False albacore, little tunny, albies—whatever name you choose, these fish that look like tuna, but aren’t, make for exciting fall action along the North Carolina coast. This is especially true in the areas around Morehead City and Cape Lookout, often referred to as the Mecca for folks chasing these fast, hard fighting fish. In recent years, many anglers have found that October can produce some great fishing for albies, with other species thrown into the mix.
Your own boat, or an experienced guide service, is usually the most successful way to pursue this fall fighter. Sometimes albies are scattered in pods around Cape Lookout down to Atlantic Beach. Other times they may be focused more in one area than another. The ability to run from one spot to the next, looking for bird activity, fish chasing bait, or clusters of boats, will increase your chances for success. Even if you have a suitable boat, a guided trip will get you oriented quicker and expedite the learning curve. However, fishing from the beach can also produce. It’s not unusual for albies to run within casting distance at Atlantic Beach, at the Ft. Macon jetty, at the tip of Shackleford, and especially at the bight at Cape Lookout and inside the hook at the Cape.
Medium-heavy spinning tackle is popular with a good many anglers. Lures like Stingsilvers, Hopkins and even plastic baits will tempt a strike from a feeding false albacore. Albies have very small teeth and heavy leaders or wire tippets are not needed. A spinning rod offers a distinct advantage when pods of feeding fish are skittish, since they can allow a long cast into fish that might spook or dive as a boat approaches.
Chasing these torpedoes on the long rod has become extremely popular for fly fishermen. Your tackle and your technique must be up to the challenge. For years folks have recommended 10 weight fly rods as the optimum. Some veterans go lighter and some go heavier; but a 10 is a good choice given the strength of the fish and the frequently windy casting conditions. A word of advice: broken rods are not uncommon. Monitor the bend in your rod when playing fish, especially when they are near the boat. A sudden surge or run can burst a rod with an extreme bend in it. Learn to minimize the bend and play the fish using the butt of the rod. Often that means sticking the tip in the water to reduce rod arc and avoid a break. There are plenty of good rods in the $150-$300 range. Save that premium rod for fishing under more controlled conditions.
A premium fly reel is often recommended, and that’s good advice. Sometimes the price of a premium reel is a deterrent. Folks will find even relatively inexpensive reels (approximately $100) can be up to the challenge, as long as they are spooled with 150-200 yards of backing. Quite a few folks have landed albies on modestly priced tackle. It’s a reasonable option for the occasional angler. Most often a floating fly line is a good choice. But when the fish sound, a sinking line may be what’s needed to dredge them up from the depths.
A variety of flies work well, typically in the two to four inch category, to imitate the prevalent baitfish. White, chartreuse and white, chartreuse and pink, and white and tan are good color choices. A variety of patterns work well, including Clousers, Mushies and Surf Candies.
Most fly fishermen probably chose a nine-foot leader, tapering down to a tippet of 12-16 lb. test. Factoring in the keen eyesight of these fish, quite a few fishermen will choose a fluorocarbon leader, since it should be less visible and may be a little tougher than mono.
As is frequently the case with the fly rod, your casting ability and line management skills may be put to the test. Practice ahead of time for distance, speed of delivery and accuracy. You won’t regret the practice and preparation when confronted with albies busting bait at mach speed.
Richard Griggs runs Carolina Mountain Sports in Statesville, NC, in business since 1998. The store specializes in fly fishing, backpacking, canoes, kayaks and related outdoor accessories. Chasing false albacore around Cape Lookout has been a fall favorite of his for a number of years. Contact him at carolinamountainsports.com for more information.