In my many years as a striper snob, I honestly couldn’t have cared less about albies and, on the rare occasion that I saw them, I just watched while hoping a giant bass would crush my topwater plug. I used to look at the guys hyper-ventilating their way down the beach trying to reach the fleeing schools with their tins and think that there must be something wrong with these people. That all changed about 8 years ago when I actually tried to catch one.
I’m pretty sure the date was September 5th when I walked out onto a crowded jetty and made my first dedicated albie casts. They were in pretty good and the excitement buzzing from angler to angler was so electric you could almost see it. I hadn’t been there 10 minutes when the first torpedo assault erupted to my left, I fired my jig into the maelstrom and hooked up immediately, but the fish tore straight out and broke off in about 3 seconds! After retying and checking my drag, I started blind-casting, on about my 10th cast the water exploded and line melted off my spool at such an alarming rate, it almost felt like an out of body experience! At that exact moment, I wished I could go back 15 years and slap myself square in the mouth for ignoring these amazing fish!
Since it’s September, let’s ask the experts for some reputable New England albie hotspots.
Massachusetts
Ian ‘Money Bags’ McPartland from the Goose Hummock Shop said that Woods Hole and Nobska Point are reliable spots for early albies, and it’s a place where they can be found for a good chunk of the season. The immense amount of water that moves through this gap sets up strong rips and is also a place where anglers might find cleaner water after a storm. Staying in along the south Cape, Capt. Skip Bandini from Fish Bandit Charters agreed that Nobska is a reliable albie producer, but he really likes Hedge Fence, this long bar sets up a reliable rip that forces bait to the surface in numbers and the albies take notice. Another spot he recommends is the area outside the entrance to Waquoit Bay. I also checked in with Greg from Red Top and he said a great place to concentrate on is the Cape Cod Canal, it features deep water, current and lots of bait, all the things albie hunters look for. Your best shots will happen in the west end, but there will be days when pods of albies are charging all over The Big Ditch.
Rhode Island
The guys from Crafty One in Portsmouth said that Aquidneck Island has the unique makeup to create many hotspots. Much of the south side of the island is deep with dozens of reefs that create rips. Land’s End is always a good bet, especially when there’s some swell running. Cormorant Reef is another spot that often sees reliable albie action. Over at Snug Harbor Marina in Wakefield they said the West Wall is one of the most famous albie outposts in New England and added that boaters often find them around the Center Wall as well. Another productive spot is Black Point in Narragansett.
Out in South County, the crew from Watch Hill Outfitters says any one of the breachways is a good bet for those fishing from shore or vessel. The back ponds are loaded with bait that is pumped out along the oceanfront with each dropping tide, and the action can get crazy!
Connecticut
The Nutmeg State tends to get their albies a little later in the season, and perhaps because of that, Capt. Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters says he starts his season along the Watch Hill reefs and Nappatree Point. An immense amount of water passes back and forth here; he told me that the earliest he has ever caught one was August 30, but he typically sees them between the second and third week of September. Andrew from Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown says he like Two Tree Channel, which runs from Goshen Point to Millstone, for this first albies in the Sound. Deeper water and lots of bait makes this spot an albie magnet. Max Finch from Fisherman’s World out in Norwalk said there are two local spots that tend to see the first albie action each fall and he usually expects them to show around September 20th. The albies tend to come in along the north shore on Long Island so crossing the Sound is advisable. Cranes Neck is a good bet for the first albies, this long finger of land builds a strong rip and attracts lots of albie attention. The other western Sound hotspot is Middle Ground.
