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| Author Andy Schneider shows off a nice tuna he caught last fall. |
Light Tackle Albacore
Written by Andy Schneider
There is “Meat” fishing and there is “Fun” fishing for Albacore. The season usually starts off by the angler plugging their boat full of Albacore, so many Tuna in fact that cleaning the fish will take the angler into the “wee” hours of the night. But soon this angler’s freezer, pantry and family’s freezer and pantry are full of Tuna. Does this angler stay in port with 2 months of Albacore season remaining? NO! Put the “Meat” sticks away and back away from the hand lines! It’s time to break out the light tackle and have some fun with these Tuna!
Gearing up:
This is where an Albacore fisherman needs to pay attention to their neighbor who heads to the lakes every weekend in search of Large Mouth Bass. To be successful on light tackle you need to refine your casting skills. Casting a 1-4 oz jig head with a swim bait usually isn’t difficult and practicing in your driveway you will amaze yourself by how far and accurately you can cast. But all that practice goes out the window when you hit the water and arrive on an acre of hungry Albacore crashing on bait. You will feel the adrenaline pumping as you arrive on scene, with your first cast lined up to splash down right into the middle of this feeding frenzy your bait falls 30 feet short with an abrupt jerk; BACKLASH!
One of the easiest ways to prevent this is with a spinning rod and reel. While some West Coast Anglers dismiss the spinning rod as being too troublesome because of line twist and lack of line capacity, they are truly missing out. Spinning combos are used everywhere there is saltwater fish to be caught. Why? Because a spinning combo is extremely easy to use and is a lot of fun to fight fish with.
Start with a 6 ½ to 7 ½ foot rod rated 15-30, and a spinning reel capable of holding 100-yards of 20-pound monofilament. You can use 20-25 pound monofilament or you can switch to a “Super Braid” fishing line in 50-pound with a 4-foot monofilament “Top Shot” between the braid and the swim bait. The perfect rod for casting to feeding Albacore is a, G. Loomis PSR84-20SSU (a 7-foot rod rated 15-25).
Just remember when fighting a fish with a spinning combo, not to reel when you cannot make any ground with the fish, this is what creates line twist. Instead pump your rod just like you would with a casting reel. If you do get some line twist with a spinning combo, cut your swim bait off and let the line trail behind the boat as you motor in search for more feeding fish. After a couple of minutes spool your line back on your reel and retie your Swim Bait.
Swim Baits:
A Swim Bait is simply a soft plastic lure that resembles a baitfish. Normally a life-size copy of the baitfish, Albacore are currently feeding on. There are lots of Swim Baits on the market, and choosing the right one can be a challenge. Some days Albacore are so aggressively feeding that you could throw any color or any size lure at them and they will bite it, while other days they can be more finicky. When fish are not responding well to what you have, you need to do what fly fishermen do: “Match the Hatch”. Figure out what the Albacore are feeding on and find a swim bait that resembles the size and the color of their feed and throw it at them.
“Fishing the Slide” and “Running and Gunning”:
Fishing the slide is a fun way to supplement your “Troll” catch. Fishing on the slide means different things to different Tuna anglers, but the basic concept of it is: casting to fish from a moving boat. While you are trolling for Albacore, have a Swim Bait ready to cast. When a fish is hooked, cast your Swim Bait as far as you can behind the boat. Slowly let line out keeping just enough tension on it that you will be able to detect a bite. Continue to let line out till the boat is stopped then start a steady retrieve. If you have not hooked up with a fish by the time you are a 1/4 of the way back to the boat, free spool again and let the Swim Bait drop 40-60 feet deep before retrieving it again.
If you have put all your troll gear away from the season and are truly devoted to catching Albacore on light tackle, you will be “Running and Gunning”. This means you are on the hunt for schools of feeding tuna. Station crewmembers on all sides of the boat and simply drive around at a comfortable speed looking for feeding Albacore. Feeding Albacore can be spotted from quite a distance by looking for birds diving on bait that the Albacore have schooled up on the surface. When feeding Albacore have been spotted run directly at them while all anglers grab a rod with a Swim Bait and prepare to cast. You will want to run right at the fish at a steady speed and turn off the motor only when you are sure you will arrive within casting distance (and hopefully not in the middle of the school). As soon as the boat is turned off, start casting. Hopefully you have arrived unnoticed close to the Albacore and have hooked up with multiple fish. If you are fighting multiple fish, make sure to keep at least one fish in the water at all times to keep the school of Albacore close to your boat. Sometimes you can continue to catch multiple Albacore off of the same stop if done properly.
Light tackle Albacore fishing is something that takes fine tuning, don’t put any expectations on yourself or your crew the 1st couple trips out. You will soon find what works for you on your boat with your crew. But be warned, once you land a 25-pound albacore on light tackle you may never go back to hand lines again.
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