albie advice

[neal1]

Anyone have any tips on catching albies. Generally, I try surf candies on 15lb fluoro with a fast strip. I know they can be finicky but I have a hard time hooking up with them. Also plan to take my boat over to Montauk later this week from the North Fork. In the past I have tried to hit the outgoing tide. Is one tide usually better at montauk than the other?

[Tuna]

15 lb fluoro sounds fine (I use 16 - some go lighter, but in the rips and when they are crazy, 16 never seems a problem).

Surf candies are good - I use 3-4 inch epoxy flies with flash, brown, white, chartreuse. If the albies are on peanut bunker, I go with bigger flies - half and halfs. If the albies are on really small bait, I use really small epoxies. Just learning how to use crease flies on them - have used from 1 to 3 inches with some success, but don't know what I am doing with these. Clousers work well too but I hook too many blues on them so I use them less.

Fast retrieve is sometimes good, sometimes not. If you think you have presented the fly to the albies well and don't hook up on a fast retrieve, try again with the same fly with a slow retireve. If that doesn't work, switch flies and vary retrieve.

With retrieve, I use whatever I think will put the fly in front of the most albies. Examples: big pod of albies staying on top - fast retrieve, as it is pulling the fly in front of the fish a lot... a few albies coming back to the same pod of bait - cast to the bait and just twitch the fly (keeps the fly near where the albies are).

Tide favorte: outgoing in the afternoon at the Point.

However, I've done well on all tides out there. Look for moving water and the biggest rips, chances are the albies are there.

Final advice - remember your mistakes and unexpected results. The albies can change their behavior within a fishing session, and some of my best runs are when I try something but mess up, but hook up anyway. Hmm, what was it that I just did? Then do it again.

[FLYRODER]

Your right albies can be very finicky. 2 things to look for before the albies are present. What bait is presently around that the albies might be going after. If its anchovies surf candies will work. If theres lots of peanut bunker around surf candies will not work. Match the hatch. If you match the hatch when the albies are present if stripping the line fast will not work then cast and strip the line slowly. Also if your on a boat try using very fast sinking line to get the fly below the schooled up bait fish and use slow strips.

[LeakyLund]

Before you make the trip to the south shore you might look a bit closer to home. Try the sluceway between the orient point lighthouse and the shore. Also try Petty's bight (the first big point of land as you head west into the sound from the point. I have had many sessions of albie fun without any company at Petty's bight.

[neal1]

Thanks for the advice. I frequently have fished the sluiceway in the past. I also saw them last weekend on the outgoing tide near the rip at the northwest corner of plum island. I'll also give petty's bight a try.