Deep Sea Fishing Techniques for Albacore

The Albacore tuna occur in temperate deep seas world wide and is easily distinguished from the other tunas because of the extremely elongated pectoral fins, the all tackle record for albacore is 88# 12 ounces. The diet of the albacore consists manly of small fishes but squid crab and shrimp can play an important part as well. As a food fish albacore are very sought after, also being marketed as the white meat tuna. When deep sea fishing for Albacore they are located most often by trolling through an area that the conditions such as water temperature and food will attract them, in California and Mexico waters in areas that are known as the outer banks though they may be found anywhere the conditions are right. For tackle most deep sea sport fishing boats supply trolling rigs for albacore but if you prefer to use your own a 51/2 to 61/2 foot rod rated for 60 to 80 pound test is needed, match it with a reel in the size of a Penn or Shimano 30 or 50. Most troll caught albacore are caught on feather jigs with the color depending on the conditions,   the rule of thumb being the darker it is the darker the jig. It’s always a good idea to check with the crew or someone who has been out recently as the color and style and of feathers can change often. When bait fishing for albacore you will most often be using anchovy or sardine for bait, check the article on how to hook your bait for the proper technique. Remember it’s important to be ready because often the first baits in the water are bit. When fishing the slide witch is when the momentum of the boat keeps it moving after the engines are out of gear its important to hook the bait through the nose so the bait is swimming normally when pulled through the water. After the boat has stopped fish with your face into the wind to help keep your line away from the boat and not under it, always remember when fishing for albacore to keep you line strait in front of you as this will help keep the tangles down NO ANGLES NO TANGLES . When you have a wide open bite the albacore will bite most any pound test line and any bait or jig.  But under normal conditions 20 to 30# test is most often used. A light tipped 61/2 to 8 foot rod rated for 30# test is good for this matched with a reel such as the Shimano Calcutta 400 or the Penn 535 or 975. Use a number 2 or 4 hook when using anchovy and a 1/0 to 3/0 hook for sardine. Hook the anchovy either through the nose or the bone behind the gill, for the sardine either the nose or on the bottom of the bait behind the vent, hooking on the bottom tends to make the bait swim deeper. If you’re not getting bit fly lining your bait try a small amount of weight, rubber core sinkers are handy for this because you can add them quickly, remember to change your bait often if the bite is light a natural swimming bait will draw bites that a weak bait won't. At times swim baits can be very productive especially when fishing the slide.

 

Author aboard the Cortez on the outer banks