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Albie From Shore Video

The False Albacore is a formidable query. As with all Tuna species they always seem to be here today gone tomorrow, just out of reach and always one step ahead of the fly fishermen. Catching Albies from a boat is a lot of fun, but finding, tricking and catching Albies from shore is a rewarding accomplishment and experience. I often tell my friends, “If there were one more element of difficulty the pursuit of Albies on foot would be the most frustratingly impossible fish to target.” Oh yah, everyone hear's the whispers of legendary successes, “Dude, they slayed them here or there yesterday.” Or “Oh man, 2004 was an epic year. We were catching 14 Albies per day.” The only true report that applies to Albies is what is happening now. They are nomadic species. They have no home. They roam the seas and its anybodies guess where they will be next. They will light up a break wall or a random harbor one day and be gone the next morning. And, while fly anglers wait impatiently for them to show up the Albies often leave them at the altar and never show. Such was the case on Martha's Vineyard this year. I was just one of thousands of fly fisherman from around the world who planned a few days of Albie and Bonito fly fishing on Martha's Vineyard. Last year was epic, and everyone was ready for a repeat this year. All of the conditions were perfect! There was tons of bait! The Gut, East Beach and Lobsterville were loaded with silver sides and snapper blues. The weather was perfect and the water was clean. But, there was one major problem. The Albies were nowhere to be found. I have never witnessed a more depressing fly fishing scene. Fly fishermen were roaming the island with their heads hung low looking for any sign of Albies. Last year, Edgartown Harbor was lit up with busting fish. There were

pods of Albies and Bonito crashing as far as the eyes could see. This year there was nothing but sad stories, slack lines and long faces. Sure I had a lot of laughs and it was nice to see all the regulars and hang out on the beach with friends. But, that got old quick. I looked at Alex and I said, “Should we pull the plug?” He said, “Let’s get off this island!” So we cancelled our motel, put the car on the next standby ferry off the island and headed for our home waters of Rhode Island. First light found us on the waters we grew up on and know so well, and the Albies were there to greet us in astounding numbers. I was ready. I stood still with 70 feet of fly line stripped neatly into my stripping basket. I waited for the perfect opportunity. A pod of Albies worked towards me and when they got in range I fired off a single cast into the busting fish. My fly landed just beyond the fish and I used a two handed retrieve to strip the fly through the fish. I felt the solid unmistakable take and set the hook hard. The fish felt the hook set and made a blistering run towards Montauk. I let him run, but tightened the drag enough to keep a constant and balanced pressure on the fish. Then the fish turned and ran back at me. I gathered all my line and then the true challenge was underway. There was a ton of line between me and the fish and lobster pots surrounded me. At this point it was total teamwork. Alex and Keith helped direct me and guide the fish through the seemingly endless maze of lobster pots. At several points I really thought it was a battle not worth fighting but somehow we got to a point where the fish was in landing distance. Alex, is the truest kind of Albie fly fishing partner. He scaled down the slippery break wall and literally got in the water with waves crashing on him. He was basically swimming to land my fish. This Albie was not just any fish. This fish verified that persistence and hard work do pay off. Alex and I have spent countless hours on lifeless beaches, break walls and islands in search of this year’s Albie from foot. We had paid our dues and gotten our butts kicked time and time again. We were always a day late and in the wrong place at the wrong time. But this day and this fish marked the end of a quest. On this day, we were in the right place at the right time and this fish was so much more than just another fish.