and as you can see from my posts, lots of people trust me to keep things general. I hope I continue to do a good job at that, as I hate walking onto crowded beaches, no matter what time of day or night.


Spot burning and videos:
To this end, I want others to know that while I like filming the videos I do, I take great care to make the filming look as generic as possible unless it's an area where no one is catching and I want to showcase the conditions.

I have received some comments about the way that others put their videos up on the internet. If at any time anyone feels a video I post up is too specific or you are offended by it, please e-mail or pm me. If more than one person has a problem with a video, I'll remove it immediately. Thanks people. :thumbsup:

[plugginpete]

Spot or area burning:

Spot or area naming serves no logical purpose other than to draw lazy fishermen to a spot when they don't want to do the work. :learn:



What DS said. Can I get an amen?:clapping::clapping::clapping:

[clamchucker]

Amen, anyone can learn to fish, if they are willing to put in the time.
I got one albie this morning on a deadly ****. I was fishing ocean county.

[voyager35]

I enjoy reading your reports Dark. It seems you try your best to be a neutral party and to be discreet. You actually care about your posts and feel a related responsibility to how they are perceived.
We have been getting good amounts of albies, not every time out, but they are here in strong numbers this year. From what I have seen in past years, they may be here for a while longer. I hope you surf guys get some more shots at them. They are a ton of fun.

[DarkSkies]

Thanks Voyager, your comments are appreciated. :HappyWave:

Today was another successful day for albie surfcasters, both in NJ and LI. People will have this day marked in their log books for years to come. Congrats to all those who worked hard and casted hundreds of times to get that adrenalin rush. :clapping::clapping:

[nitestrikes]

Got 4 albies yesterday afternoon in an inlet, out front. The wind had the bait pinned in the pocket and they were there. All were caught blind casting crippled herring. A few other guys were there and hooked up as well. It was a blast!:fishing:

[DarkSkies]

Yep Nitestrikes, thanks for the report. There were quite a few caught at some LI inlet areas the day you reported, and the day after.

Also, believe it or not, some albies were landed on the inside of a NJ tidal river, a little upriver of a Nomoco place. You never know where these babies will turn up, so stay positive. Congrats, they are some great fish to catch! :clapping:

[DarkSkies]

It's been a while, but there are some guys out there hooking up. Some are so crazy they are hunting for them every day. To those dedicated few I tip my hat. :HappyWave: I still haven't gotten my first 2009 albie yet. There may be 2 weeks or so left in the season. All is dependent on the water temps, which so far are not great for bass fishermen, but great for those targeting albies.

So.... yesterday a few were caught on NJ beaches. There was a flurry of activity around sunrise. Then it was quiet until around 4pm, when it heated up a bit and a few guys got lucky.

There was also one notable catch that I heard of today. A friend of a friend caught a nice sized one yesterday around 5pm, way in the back of RB, near an inlet. He was jigging, and the albie caught him by surprise. :wow: Although he can be said to be very lucky, I still salute the guy for such an unusual catch way in the back. :thumbsup: I remember about 5 years ago seeing a guy get one at an inlet in the back. Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see with my own eyes.

There were also quite a few caught on various LI beaches yesterday. :thumbsup:

[7deadlyplugs]

Thanks for the updates. It's good to know they are still around.

[bababooey]

This was from a report I found yesterday -
I have never seen albies 10", that's tiny.


"Later in the day, we caught false albacore about two miles off Pt. Pleasant. They call them "little tunny" and these were little. The biggest was 10 inches. They were chasing bait on the surface. "

[DarkSkies]

Any day now....

We may need a few days after Earl for the inshore waters to clean up. After that those who need to find them in the surf...... will. ;) :fishing:

[storminsteve]

I can't wait!:dribble:

[plugaholic]

They caught them 15 miles offshore, from yesterday's Ristori report:


Bluefish cooperated again, and quantities of little tunny were finally running through the slick of Miss Belmar Princess as Capt. Len Forsyth anchored 15 miles east of Shark River Inlet. He also had skipjacks in the slick, and noted that his anglers have even jigged an occasional cod out there. Capt. Jim O'Grady of the **** Robin from Point Pleasant also had little tunny in his slick plus some bonito. Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. reported 7-to-15-pound blues on his Jamaica from Brielle plus little tunny and skipjacks.

[stripercrazy]

North Fork report
A guy was out fishing off the North Fork of LI over the weekend, jigging for blues, he got 2.

[plugaholic]

A fisherman got 19 of them, albies and bonita, on the Queen Mary today. It said something about them being only a few miles off the beach.

[nitestrikes]

Dude on another site hooked into one yesterday, lost at the boat. Breezy point area.:drool: It won't be long now.

[fishinmission78]

1 albie today on metal, DD, OC. A few others were caught among the bluefish.

[VSdreams]

Way to catch them up fishin!:clapping:

[DarkSkies]

Yesterday was descibed as "epic" albie fishing among some of the reports that came in to me. :drool: The thing that made it so good was the sustained bite, and the fact that albies were caught at so many NJ surf areas, not just the usual places where people look for them.

The best report I got was from a guy who got 12. :wow: He had a few tweaks in his method that allowed him to outfish most of the fishermen at the beach he was at. :thumbsup:

It seems that yesterday is a day for albie addicts that will be remembered for years after, where both boat and surf guys got in on the action.

The only downside to that is how to you do better than that? It may be possible that we don't, that yesterday was the highlight of the 2010 season for the surf guys. Moreover, today, which some of us predicted would deliver the same opportunity, was a dud for most of the albie surf guys out there. Hundreds of casts were made, and at most there were reports of a few fish just out of casting range.

Congrats to all the lucky ones who were in on the action. :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup:

[fishinmission78]

Yep it was some good action, I should have stuck around but had to get to work.

[bababooey]

We had a few nice albie and blues blitzes yesterday about 500' off IBSP. Albies to 8lbs blues to 14. All on deadly ***** and avas with green tail. Some surf guys got into them as well. And, at some times they were just out of reach of them. We did ok by letting them come to us and not chasing them, just keeping the drift steady.

[blitzhunter]

I fished Moses yesterday, saw them pop up a few times but couldn't hit them.

[clamchucker]

Managed 3 Tues on a deadly ****, moco.

[hookset]

Got an albie yesterday on a t-hex. I moved to 2 different areas before I got one, they were moving fast!

[albiealert]

These guys did an awesome job!:dribble:
They filmed it at Montauk Sept 13
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[DarkSkies]

At 0:35 and 2:30 in the clip, you can see shots of kayakers out there getting into them too. :fishing:

I think they were shots of DannyV, (otherwise known as MSG Dan or Kayak Dan,) and a friend of his. They went up there that day and got into some incredible kayak albie fishin. :dribble:They picked a perfect day for it, as there hasn't been a window with water that good in weeks.

Danny is an obsessive fisherman and kayaker. When the action is great you can expect him to be right there in the middle. :thumbsup: I think they were also into that epic NJ action around 9-15-10 at Shrewsbury Rocks.

Great video and editing, the action is incredible. Thanks for posting, Albie. :HappyWave:

[jigfreak]

:drool:That's an intense video. It looks like pure albie heaven out there. Those guys in the kayaks were lucky, right place at the right time. Wow.

[fishinmission78]

sweet

[strikezone31]

This guy got into em out of Jones yesterday. I found it on another site, great catch, dude!:clapping::clapping::clapping:




12315
The bass bite shut down and out came the albies in full force. Which may explain the bass shutdown. I guess the speed of these guys just outclass the bass so when they want to feed, game over. Although everytime they were around the boat their feeding was alot more casual than frenetic. Who knows. Found some albies in 0' of water smashing bait on the beach. Got in close, 5' of water and started to pick them. Really is awesome to be that close up on the beach. No surf rats I could see, hopefully some of you guys got into this. Went on the troll for one more bass and 2 more albies for about 15 minutes. The last albie made me tap, I was done with that. Normal slower trolling and jigging speeds worked. Not really bustin out or showing on the FF but they were all around.

For everyone who has caught albies, you can move on. For those that havent, let me draw you a picture. The third albie I had, the fattest, hit my Deadly **** at the boat and took off for a good 25 seconds on 90% drag(2 clicks from full). Seriously I counted. Had to chase him down and another with the boat or else there goes my line, which I just respooled. Bent open the hook on a 3 ounce DD(zoom in on picture, it is the hook holding the rail). 50 yards, 100 yards, 150 yards, 200 yards, dang. What makes this all special is this is an 7lb fish!! When they see the boat, you start over. I could only imagine what fighting a 60lb tuna on spinning gear must be like, and can securely say Im not into trying to tangle with them. Had one on the troll on conventional gear who wound up wrapping himself in the line and I think it took 15 minutes to bring him in. He was 5 lbs. Not boat shy at all like the bass. In fact they seem to prefer it at times. Im guessing with the dropping water temps happening and the current blow, they will be moving on or continuing West. So fare well and ado till next time.

[VSdreams]

I saw them just off the beach in nomoco today, they were moving at blazing speed, way to fast to cast to. My buddy got one around 8lbs yesterday, he ran around all day looking for them.

[porgy75]

Do you guys think with all the hot weather we are having lately they might be here sooner this year? What about bonito, do they come earlier than albacore or do they travel together?

[finchaser]

water is still cold too much south wind

[basshunter]

Might be early this year?

"Capt. Bob Pennington got into bonito Sunday while jigging small blues along the Shore from his Sea Devil from Point Pleasant."
If bonito are out there, can albacore be far behind?

[finchaser]

fished off shore saturday where they usually are this time of year nada no albies or skippies also from about 8 miles off up to 40 off there was no signs of any life. At 40 off all the big bluefish you could want

[plugginpete]

I am jonesing to catch a false albacore from the surf this season. I checked this thread. In 2009 they showed up Sept 20, in 2010 it was Sept 9. Does anyone want to make any guesses when they might show up this year? All the bay waters near the ocean are muddy and there is a lot of debris and nasty dirty water. Any of you guys want to explain how that might affect them showing up, because the way things are going so far maybe they won't?

[finchaser]

water is way to cold and dirty,there are none offshore either,I wouldn't bet on any of the pelagic coming inshore except maybe bluefin when water clears. Back in beginning of August Bonita were on the ridge they too for lack of bait and clean water are long gone

[jigfreak]

^ What he said, I think we could see them in Oct if the water clears up and the bait hugs the shore, otherwise its sayonara.

[DarkSkies]

water is way to cold and dirty,there are none offshore either,I wouldn't bet on any of the pelagic coming inshore except maybe bluefin when water clears.

A friend of mine from the NY side has the same opinion as Finchaser..
"No Albacore yet, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see them at all this year, the offshore boats have seen close to none...ya never know but it looks like ****."


We don't want to be negative here, just realistic. But like Fin said, the conditions are poor this year. The inshore bait has had it's masses broken up and washed away. The albies tend to congregate where the bait concentrations are densest, and right now those conditions don't exist at too many places for them locally, except for Montauk and some North Shore LI locations.

I truly hope we're wrong with these "realistic" assessments, as I and some other albie addicts would really like a shot at them from the surf this year.
So I'm still hoping for the best, maybe......:drool:

[strikezone31]

I agree, until we hear of some boat reports there is a slim chance of them being in the surf. All this rain is killing it.

[williehookem]

^ There was a charter that was fishing out of Montauk for tuna yesterday. They got one tuna and a bunch of albies, SE of Block offshore. So we may be hearing more reports soon, hopefully!

[cowherder]

I would love to hook into an albacore this year. Thanks for the info willie!

[plugcrazy]

**** Robin- The **** Robin from Point Pleasant has had some unusual variety while bluefishing on a wreck the last two days. Capt. Jim O'Grady reported a Monday mix of pollock and cod with the blues. Today there were more pollock, and they had their first little tunny of the season hooked. Tomorrow's trip targets the little tunny and bonito that have been missing so far.

[jigfreak]

Had one today, dropped it. Still hearing the drag scream in my head. They have arrived.

[fishinmission78]

Nice dude, I was looking for em before dark, slinging metal, but not a sign anywhere.

[baitstealer]

Jigfreak, are you sure? how do you know you had an albie on and not a bluefish?

[jigfreak]

Had one today, dropped it. Still hearing the drag scream in my head. They have arrived.

Listen baitball or crumb stealer or whatever your name is, it is apparent from your posts that you don't know your *** from your elbow. GO BACK AND READ MY POST ABOVE! The bluefish in the surf right now aren't drag screamers. If you would even do a search and read some of the albie threads here, I am assuming you have never caught one, you will LEARN of the drag-screaming runs of these balls of fire. They are addictive. I had it in my log that we got them last year around this time and took the day off. Searched for hours no signs of them. Then I saw them porpoising. Hard to reach, but they finally came in after the bait. There were no bluefish with them, pure albies. Use the search key and get yourself up to speed before you make a fool of yourself again.

[storminsteve]

wtg jigfreak! That is encouraging, I was wondering with the water as cloudy as it was if they would show up. Thanks.

[rockhopper]

They supposably hit the ss here today too.
" I went out planning to fish until dead low tide which was around 2:15pm. Got there'd and nobody around.claimed to have any luck or see anything. Around noon heard some splashes and look down expecting blues, only to find false albies jumping in a school so thick it looked like a dark cloud passing through. First time I have seen them so got amped at the prospect of notching another species in my belt. Threw 007's, Deadly ****, Crippled Herring, some soft plastics and come up empty handed. Hooked up once on the crippled herring, jumped twice and that was then end of that. Came home with nothing but stories. "

[Monty]

They are addictive. I had it in my log that we got them last year around this time and took the day off. Searched for hours no signs of them. Then I saw them porpoising. Hard to reach, but they finally came in after the bait. There were no bluefish with them, pure albies.
Jigfeak, that's great news, thanks. I caught one a few years ago, was shaking after the release, the reel screaming is intense.

[captnemo]

Little tunny caught on the **** Robin yesterday

[nitestrikes]

Marlin princess report
Another day of mixed bag fishing on the MARLIN VI PRINCESS. Todat we added another fish to the mix, albies. I have never seen so many caught on diamond jigs. I have seen 1 or 2 per trip but today we had over 25 in a 1 hour span. When the tide dropped out so did the fish only to reappear on the next tide.

[seamonkey]

Congrats on the action jigfreak. Hopefully we see more of that and the weather and swells don't screw it up.

[jigfreak]

Got one today, blind casting. About 8lbs, quick release, a DD made it work, direct tie. Blues and small bass came in later, There were waves of bait in the surfline, mostly mullet but spearing, rainfish also. Hell there could even been some sandeels mixed in there was so much of it. All moving S.

[DarkSkies]

Congrats to those who put in their time. I took today off to find and target them, no real success..

I did see em today, twice....
Brought my kayak with me last night, if all went well I would have been OTW at 5:30 am paddling out to them. Unfortunately the hard 15-20N from last night continued and shifted to a NE stiff 15, one of the absolute worst winds for NJ surf fishing.

The swells were 6-8', wave duration every 3 secs, with double rollers breaking on the beach at the same time. Launching a yak today would have been suicide.

I had to be content to observe them from the beach, 200' - 250' out, as the birds telegraphed where they were in the rough surf..

It seemed to me they moved at the speed of light ;), first here, then there. 500' away in the blink of an eye.

There were multiple pods earlier in the day, probably a few dozen of them.

I watched them for about 1 1/2 hours, drool dribbling from my chin, :drool: unable to present because of the effing stiff NE. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png
Although I did blind cast,. my best cast fell far short of where they were.

I felt like a kid happily walking into the candy store with a shiny new nickel, only to find out that all the candy costs a dime....:laugh:

Later on in the afternoon, there were a few of us out there braving the waves and the slop, blind casting.

We might have seen albie activity when there was a flurry of bird movement for about a 1/2 hour. In any case, the activity in the afternoon paled in comparison to earlier. Although the surf was rough, they were there, right beyond the dirty water line, but unreachable.

They were truly a blast to watch, though, powerful and frustrating fish that they are...

[storminsteve]

Even though you couldn't reach them it must have been wild to see them so close like that. Thanks for the descriptions, you got me stoked!

[dogfish]

I felt like a kid happily walking into the candy store with a shiny new nickel, only to find out that all the candy costs a dime....:laugh:



You write real purdy, ds.:heart: :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

^^ I'm not sure where you're coming from on that, dogfish, so I have no comment for ya (hearing the Deliverance tune in my head...:eek: :rolleyes: )
But thanks, I think....:kooky:




Albies did not make an appearance in the usual surf spots yesterday or today.
They are catching them on some bluefish boats 6-22 miles offshore, based on recent reports...

[fishinmission78]

I say they will show up today in the surf. There is so much bait in close it's unreal.

[hookset]

They got them on the Queen Mary out of Point today, here is a report from a guy who hooked into some:

"Was on board the Queen Mary today and landed 8 Albies."

[baitstealer]

jigfreak I am sorry if I said something that offended you. I didn't mean anything by it, really. Just looking to learn and sometimes I might say things that don't make sense. Glad you got into the albie action, congrats.

[finchaser]

They got them on the Queen Mary out of Point today, here is a report from a guy who hooked into some:

"Was on board the Queen Mary today and landed 8 Albies."


they are also fishing 15 miles off the beach

[jigfreak]

baitstealer the apology is appreciated. I have been chasing albies for the last 15 years and it takes a lot of work to find and get them with any consistency. I see you are a new guy so I will try to cut you some slack. If you need some pointers and know how to keep your mouth shut, e-mail me.

[clamchucker]

In my experience we need a northwest wind to bring the bait in close to the surf and clean this water up before we get more false albacore action. This south wind is good for nothing.

[VSdreams]

^ Clamchucker I hope we get that nw wind soon because I talked to a few guys on the beach today who said they had been searching for the albies and haven't seen any surf activity in over a week. Lets all pray for a w wind, I really want to catch one.

[hookset]

They're getting into little tunny off of Montauk again and near the middle grounds in the LI Sound. (boats)

[rockhopper]

A guy reported catching a few albies slightly off of Breezy today.

[basshunter]

Thanks for the report RH, we haven't had any albacore reports in the Jersey surf in a while. Hope they come over here.

[bababooey]

Took a drive by the ocean around 3pm today, the water didn't look too good. Meybe the best chance will be out on some of the lumps like finchaser said.

[DarkSkies]

Albies in Rhody -

Sent in by Fin, thanks....albies in Rhody yesterday


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ukOe6D313rs



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r53HuRANjw&NR=1

[bababooey]

Some were caught at the Manasquan ridge today.

[DarkSkies]

In the last week, some have been caught by yakkers, and some from the surf. The yak action has been limited and sporadic. Surf action was so limited that it's probably safe to say I heard about almost all instances through the intel network of albie addicts I know....

There is no way to predict when they'll show up, as it has been pretty random.
This has not been a strong albie season so far. The reality is that if we don't have decent surf albie action by the 2nd week of Oct, that will most likely signal the end....
Best bet is to realize they are more active when the tide is running stronger. And if you see them and they sound, keep blind casting until you're sure they're gone, some were recently nailed that way.

[storminsteve]

Hey hey hey its fat albert! Dark no offense but I hope your dire predictions don't come true. Ireally want a chance at them and won''t be able to fish the sunlight hours when they are around till later in the week. The NW wind tonight was pretty brisk, almost 20miles per hour, so I hope that does some good for the bite.

[jigfreak]

Got one this morning in NJ on a small diamond jig casting into the wind, Albie was around 6lbs, quick release.

[clamchucker]

Glad to hear that jigfreak. The true measure of an anglers skill is if they are catching when no one else is. I gort one small bluefish this morning, and drove down the beach before I left to see if anything was going on. The tide was getting lower, traditionally not the best time. There was not much activity at all though. Not in the wash or even any visible offshore. Getting that albie on a day like today, where the surf was rougher and the NE wind was blowing, must have felt good. They are around now. I have not targeted them from the surf for awhile as I don't have the stamina to cast metal for hours on end. And that is exactly what you must do when they are not visible. It is a lot easier to target them on a boat.

Very nice effort.

[DarkSkies]

The yak and boat guys have had the most success in the last week, but surf guys are getting them as well. either accicentally or by targeting them with hours of blind casting.

The time and place vary from day to day.

In the years past the bite would start about 1/2 hr after sunrise. It's way different than that this year. Some of the veteran anglers have missed out on them by following that pattern.

It ain't easy, and I feel it's much harder for the surf guys to get one. If ya do, consider yourself lucky. There's no telling how long they'll be around. Congrats to all. :clapping: :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

They showed early this year, more than 3 months ahead of when they usually do.....

All this week, confirmed reports of boat catches from Island Beach to NomoCo......
All boat reports so far, but they are feeding close to the surf early in the morning.....

With all the small bait that has arrived in the surf in the last week,,,
I would estimate someone will have gotten one from the surf by this time next week....







Good luck guys, and if you do catch them please treat them carefully and get back into the surf quickly...with the lower oxygen content now in the surf, they will die more quickly if not releassed within a minute.....:learn:

[voyager35]

We trolled one on Tuesday. It was about 7 pounds. About 1/2 mile off the Casino Pier. Good luck guys.

[buckethead]

Been a month since any sightings. Looks like they are finally here!
From Ristori's blog


"Allen Riley of South Plainfield passed along very surprising news that little tunny have been caught in the surf weeks ahead of when they usually show -- if at all. Riley reported that they were caught Friday in the Sea Bright surf behind Giglio's Tackle, and there were additional reports this morning from Long Branch and Monmouth Beach. Small metals tied directly are the best bet."

[bababooey]

They are getting them a few at a time on some of the day bluefish boats now.

[seamonkey]

You guys are lucky, We really don't get to see them in the surf in Cape May.

[buckethead]

Not albies but I did see some acrobatics this morning. SRI area, small blues, and then about 1/2 hour after sunriise some thinner longer species pushing bait. Frigate mackerel and spanish mackerel. They were pretty close, maybe 75' Was throwing small deadly ***** but could not get a touch. Bringing even smaller metal next time. Take your tubes off if you are throwing avas. Trebles make a shorter profile.

[hookset]

Bringing even smaller metal next time. Take your tubes off if you are throwing avas. Trebles make a shorter profile.

That was the ticket today bucket. Got into a few with a ava oo7 without the tail. When the wind kicked up it got hard to throw but it did the job. Picked up 4 to 6#. Lots of fun. I needed that. They were crashing small spearing.

[skinner]

Fantastic news hookset. I'll be looking for them this weekend. They are an amazing fish to catch.

[storminsteve]

Good for you hookset. Must have been sweet!

[captnemo]

this was online:


Allen Riley of South Plainfield said Team Albacore was on hand this morning at Monmouth Beach to look for signs of little tunny. Tony Martino of Long Branch caught a small one in the surf on a Gibbs Minnow a week ago, but there have been no further reports.

[fishinmission78]

Not exactly an albacore report but I was at Island Beach fluking the other morning and saw small spanish mackerel or something like bonito breaking water about 100 yards out. They were too small to be albacore but not sure exactly what they were.

[DarkSkies]

Albies were landed from the beaches on Fri 8-31.
They were landed for certain, in at least 2 NJ locations.

They were caught with small metal.
The feedback that I got was the guys catching them were happy to have them, but they were a little small, in the 5# range. Remember, even though they were that small they still pack a punch and will pull drag...and they were NOT spanish mackerel, they were albies.


The bite was not sustained and only a lucky few who were already in place got into them.

Good luck, people.

[porgy75]

Great to know I would love to catch an albie, even if by accident!

[hookset]

got one albie about 7lbs yesterday in o county. On a DD. A few others caught. They were on small bait for about 15-20 mins, around high tide.

[DarkSkies]

Nice going hookset. They showed up yesterday as well in several areas, both ocean and momnouth counties...but the guys who were there said they were in and out. There was one period of 2 hours when they were right in the surf line, but none were caught at that location...very frustrating for those who were trying....

The amount of tiny bait in the surfline now (baby spearing and rainfish) is tremendous.

It makes it difficult when albies solely focus on that because they tend to ignore everything else unless in a feeding frenzy.....even metals that are 4" long are too big.

Some of them are being caught by accident...and the guys really targeting them are working hard, catching some, and often getting blanked in the surf zone....
I haven't had time to chase them during the day yet, but salute all you folks who are managing to find them....:clapping:

[basshunter]

Great news thanks for the heads up.

[buckethead]

Got some albies this morning, lots o fun. Crippled herring and hopkins. nomoco

[DarkSkies]

Recap...the last 2 weeks have been tough for guys looking to target them from the surf....

Even the boaters prowling for them in close are having some difficulty at times...and the best producers being trolled are very small.
This probably has a lot to do with the tiny 1-2" rainfish and small spearing in the surf right now.

As mentioned in another thread, their behavior in the surf line is different than in a chum slick.



They have been in and out quickly..in many cases it doesn't pay to go chasing them.

It's better to be ready with an "albie pak" a small plastic bag with one or 2 metals or small rubber directly tied to flouro so you might be ready to switch over to that if they do come in.
Often the kayakers trolling just out of the surf zone have had better access to them.













**Another interesting thing is that for years the most reliable places to target them from shore is Breezy Point in Brooklyn, and Sandy Hook in NJ.
For surf guys those places have not proved as productive as others this year.


Congrats to all who have had albie action thus far.

[finchaser]

New term at the docks Albie's are referred to as Green Tuna by mates on head boats sales to the Orientals are booming

[cowherder]

Green tuna? Crazy:kooky:

[BassBuddah]

Guys you should take a ride to Montauk. They are all over. You could see them at the point and the south side beaches. Just out of reach of surfcasters, but the boats and kayak guys got them., Talked to one yakker who said he got 23...so much bait and different forms of life.

[dogfish]

This has been an incredible year for albies. They came into Boston harbor about 2 weeks ago. Unreal.

[williehookem]

New term at the docks Albie's are referred to as Green Tuna by mates on head boats sales to the Orientals are booming

Like calling patagonian tooth fish chilean sea bass, only albie's are terrible to eat. dont know why people would want to keep them.
Here is an albie a guy got from the rocks at Breezy point the other day, from another site. I think he said they were in and out in 15 minutes, They have been inside Jamaica bay as well. What a year. I haven't gotten any yet but am still trying.

15538

[buckethead]

Anyone want to take a gander as to when the first surf albies will be caught this year? Last year they showed in the surf last week of July. This year the surf seems a little colder but a bluefish boat got one the other day.

[bababooey]

One of the fares on the big Jamaica bluefish trip today got a bonito in the slick. I have friends who have trolled a few on the inshore lumps along with bluefish. I say they should be in the surf soon. They are about as predictable as a woman, though and I'm no expert on surf fishing so I don't want to guess when. There is a lot of small bait in the surf though and that is what draws the albies bonito and spanish mackerel in.

[robmedina]

One of the fares on the big Jamaica bluefish trip today got a bonito in the slick. There is a lot of small bait in the surf though and that is what draws the albies bonito and spanish mackerel in.
Bonito are good to eat, right? That's what I heard- and would love to land one from the surf. Tuna is good eating!!!

[buckethead]

Yes rob you can eat them. Good on the grill whole baked in foil with a spicy rub. Much different than false albacore though. Albies are also known as little tunny. I don's think they are really in the tuna family. I believe they are in the mackerel family. The Big Jamaica reported one bonito today as well. I believe they are fishing 6-10 miles to the east of monmouth county beaches. I hope we see albies in the surf soon. Won't be long now maybe another week or so until they show up on the beaches. As someone said the little bait that is all over the surf and in front of the inlets should draw them in.

[finchaser]

Bonita very seldom show on the beach as they like very clean water. False albacore show on the beach when water is clean ,warm and full of bait and they are not good to eat. Tuna have red meat Bonita are in the tuna family and have a whitish meat. False albacore are in the tuna family as they show up on the tuna identification charts.

[robmedina]

Won't be long now maybe another week or so until they show up on the beaches. As someone said the little bait that is all over the surf and in front of the inlets should draw them in. oh man, that would be awesome. I am going to IBSP next week with the family. Even though this limits my fishing, I will take it anyday. Anyway- I will bring some metals with me just in case!

[buckethead]

False albacore are in the tuna family as they show up on the tuna identification charts.


I had it mixed up finchaser thanks for the correction.:HappyWave: The mackerel is a sub grouping.
From wikipedia:


A tuna is a saltwater finfish (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Finfish) that belongs to the tribe (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Tribe_(biology)) Thunnini, a sub-grouping of the mackerel family (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Scombridae) (Scombridae) – which together with the tunas, also includes the bonitos (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Bonito), mackerels (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Mackerel), and Spanish mackerels (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Spanish_mackerel). Thunnini comprises fifteen species (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Species) across five genera (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Genera),[1] (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/#cite_note-Graham2004-1) the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Bullet_tuna) (max. length: 50 cm (1.6 ft), weight: 1.8 kg (4 lb)) up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna (http://stripersandanglers.com/wiki/Atlantic_bluefin_tuna) (max. length: 4.6 m (15 ft), weight: 684 kg (1,508 lb)). The bluefin averages 2 m (6.6 ft), and is believed to live for up to 50 years.

[buckethead]

A boat fishing out in Raritan bay reported albies breaking the surface on Friday. Only a matter of days before someone catches one in the surf.

[robmedina]

A boat fishing out in Raritan bay reported albies breaking the surface on Friday. Only a matter of days before someone catches one in the surf.:headbang:

[buckethead]

We also have 5 glorious days of weather ahead of us with the northwest and western winds coming in from Canada. I feel this sustained pattern is a great setup for an albie bite. They are here but not in numbers. It's only a matter of time before someone reports catching one from the surf.

[finchaser]

I haven't seen any from the beach out to the Hudson canyon just a few skipjack. Most of the inshore lumps where they first appear are void of life. Just cold clean water. IMO I don't think they will arrive this year they like water in the upper 70's which we have yet to see.

[robmedina]

IMO I don't think they will arrive this year they like water in the upper 70's which we have yet to see. I don't much of anything about albies or bonitas but from what I have read the like the warmer water and was wondering the same thing. This has been a mild summer, and the water temps are not as warm as the normally are.

[storminsteve]

Thanks for the updated intel finchaser. I am as optimistic as buckethead is. They reported catching bonito at the shark river reef and the golden eagle and some other boats have jigged them with the small bluefish they are getting. If bonito are in the mix there should be some albies too. They may not be around in large quantities but I really hope one of us will get one. A lady caught a large 25lb cobia in the Bay Head surf the other day so you know some of those warm water fish are around.
I know the water temps are lower this year but you have to keep the hope alive. Just my .02 of course! No disrespect meant and thanks for the info.

[finchaser]

I know I saw it get weighed in. Water temp on the ridge the other day was 68. I'll be out all day tomorrow and let you know if we see any. One of our group is at the canyon now

[robmedina]

A lady caught a large 25lb cobia in the Bay Head surf the other day .:drool:

[finchaser]

I know I saw her weigh it at my friends shop to cheer you up Bonita were caught on a few lumps and bumps today NW wind seems to have warmed and cleaned things up pray we get no south winds

[finchaser]

Robmedina a massive school of Albacore arrived today 10 miles east Manasquan in the Mudhole chasing sandeels in super clean 75 degree water. Yesterday we caught many fluke and 18 keepers to 7# way up north saw absolutely no life from the Rattlesnake to Manasquan inlet (23miles )we went up and down with 4 boats looking each 2miles apart and marked no bait so or saw any signs of life. On the way down we found a school of 10 to 12" blues outside shark river inlet.

[robmedina]

Robmedina a massive school of Albacore arrived today 10 miles east Manasquan in the Mudhole chasing sandeels in super clean 75 degree water. Yesterday we caught many fluke and 18 keepers to 7# way up north saw absolutely no life from the Rattlesnake to Manasquan inlet (23miles )we went up and down with 4 boats looking each 2miles apart and marked no bait so or saw any signs of life. On the way down we found a school of 10 to 12" blues outside shark river inlet. How was the water temp close to shore up that way? Do you think they will head in? Thanks for the report FC.

[storminsteve]

Great news finchaser thanks for the report!

[finchaser]

We had 68 to 72 degrees water 2 to3 miles out 75 in the river going out. Ugly water to about 2 miles out up north clean off Manasquan and shark river, clean green 2 to 3 miles out which IMO was clean enough for Albert's but would not support tuna. there was no bait, a friend of mine is out today targeting the albert's

[robmedina]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WT-fxBNKs8

[cowherder]

^^^^haha rob love that! Didn't think anyone would remember the Fat Albert cartoon that was great!
A fly fisherman reported today that he departed from the navesink river area and went out into the tip of Sandy Hook looking for albies. He didn't find any so you are right finchaser they may still not be coming in close yet. He did scout further off and found some small 20" mahi and some banded rudderfish under floating debris. He has a small boat and couldn't have been more than a few miles out into the bay to that is somewhat of a good sign. I am hoping to get into them this year after reading all the great reports. Monty I saw a pic of one of yours and I was drooling. Can't wait!

[captnemo]

Capt Al Ristori reported some at Barnegat Ridge today-
Capt. Dave De Gennaro reports bonito and liittle tunny are finally abundant on Barnegat Ridge, and he'll be running open trips for them on his Hi-Flier from Barnegat.

[captnemo]

I think most of the reports will be from the barnegat ridge and possibly the mud hole. There are bigger concentrations but at least 20 miles offshore. We trolled a bit for them today in the mud hole east but no luck. A few blues and that was it.

[voyager35]

They may be a little closer Cappy. The Golden Eagle reported a few caught today. They have been fishing 10-15 miles offshore. Don't know exactly where they were though. Probably no closer than 10 miles.

[bababooey]

I think most of the reports will be from the barnegat ridge and possibly the mud hole. There are bigger concentrations but at least 20 miles offshore. We trolled a bit for them today in the mud hole east but no luck. A few blues and that was it.

I agree with the capt. Friends who are getting out say the rigdes and lumps are covered up with false albacore when you find sand eels and small bait. What's coming inshore is a small trickle. There is really no reason for them to come that far in with all the bait that is offshore.Good luck anyway gents!

[robmedina]

any truth to the latest claim of albies in the surf at sea bright?

[J Barbosa]

any truth to the latest claim of albies in the surf at sea bright?

Could just be a falsie (report :)) based on the fact that the albies have finally found their way to the mud hole.

Better late than never!

[storminsteve]

any truth to the latest claim of albies in the surf at sea bright?

I dont know but here it is!:bigeyes:
Allen Riley of South Plainfield got the first report of little tunny in the surf from Giglio's Tackle in Sea Bright. "Albacore Tony Martino" of Ocean Township caught two plus three Spanish mackerel while casting behind the shop on Saturday.

[jigfreak]

Could just be a falsie (report :)) based on the fact that the albies have finally found their way to the mud hole.

Better late than never!

Ding we have a winner. I heard that he got them on Fri morn.:rolleyes: Don't want to start a war here He's a very nice older gentleman. Dark if you don't think its appropriate you can delete my post. He's a good fisherman and one of the old guard. Knows his stuff. Knowing all that if you didnt see him catch them or a pic that someone has of him catching them I would not believe it. no dis-respect to the old farts in the fishing world but I know Tony. He wanted to be the first one to catch one. Not only does he say he did but he nailed 2 and 3 spanish mackerel as well. Al Riley and his crew have been fishing for them for 2 weeks now and none were caught or lost by Riley and Co. Tony is the only one? No one else is catching them from the surf and he nails a pelagic surf slam in one morning. Just saying.

[finchaser]

I dont know but here it is!:bigeyes:
Allen Riley of South Plainfield got the first report of little tunny in the surf from Giglio's Tackle in Sea Bright. "Albacore Tony Martino" of Ocean Township caught two plus three Spanish mackerel while casting behind the shop on Saturday. What he said^^^^ and.Always fish behind that shop since the 60's when Art originally owned it seems nothing has changed next will be the secret lure you can only buy there. Spanish mackerel in 65 degree water and not one seen or caught on a boat all summer in warmer and cleaner water:huh:

[finchaser]

After reading these reports^^^^^ decided to take the boat out we trolled the lumps and bumps Klondike ,Manasquan ridge, Eagle lump, Tarpon lump and Augies lump looking for Albert and Bonita again Nada including bait no knock downs birds or signs of life. Water closer to shore was off color. I heard the water further north was tainted due to beach replenishment Went in after doing about a dozen lumps. :idea: (http://javascript<strong></strong>:void(0))Got my surf rod and went to the beach, caught and released a Bluefin tuna kept the Wahoo for dinner.:HappyWave:

[J Barbosa]

After reading these reports^^^^^ decided to take the boat out we trolled the lumps and bumps Klondike ,Manasquan ridge, Eagle lump, Tarpon lump and Augies lump looking for Albert and Bonita again Nada including bait no knock downs birds or signs of life. Water closer to shore was off color. I heard the water further north was tainted do to beach replenishment Went in after doing about a dozen lumps. :idea: (http://javascript<strong></strong>:void(0))Got my surf rod and went to the beach, caught and released a Bluefin tuna kept the Wahoo for dinner.:HappyWave:

LMAO...Best falsie report ever :)

[robmedina]

After reading these reports^^^^^ decided to take the boat out we trolled the lumps and bumps Klondike ,Manasquan ridge, Eagle lump, Tarpon lump and Augies lump looking for Albert and Bonita again Nada including bait no knock downs birds or signs of life. Water closer to shore was off color. I heard the water further north was tainted due to beach replenishment Went in after doing about a dozen lumps. :idea: (http://javascript<strong></strong>:void(0))Got my surf rod and went to the beach, caught and released a Bluefin tuna kept the Wahoo for dinner.:HappyWave:

That's funny, I did the same exact thing :huh:

[hookset]

LMAO...Best falsie report ever :)

X2 awesome report finchaser thanks for sharing. Tell me, did you get that tuna plugging or did you have to bring out something sneaky to get their attention like the clambrella?

[cowherder]

^^^^^ha ha LOL!!!LOL!!!!!

[basshunter]

Cmon everyone knows to catch a tuna from a beach you have to get the beach permit and lay out your tuna spread to troll for them. Good stuff!

[J Barbosa]

They are pumping sand right behind the shop and to the north.

I made a stop about 2-3 miles south of where they are doing the beach replenishment and you can see a huge difference in the water quality.

The water is very stained from all the suspended particles and we all know the tuna family loves dirty brown water. :naughty:

[finchaser]

Here's more good news: "ran 100 miles round trip Barnegat ridge to Harvey Cedar Lump to end of Long Beach Island water was 67 and almost canyon blue no Albert's or Bonita NADA played with some blues around a bunker pod and speaking of bunker found a few schools close to the beach that ran doe miles with nothing on them."

[VSdreams]

Guy on another forum reported he got into bluefish all day today. He also picked up one albie 8 lbs from the surf. S of Sandy Hook.

[williehookem]

south shore albie saw it on the net
17638

[surfrob]

Guy on another forum reported he got into bluefish all day today. He also picked up one albie 8 lbs from the surf. S of Sandy Hook.

guess it was before the blow. would be interested to know if any run the beach anywhere remotely in that area, once things settle down.

[jigfreak]

I have gotten them from bay head all the way down to barney inlet when the conditions are right. I chase them every year. I saw that pic too, I think it was a lucky catch and we will not be hearing of any steady catches.It would have happened by now if it was going to. I think from here on in it will be hit and miss. We may still get one or 2 days but if you're out there when it happens it will be blink and gone.
Have you ever gotten them down your way surfrob?

[surfrob]

No, the boat guys get them out on the first ridge off about 8 miles or so, but I've never seen them off the surf or in the inlets down here.

[buckethead]

Looks like we can put the albie bite to bed for 2013. Worst non starter in a long time.

[finchaser]

yep we didn't even get them on the boats

[hookset]

Found this online, the rare pic of a nj surf caught albie for 2013. 17916

[Monty]

Found this online, the rare pic of a nj surf caught albie for 2013. 17916

Nice, I didn't hear of any Albie action from the surf for 2013.

[surfrob]

Seriously, never heard a sniff about albie action last year. Even the boats were hard pressed.

[robmedina]

I know John B was into them pretty good but that was off shore. I did not hear of any in the surf.

[hookset]

I agree fellas, must have been the needle in a haystack. I fished hard for them for 2 weeks right after sunrise during the time they are usually there and not a touch for me. Only a few blues on the small metal I was tossing. No hardware, direct tie, and still nothing. I'm a little jealous of that guy but hey if it is meant to be its meant to be. Good for him.

[surfrob]

This year I'm giving up and heading to Harkers I.

[bababooey]

Not exactly an albacore report but they got a bonita today. Very early time of year to be catching them.
Ristori report- Capt. Dave Riback reported slow bluefishing this morning from his Queen Mary out of Point Pleasant, but the first bonito of the season was caught along with chub mackerel

[robmedina]

I would love to get one on the fly!

[bababooey]

More bonita during rhe last week. Albies can't be far behind in the offshore waters.
"7-20 Report Big Jamaica

We had non - stop action all day today with bluefish and bonito.

The fish were biting on Ava jigs and tubes.

Everyone, including first time fishermen caught plenty of blues today.

The pool winner was:

Ramon Rodriguez from Newburgh NY wi...th a 6LB Bonito.
The blues were spread over a wide area and we read plenty on the scope."

[robmedina]

That is great news!

[surfrob]

I would love to get one on the fly!

that's on my bucket list for sure.

was tentatively going down to harker's island this fall, but life has put the kabosh on THAT (again... DOH!)

[surfrob]

Found this online, the rare pic of a nj surf caught albie for 2013. 17916

looks like either IBSP or even Brigantine :wow:

[hookset]

surfrob you are correct. I think it was caught in ibsp.

[finchaser]

Not to ruin your day but no was has spotted any offshore had dinner with 5 charter boat captains last night who run the canyon and they haven't seen any on the way in or out there is no life until 40 miles off. General consensus is these Bonita got pushed in when the hurricane passed. The mate on the big Jamaica told me they only had 12 Bonita which were bigger than the 2 pound blues. The Golden Eagle had small blues and a few Bonita. Going offshore Saturday for Bluefin I will report back.

[cowherder]

finchaser thought I would ask you since you fish from boat and surf. The party boats are getting into the pee wee blues more often now. I was wondering why they are not all over the surf area. Your thoughts? thanks

[finchaser]

they are approx 6 miles out where there is a ton of bait so my guess would be no sense leaving food to find food

[seamonkey]

^^^^^what kind of bait is 6 miles out, and any idea why it won't come in closer? I'm asking because in Cape May area the beaches are relatively flat and shallow. So its understandable why the bait and fish often stay away from our surf. I have heard that the northern beaches are different and deeper. So whats stopping that bait from coming in? Thank you for your insite finchaser I have learned a lot from your posts.

[finchaser]

squid ,mackerel ,butterfish ,and sardines

[finchaser]

Sorry guys none spotted between beach and tuna grounds 52miles off

[J Barbosa]

Sorry guys none spotted between beach and tuna grounds 52miles off
Screw the albies...any sashimi tonight?

[finchaser]

yes sir

[bababooey]

^^^^^^ what did you catch yellow or bluefin? What spread were you running?

[finchaser]

Bluefin on bars

[bababooey]

Thanks any size to them?

[finchaser]

unde was 29" over was 85#

[J Barbosa]

The Golden Eagle from Belmar sent this report out today. What they don't tell you is that these blues are tiny!!! Perfect size for the smoker.

July 31, 2014

The fishing for BLUES & BONITA remains anywhere from excellent to decent depending on the day. Some days you can catch all you want in an hour or two another days it takes all day. We have some BONITA mixed in everyday and lately we are also catching some very large MACKERAL.

All the BLUES & BONITA & ALBIE's are being caught on Hammer jigs, Croc's, Poppers & teasers in the day and on bait at night.

[bababooey]

unde was 29" over was 85#

nice!

[jigfreak]

Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park reports some little tunny were spotted Monday in the surf. If that's legitimate it could be an early year for them. I think they will only be seen in small groups at a time until sept though. you want one from the surf it will be like hitting the lottery. I may start looking for them this week. Keep my eye out for them as they are a lot of fun to catch.

[robmedina]

^^^^^^yes please keep us posted!

[surfstix1963]

First albie sighting yesterday very brief hauling a$$ down the beach didn't even have time to throw a cast.

[rockhopper]

Thanks for the heads up surfstix. A buddy of mine was fishing off of breezy point yesterday and they got some albies. He said it was too far out for the surf guys about 2 miles off. Hope they come in for september that would be fun.

[cowherder]

This was in Al Riistori's blog

Allen Riley of South Plainfield passed along hopeful info from his friend John Mazzeo of that town as the latter fished Monmouth Beach this morning and saw little tunny jumping. Mazzeo cast everything he had to them without a hit, but did get some cocktail blues.

[voyager35]

I don't mean to cause a sh**storm here but I am wondering if some of these are not bluefish mistaken for false albacore.The largest party boats that fish in the mudhole every day for bluefish are not reporting them. Small bluefish can be fast moving as well and can mimic false albacore behavior. They are probably within distance of the beach, Just maybe not as prevalent as some folks are claiming.

[surferman]

I read a report that some guys caught them up north today:
"Had a few hours this morning, was planning on fluke fishing, but the wind was hard north and drift was 1.4 or higher. Had birds working from Bradley thru Deal, was able to troll and cast to the speed demons. under 1/2 mile, 35 to 50 ft chasing bait."

Hope we get to see some here in cape may too.

[rockhopper]

Yeah they been seeing them on the head boats on and off, from tonight-

Accidental Porgy, Albie, Fluke, Seabass.- this was the BrooklynVI out of sheepshead

[finchaser]

All over ocean county have even been going in and out of an inlet

[J Barbosa]

Fished RI surf for two days with the goal of catching an albie on the fly rod. First day was really tough conditions both wind and weather wise. The wind was blowing real strong and the sun was very strong. The albies were around and kept showing themselves popping up here and there. Guys who were blind casting flies managed to pick at them. Saw on average 1-2 caught per hour until it shut down completely.

Day two we had much better conditions, cloud cover but still a strong wind. Lots of albies and even a few bonito caught on the fly rod. Many of the good fly casters had 4+ fish each.

None for me or the spin guys. I really need to work on my fly casting and practice some more in strong winds.

[lostatsea]

Always wanted to go to rhode island. At least you went and tried. Is the water real clean up there?

[J Barbosa]

I would call the trip highly successful. I had a blast and will be going back again for sure.

Water quality is incredibly good. The amount of bait up there is unreal.

I was commenting to one of the locals about how much bait was around and he said something like "there should be a lot more of it but the winds pushed it all into the back".

[surfrob]

... I really need to work on my fly casting and practice some more in strong winds.

this is a general rule for saltwater.

i can't count the number of times I thought this but none moreso than last year trying for tarpon, when my best shot was with a 20+knot wind off my right shoulder at the only good line of tarpon going by the entire week.

[captnemo]

Looks like things might be starting up a little earlier this year. I think this fish came from the Golden Eagle or one of the Belmar boats. Small bonita yesterday or saturday. Last year they didn't show up until the end of July.

[robmedina]

Albies are still on my bucket list!