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Going out to the canal...

1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Penguin 
#1 ·
I am going to give Shinnecock Canal(Long Island, New York) a try tomorrow. I have never been there but I have heard of a few reports of false albacore busting bait off the jetty so I figured I will give it a go. Is there anyone familiar with the area that could give me a few pointers? I have never caught, let alone targeted false albacore so I will be going into this endeavor blind. I am familiar with the salt,(I logged over a hundred days on the water as a mate this summer alone.) however the false albacore is a species which I am not that familiar with seeing that it is an infrequent visitor of the Chesapeake Bay.

Any information or tips that you can pass along would be a great help. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Not familiar with that particular location but can tell you the albies are a blast to fish for. The most common scenario is to cast into the fray where they are busting, a bit ahead actually, and tease one to take your offering. But you can also lead the pod by 10-15 feet if they are moving in a line and let the fly fall into their moving depth, much deeper than the surface busting you see. Short twitches and if the fly looks like what they are busting you should go tight.

In many locations they get into a repeating pattern for a minute or an hour, if you see this pattern it's best to cut them off at the pass as it were.

Places where they push bait into a trap are best of all. An example is the corner of a jetty and beach at tide levels high enough to warrant their interest, also when bait is moving longshore scope out these vantage points and be patient.

Catching them from shore is not the most efficient method for these fast moving fish that always seem to be 100 yards off shore - but it's very rewarding and although I've only done it with success less than a dozen times I remember each bonito and albie from shore like it was yesterday.

Good luck and I look forward to your striper reports from Chesapeake this winter when we are shivering away up here :)
 
#3 ·
Stephen,

As you know, I'm no expert but did find that any fly bigger than your pinky would be ignored. Check the "albie flies" post to see Striper's olive/white bucktail deceiver. I tried a variety of colors (they were on peanuts) but they would only follow the subtle olive/white. 3ft of 30# blood knotted to 3ft of 20# looped onto about 3 feet of 16# floro should attach your fly to your line nicely.

Although you will probably use that 7# floro anyway :hehe:

Good luck and post how you did.

Juro - I'm on dawn patrol to the Swift saturday AM if you care to join :devil:

BigD
 
#4 ·
...what BigDave said and...

A friend who fishes the Fishers Island described some albie action as "looking like gravel being dropped from an airplane!"
When you find them you will know.
Small flys with sharp hooks will escort you to the world of smokin' drags and long runs...
Don't fall in!:tsk_tsk:
 
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