Much like its name suggests, Albie Snax make an easy meal for the speed demon of the Northeast.
Fall is in the air, and false albacore season is in full swing. To say the least, albies are highly photogenic fish. They sport a bright green top half above their eye, a shining belly with black dots, and beautifully patterned black and green shoulders. Anglers call these fish albies, core, little tunny, and speed demons. Whatever you like to call them, there’s one thing that’s for sure: albies are a blast. I may be slightly biased, considering they are my favorite fish, but there’s nothing quite like the vicious eat and the drag-screaming run of an albie. Whether you’re an albie enthusiast like myself or new to the game, you’ve probably heard about how tricky it is to catch these fish. One lure that gets finicky albies to commit is the Albie Snax. Much like its name suggests, Albie Snax represent an easy meal for the speed demon of the Northeast.
The Albie Snax was created by Alex M. Peru. Having fished with Alex on one or two occasions, I can confidently say he’s mastered fishing the plastic. Today, Ed Caldwell and Carlos Fonts own and operate the company. The Snax is a petite plastic — it’s 5 inches long and has a slender teardrop-like appearance. These baits aren’t like your standard soft baits like Slug-Go’s or Hogy’s. While the Albie Snax is small, the proprietary plastic blend makes it really dense, which means the bait is excellent for long-distance casting. As for colors, Fish Snax lures have you covered with various options — my favorites include pearl, bubble gum, light amber, silver smoke, and amber gold, to name a few.
The most effective way to rig an Albie Snax is with a unique twist-lock hook. These hooks come with a corkscrewed piece of light wire attached to the hook. While this hook may seem wonky, it’s highly effective; simply twist the corkscrew into the nose of the bait, line up the hook along the body of the bait and jab the hook in. The bait should hang straight without any deviation in shape. As for hook options, Alex himself swears by a few specific 4/0 hooks, including the Gamakatsu Superline Springlock, Owner 3X Twistlock, and the Decoy Worm 22 Tsukisasu hook. If necessary, the points of these hooks can ‘skin hooked’ to make the rig nearly weedless. Now, it’s important to note that the twistlock can degrade over time. As an integral part of the rigging system, you’ll need to ensure you have a few on hand. These can be bought super cheap at most local or online retailers. One thing to note is the Snax durability; don’t be surprised if this lure lasts all day without any issues. These baits are made to last and can take a beating.
You’re probably thinking, “When should I throw the Albie Snax?” These baits shine when the fish are on smaller prey, such as sand eels, peanut bunker, and bay anchovies. Additionally, the Snax is an excellent option if you’re blind casting. As it pertains to action, the bait is unique, it has a fantastic walk the dog (side-to-side action) under the water. Unlike any other available bait today, it’s the closest thing to an underwater spook. Simply reel slowly and twitch the rod every few cranks to impart this action. It’s important to note that the bait is highly adaptable due to its slow sink rate. The Snax can easily be walked at high speed or paused at a slow cadence. I personally love to fish the bait two ways. Primarily, I stick with a medium side-to-side retrieve. However, I go with a high-speed retrieve if the fish are raging. When the bait is fished in this manner, it quickly skips across the surface like a fleeing baitfish.
Although the Albie Snax is an excellent false albacore plastic, it is also a great option for stripers. I’d recommend this plastic for any early spring fishing when the stripers can be slow and picky. The bait does a fantastic job of staying almost suspended in the column when paused. This brief action can turn a lazy fish on. I’d also recommend this plastic anytime you see blitzing stripers refuse your ordinary plugs. Overall, keep in mind if any small bait is present, the Snax is an excellent option.
