Relax and observe for better results chasing albies from the surf.
For some reason, albie fishermen often seem like they’re clamoring to get an autograph from Taylor Swift or some other hysteria-inducing celebrity. Word gets out that the ‘celebrity’ has been spotted in a specific area and throngs of adoring fans show up. Everyone seems perfectly chill until they actually see what they came to see. In that moment, all self-control in lost as everyone attempts to reach the frothing school with a cast. A few anglers hook up, a few tempers may flare and then everyone goes back to waiting until they show again.
I can’t say I haven’t succumbed to this hysteria, but I can say that haven’t partaken in it in a few years, because I have learned that it’s a losing game. Those moments when the fish are blasting the surface and everyone is arcing casts in from all angles are most likely to result in hooking other angler’s line (this is when tempers flare). But there are a few observations and techniques that can put you in the position to score multiple fish in one surf session.
Put In Your Time. Before we get into the nuts and bolts here, I feel it’s important to note that it really pays to string together a few hours of fishing at a time. I typically fish for 2 to 5 hours if I’m chasing albies, not only will you get more shots at fish, but you’ll also be able to get a better pattern on how they’re feeding.
Blitzkrieg Thoughts. When the albies blitz, I try to be one of the last guys to cast, unless they’re in close and right in front of me. I do this because I want to watch what they’re doing and how they’re feeding. Albies can’t turn on a dime, so it really pays to observe the direction they’re moving while they blast through the bait; if you can get a cast off that swims the lure in the direction of the blitz, do it. If you can’t, hold your fire and observe.
Before The Blitz. Good polarized sunglasses are an absolute must for this game and while you’re standing on the jetty, beach or rocks, keep your eyes in the water. I have learned to recognize cues that a blitz is about to happen. Sometimes I see just a few flashes of albies below the surface, sometimes it’s just a handful of baitfish streaking for the safety of the rocks or shallows and sometimes it’s a bait ball quivering on the surface. The main thing is, I get to make a cast or two before anyone else realizes what’s going on. And this has been one of my most productive tricks for catching more than others around me.
Patterning. When an area is rich with baitfish, the albie schools often fall into a predictable pattern, which typically runs in a large loop. Even when the fish aren’t regularly showing on top, you may be able to pick a pattern based on who hooks up while blind casting. When you see this, you can anticipate when your turn is likely to come: Joe hooks up, then Bob gets a swing and miss, then Mike goes tight and now it’s your turn. This scenario often repeats many times throughout a tide.
Positioning. While not always possible, if you can position yourself where bait and gamefish have to make a turn, you’ll be putting yourself in an area where you’re more likely to hook up. The tip of a jetty, a big point of rocks, an elbow in a jetty or a deepwater point on a sand beach are all good examples of this. Since I am not an albie, I can’t definitively say why this is, but I have seen it time and time again. Sometimes you just have to accept a pattern without an explanation.
Keep Casting. The best advice I can give is to keep casting all the time and stay in one spot unless you have a really good reason to move. While you’re in that one spot, observe how the baitfish move and angle your casts to work through the current in a similar manner. More often than not, the albies will charge into the scene in the same direction or the opposite direction, so keep both angles honest.
These are some of the observations I’ve made over the last seven years of chasing albies, before that time, I didn’t really fish for them! But I’m always looking for patterns and I’m always trying to observe the fish and the behavior of the bait to help me make the best presentations…and it works.
Give these tricks a shot and you’ll see.
