Been over two weeks now since I caught this beauty. The fish above was the first Albie (False Albacore) I caught with Peter Fallon and his longtime fishing companion Fritz. On this day, conditions, while not the kind of day where the fish were chewing holes in the boat, were pretty easy to take. A hot September day with a cool and building breeze. A stolen summer day. We started early and by maybe 7 am I had already caught my first Albie. Take me back to the dock, mission accomplished, I joked with Peter and Fritz.
And while that was a joke then, now I think if they had brought me back I would not be as messed up as I am today. Apparently, I now have Albie Fever. However, as a guide, my fever is a bit more complicated than just wanting to catch another Albie. Don't get me wrong, I would love to catch more Albies but most of the time my "fever" is about guiding for Albies and perhaps other species I have not tried in places I have not been.
Catching/guiding for stripers this weekend in Maine may help, but I caught/guided for Stripers last weekend and the weekend before and its not helping my Albie/fishing/guiding fever.
After Albie number one I was ok (unchanged), but somewhere well before I caught my 6th and final Albie of that day something in me snapped.
So what happened on this fateful day? First, let's start with the boat and location. The boat was a 27' Southport with twin Yamaha 250s. Wifi Network ✅ Auto Pilot ✅. Incredible gear like Stella Reels✅. Yeti Cooler with gourmet munchies ✅. My Kennebec River Mentor and Partner✅. Two guys who will get after the fish as fervently as I ✅.
We took off from inside Waquoit Bay and spent most of the day not real far from here with some of the best fishing being on the ocean side of the pass.
Sunrise that day was probably around 6:30 and we were certainly there at that time. When we got to the pass there were about 8 other boats there. Here, I was taught the way we were going to play this Albie game. First, Fritz insisted that I take the front of the boat. Very gracious and kind of him as the bow definitely ended up with more chances. Why? Reminding me of stalking Tarpon in Florida on the flats, the vast majority of our Albie chances occurred when we saw the surfacing fish. Albies, as I learned throughout the day, have several different behaviors in terms of surface action. So, as the guy in the front of the boat, I was primarily looking for surface action within or close to casting distance. Then, when the surfacing fish are within range I am left with two huge decisions. Cast or wait to cast and then where to cast. First, deciding when to cast is determined by where you are going to cast in order to lead the fish. Think Tom Brady for a second. Brady can throw short or throw long, but the throw must be perfect. And so, not only does the Albie fisherman have to see the fish, the guy with the rod has to see in which direction the fish are heading and perfectly lead the fish. As a result, every time you do catch one or get a bite you end up feeling like you just made a Tom Brady like cast. Think how fun that must be. And, just like Brady, there are factors that make lesser quarterbacks miss their spots. Wind and choppy water, super long and precise casts, and the highly unpredictable nature of the fish make this kind of Albie fishing tough on beginners.
I ended up doing really well. Time folded and an 11 hour day on the water flew by. In between bites, Peter and Fritz were the perfect fishing companions. While there were tons of laughs at all times these guys were always focused on the next fish. Looking, searching, scanning, and thinking in order to cross paths and make chances. I ended up catching 6 Albies and had many more bites.
What else to tell you? If you want to try Albie fishing, I would call Peter Fallon and I would plan to make a date next September. You can shoot Peter a text or call him at 207-522-9900. Some of you have heard me talk about my client Chuck who has probably fished with me 50 to 60 times now. Chuck is convinced and he is planning to leave Maine next fall to give Albies a shot. It's a no brainer. Honestly, Peter has been after me for years to come down to the Cape and try Albies and now I feel stupid that I waited this long. Kind of like some one who likes to travel who has never left the country. Big world out there.
Two weeks later I am still basically on cloud 9 from this fishing trip. Below you can see a video that might actually be the moment that my life changed. Check it out and I hope you all get a chance soon to catch some fish.
