A stealthy, older aluminum boat can be a hardtail-slaying machine!
Most of us have a “favorite time of year” that we eagerly anticipate. For many little kids, it’s Christmas, while for the older ones it may be the last day of school. For all the “Basic Beckys”, that first pumpkin spiced latte of the year just hits different! Patriots fans have, errr, had playoff season. I wait impatiently to satisfy my need for speed with the annual arrival of my favorite inshore duo, Atlantic bonito and false albacore!
There are multitudinous ways to target albies, bonito, and mackerel. You’ve got your “boat fish don’t count” rock-hopping purists, the kayak crowd, a whole spectrum of folks who chase them primarily with center consoles, and even the jet skiers have gotten in on the action. However my favorite way to catch hardtails in my home state of Rhode Island is from a small, tiller-powered aluminum boat.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love to target albies and bones from jetties and beaches. But sometimes they’re jussstt out of reach. Can a kayak solve that issue? Sure. But a small aluminum boat has a serious advantage in range, speed, cargo capacity, and stability. Factor in the cost of some of these new paddle craft (sometimes a few grand) and the classic tin starts to make sense. Someday I’ll probably upgrade to a center console, but for now I’ll enjoy the superior holeshot, and short range point and shoot ability of my MirroCraft.
Play To Your Strengths
If you’re going to be successful fishing out of an aluminum you’ve got to play to its advantages while simultaneously recognizing its limitations. One of the biggest things is determining where and when to go. Watching the weather goes without saying; a snotty chop that would be moderately uncomfortable in a 21-foot center console could be downright dangerous in a small open vessel. It’s best to hit the water early in my opinion. Conditions are usually calmer before the late afternoon wind shift/speed increase and the fish typically bite more aggressively.
This style of angling is as much about place as it is about tactic. I have a few launch locations that I can choose depending on the weather. One side of the bay might be calm while the other side, or “out front” is a suicide mission. On days where the forecast is up in the air I’ll defer to a launch that has a fishable harbor. I’ve caught albies in some pretty horrendous weather, and while no fish is worth your life, you can experience some great feeds if you can safely get on (and back off) the water before an impending storm. Check out the sidebar for a few options!
Getting that early start, “meeting the fish for their breakfast” as I sometimes say, is pivotal. The earlier I start, the longer I have in case the trip becomes a grind. To me getting more time is more important than waiting for the perfect tide. Another advantage to this strategy is having fewer pleasure boaters around who don’t understand the concept of not running over a school of breaking fish, or the small boat you happen to be fishing from!
Tide Matters
Not to say that tides don’t count (they will be important based on location but that varies) but if you can find the bait and find the fish you’ll have a shot. However, the fish do sometimes show a preference for one tide over the other. These patterns seem to last only a few days or so before other factors alter it. The fish might not stop or start feeding based on tide, but may move laterally along the coast, or in their proximity to the shoreline with the ebb and flow.
One time where tide makes a more consistent impact is at an inlet or river mouth. The drop can cause a spike in the action as bait empties out. Ultimately, with a small boat I’m limited to when mother nature allows me to enjoy what is often a short season. I go when I can and I stay as long as I can.
Simple & Classic
Keeping it simple is the name of the game when fishing from an old skiff. My boat “A Little Slice of Life” a nod the HBO series Dexter is a 14-foot 1974 MirroCraft with a 25-horsepower Yamaha four-stroke tiller. No steering wheel or cables means fewer failure points, and a bit more space in the center of the boat for a large marine cooler and LOTS of ice. While “less is more” in most tin boat categories, there’s one key area where it’s not. Horsepower. More power is “more better” as we used to say in my hometown of East Providence.
One of the biggest advantages a small aluminum has is its “holeshot” as drag racers call it. If you’re jockeying for position in the classic fall run blitz scenario there’s no better run and gun platform over short distances. A quick twist of the tiller will get you right into position while kayakers are working up a sweat and bigger, heavier boats are struggling to get in range without subsequently running over the fish once they let off the throttles. Not only do you want enough power to not get left in the dust chasing feeds, you’ll need the muscle to safely traverse inlets and negotiate sloppy conditions caused not only by weather, but the wakes of larger vessels.
Simplicity continues in the electronics department. My Raymarine Dragonfly’s base is 5200’d to the center bench, and the transducer is mounted to a board, which is attached to the stern with a set of c-clamps. The clamp setup holds the transducer at speeds up to 30 mph. The ability to raise it is a bonus if I want to beach the boat. The entire system can be quickly removed for storage away from the elements or thieves.
Deck It Out
The boat came with a few vertical rod holders, and these work fine while searching for fish. However, when you’re in the middle of firing casts at fish blitzing all around the boat, or when an albie makes one of its famous turns, rods sticking straight up become a hindrance. Solution? Pool noodles! I cut a large one in half, and then slice it down the middle so it can be wrapped over the gunnels on each side. I then cut in a few v-notches that serve as a place to quickly rest a rod at an angle out of the way. Should I want to switch setups, or get bit off by an interloping blue it’s easy to pick up a rod and get right back to business. The noodles are also a good place to secure your favorite lures within easy reach instead of fumbling around with tackle boxes when the bite is on fire.
Another addition I’ve come to love is the Down East Salty S10 rod holder. This heavy-duty holder clamps onto your gunnel and has a wide range of vertical and horizontal adjustment. It securely holds a rod parallel to the water while trolling, and easily pops open with a quick pull allowing you to instantly react and fight whatever you’ve hooked.
One more unique thing I do involves safety. I have a short section of dock line towards the rear of the boat that is securely affixed to the vessel and has a loop tied at the end. Should I take an unscheduled dip, I can reach over the side, grab the line, stick my foot in the loop and hoist myself back in. Obviously, wear the lanyard while running point to point and keep your lifejacket on (or in easy reach). You’ve all seen the Qualified Captain Instagram page I’m sure…
Armed & Ready
The boat is ready. I’ve checked the forecast and picked a launch. Now, what do I bring? I run two rods at minimum. One is a G.Loomis E6X Inshore 845S MGM and the other is a G.Loomis Pro-Green PGR 884S. Both have a Shimano Stradic 4000 spooled with 20-pound Suffix 832 braid. I’d always been a PowerPro Super Slick guy, but switched this spring due to availability. So far I really like it. Both setups start with an 8- to 10-foot section of Seaguar 20-pound fluorocarbon that meets the braid with an FG Knot. I don’t use any snaps or swivels, so I often wind up cutting back the leader over the course of the trip. I like to have room to account for that so I’m not tying on a new leader in a hurry and wasting time or worse, rushing and creating a failure point.
The E6X handles the heavier lures, vertical jigging, and sometimes trolling. The Pro-Green‘s softer tip and lighter action make it a star with plastics like Albie Snax, small Ron-Z’s, and lighter plugs. I’ll bring a third, heavier rod since hardtail trips turn in to “grocery runs” of bottom fishing. It’s usually my go to inshore conventional setup, which is an Avet MCSX 5.3 on a G.Loomis ProBlue BPR785C. It’s also the default trolling rod, which frees up the spinners to be rigged with differing presentations. Don’t forget a good landing net if you intend to keep anything for the table! If there are rumors of big bass, gator blues, or (gasp) the mythical inshore football bluefin, I bring a Saragossa 8000 on a G.Loomis Buccara.
| RHODY LAUNCH LOCATIONS |
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Point Judith Harbor of Refugee: One of the best-known locations to target albies and bonito all season long. The Galilee ramp will put you a short run from the action. Marina Park is further up into Great Salt Pond but often less chaotic than its downstream counterpart. I like this spot for its versatility, I can fish either side of the walls and have found just as many fish inside the harbor as outside which is a huge bonus on windier days. Sakonnett Point: Here we have another short run to great fishing and protected (albeit small) harbor that can produce if conditions on open water aren’t ideal. It also seems to be the first place bonito show up every season in the state. If conditions allow it’s a quick run to Sachuest Point for more great fishing. Monahan’s: This ramp can be tricky to negotiate with its steep drop off and limited trailer parking. It also lacks protection from anything aside form a southwest wind but does put you in a good spot once the fish start to take up residence in the bay and along the Narragansett coast. Fort Adams: This is a great ramp in a very fishy area. There’s lots of protected water and if weather allows you can zip over to Jamestown or north toward the Newport Bridge. The Breachways: Use these with extreme caution; running out of them in the morning when it’s calm can put you right in the middle of some great fishing. However a wind and/or tide shift can make coming back in treacherous. Personally if I want to fish “out front” I’d rather drop in at Point Judith and make the run over open water. The Upper Bay: Sometimes false albacore will push way up into the bay. It doesn’t happen every year and usually it’s only for a couple days. But in my experience it happens enough that it’s worth keeping an eye out and a rod ready to go on your upper bay bass and blues trips. |
Big Advantages
The Stealth Factor, an ace up the sleeve of any aluminum boat captain is its ability to “fly below the radar”. Hardtail fishing can be a combat sport and showing up to the fray in a nice center console outfitted with VR50’s and shiny lures might attract a ton of attention from the “follow the fleet” consortium. But the lowly tin boat only draws attention when the anglers onboard are constantly getting tight. This ability to hide in plain view has led to having the fish to myself; and a few observations over the seasons that have developed into unique ways to get a bite in tough conditions.
Getting skinny and going shallow… Drafting less than a big, deep-vee boat comes in handy if the fish are pushing bait tight to the beach, a jetty or a boulder field. The fish will use these structures to pin bait in for an attack, although they might not stay tight in shallow water for long. You’ve got two options here. Staying in the sweet spot where the blitzes happen is great, but keep your head on a swivel, know the bottom and where you can or can’t go. You can also work the edge where the fish are staging their attack. Trolling parallel to the shore/jetty or blind casting even after the feed is over can produce a few more fish.
It’s rare when cheap, fast, and good come together but, if you ask me, catching funny fish on an aluminum boat is about as close as you’re going to get!
