NC Angler Forums banner

Fish fish everywhere but not the ones you want

Inshore 
2K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  salpal 
#1 ·
Fortunately the fish I didn’t want were 2-3lb blues and Spanish which all have made it to the smoker.

After watching the bogue Pier and drooling over the bait balls and busting silver blurs all week. I got my dad out to do some trolling and with hopes for some albie casting.

Fishing Saturday morning early avoiding the Mullet Parade on an extremely high tide to the pier and back we pulling in countless blues and Spanish but consistently saw bust on a slick a little further off. Once the sun was a little higher bird started to work the slick so we pulled lines in and motored over. Each group of birds and easily identified albies busting the surface. So we tossed everything we had, stinger like baits, yozuri divers, soft plastics flukes and grubs in a variety of pinks greens and silver and not even a sniff.

When we approached we idled down and would make it I’m within the vicinity of the busy enough to get 3-5 cast in before the fish would dive and we spotted the next group of birds and repeated.

We were rigged with 6 ft of 12 lb flourish. And one with 15lb. I have never cast for the albies and still have succeeded but was wondering if seeing and not catching is just part of the game with these fish or if my leader or approach was an issue.

All in all great day with the old man on the water.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
See less See more
#5 ·
Fishing for Albies 15# braid short leader 20# FC about 2 foot long, tied with a Uni to Uni knot, jig small Big Nic Spanish Candy, tied with a loop knot. Long rod 7' or 7'6". You want the Uni knot outside the top guide for longer smooth casting.

Approach slowly to busting fish & just watch the direction they are swimming. Go ahead of the school, drift along side.
This is key you must be quick to cast ahead of them. Any hesitation & you won't hook up.........ICM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls_ezDorcxc
 
  • Like
Reactions: salpal
#7 ·
Thanks mike, that’s what my best guess was at the bait, pretty neat.

And thanks for the info as always ICM. I posted my questions glowing you would chime in.

I was using pretty similar lures as the Spanish candy, small 1oz or less jig like baits in gold, silver, green and pink and was utilizing a loop know for the connection, although I switched to a swivel at one point to see if it would help.

I think my main issue was I was consistently casting directly into the school vs ahead as you mention above.

Is the preferred action a fast large jig and real or more real than jig?

Appreciate all the input!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#8 ·
B Mac, I notice the same thing, they seem to dive pretty quickly after a cast and pop up 100 ft away seconds later.

Are they a fish that will just not bite sometimes similar to seeing tarpon roll out there migrating south or are the pretty eager to take a lure if you can find them (albies)?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#9 ·
They want to eat. They're just moving fast and it does no good casting where a fish that swims 30 MPH was five seconds ago. Exception to that is when they're "Gulping"-- swimming sideways in the water chasing rain bait--where nothing seems to work. But that's not too common. ICM's recommended tactic is the way to go. Too often, you'll see guys try to run them down by driving right up to the edge (or the middle) of the school and firing away. All that does is scatter the bait, and the albies feeding on them go down. Try to anticipate where they are going instead, and use the wind or current to your advantage. The bait that they are feeding on is moving pretty fast-- around 10 MPH-- and it doesn't always follow a straight line. So sometimes your best guess on where they'll pop up again is wrong. That's where long casts can help, which is why ICM recommends a fairly light 15 lb braid. When they are moving fast like that you will not hook up unless you cast in front of them. Sometimes the best tactic is to just sit tight in an area where the fish have been surfacing and wait for them to come up again in range. I know some guys who recommend turning off your sounder and your engine if the fish are pressured and boat shy, but I rarely do that. I think matching the hatch is best, and Big Nic's Spanish Candy has been very good at that for me, though I usually sling flies at them. Burning the lure back to the boat usually works, but sometimes it's effective to burn it back for 4-5 cranks, then open the bail and let it sink for 5-10 seconds, then crank, then repeat. Try jigging vertical too if you're marking bait--drop to the bottom, then burn it up-- but I usually catch more Spanish & Blues doing that.
 
#10 ·
Thanks bmac, I like the metrics for speed and pauses, very helpful. I think I will manage a few now with all the tips. I was definitely running over them, I motored down maybe 50-100 ft away and idle up to 20ft which is where I think the issue mainly. I tried similar retrieves to what you described.

For the fly, I’ve watched some videos but didn’t take notes. How much weight do you put on my clousers?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
I was out there Saturday and we managed to land 10 albies 5 each myself and my girl. We fished 2 hrs and were wore slam out. We were throwing the expensive epoxy jigs and landed 1 fish each and broke the 4 I bought off in a few mins. I switched to the cheapos I had in the boat for blue fish and landed 4 more each. The key was like everyone said I would get way ahead of them and let them swim towards the boat. I never Motored close to them and they were literally right next to the boat several times. I didn’t see anyone else catching either. Here’s what worked for me. Long casts past the school rod tip in the water and reel as fast as you can. Bring the lite through the boil as close as possible and hold on. I will say I prefer a longer leader I was running close to 6ft of 12lb Fluor. We managed 2 Spanish in the boat and my girl broke off a certain citation Spanish at the boat before we could get him in the net. It was a blast!
 
#12 ·
Sal: Weight on the fly is dependent on hook size and bulk of the fly plus how much wind or current you're dealing with. You need just enough weight to sink the fly when the fish are boiling on a bait ball. Usually a bead chain eye is enough. If you are blind casting an area where fish are holding/working, a small to med lead eye will get you down a little deeper before you start stripping. You can also get your fly down with an intermediate or sink tip with a short leader. (All that said, I usually don't fish weighted flies, just small bucktail streamers, and they'll eagerly eat top waters like Gurglers or Crease Flies too.) The key is to get that fly in front of them and moving as quickly as you can. Easier said than done when the wind is blowing on a pitching and rolling deck. I couldn't post the words that come out of my mouth on this site while I'm attempting to do that.
 
#13 ·
Awesome advice Bmac, I think have probably been weighting my flies to much. What you described is what I see at many fly shops but somehow never connected the dots to match their flies...

Also planning on taking a wack at some crease flys. I’m a gurgled fan for other salt and fresh already.

Thanks for the help!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top