False Albacore - Shore Bound Anglers...

[Mark Cahill]

Tom,

A lot of the guys on the board are shore bound...what can you offer for advice on how they can increase their success...without springing for a boat.

Also, I know anglers in the Northeast have chances to catch them from shore, particularly at inlets like Waquiot, Menemsha, etc. Does that happen in NC or is it strictly an offshore boat anglers game down there?

Thanks, this is an excellent Q & A...

[Tom G.]

Tom,

A lot of the guys on the board are shore bound...what can you offer for advice on how they can increase their success...without springing for a boat.

Also, I know anglers in the Northeast have chances to catch them from shore, particularly at inlets like Waquiot, Menemsha, etc. Does that happen in NC or is it strictly an offshore boat anglers game down there?

Thanks, this is an excellent Q & A...

Hi Mark, thanks for the question.

Fly Fishing for Albies from shore can be one of the greatest challenges in fly fishing. It can also be very rewarding. It was important to me and my publisher that this book be usefully to shore bound anglers. In fact I do more shore fishing than boat fishing. In the Northeast we do have quite a number of excellent shore locations and in my book I dedicated a whole section titled "Hot Spots and Happy Hours," to covering them. The chapters in this section cover, the how and when to fish each shore location and providesdirections for getting to the "hot spot" as well as tips for parking, etc.

While most fishing for albies in North Carolina is done from boats, there are a few great locations for wading anglers. Cape Lookout National Seashore provides excellent wade fishing for false albacore. The National Seashore has no roads but there are daily shuttles out to the Sashore and they are quite reasonable.

While each shore location fishes differently below I have listed some general tips:

Albies are attracted by large pods of bait. Fish shore locations that funnel large quanties of bait into a tight area.

Fish the strong tidal flows around the new and full moons

Generally from shore I like an incoming tide which often bring albies into range as they follow bait schools back into tidal ponds and bays.

If albies are in the area keep your fly in the water. "Blind" casting can be very productive when you know albies are in the area.

Fish current seams.

Plan you trips well in advance. If have a few spots that fish well on a certain stage of the tide. Plan ahead using tide charts as to what days would be best to target those areas. I like to fish a first light and when I get the tide I want at first light, those are the days I want to be on the water.

Good luck,

Tom

[bigbonita]

Hi Mark, thanks for the question.

Fish the strong tidal flows around the new and full moons
Tom

here's a funny, slightly (but not totally) off topic story. i was fishing the stone pier in woods hole in september around an extreme tide (i can't remember if it was a new or full moon or if a storm was off shore). at the peak of the tide, i was standing in water that reach the bottom of my calf muscles. the bottom fishermen who were targeting tautag and scup watched helplessly as their coolers drifted off the jetti and into vinyard sound. although they would disagree, it was probably the best thing that happened to them as kept undersize fish and i have seen the warden there fairly frequently this year. we did get a pair of albies about an hour and a half before this time and the following day, i heard the fishing was great as the water was dropping. btw, when the water got as high as it did, i chickened out and left. i don't know if it got any higher.
rich n