The boat was barely a mile off the New Jersey coast on a mild September day when the surface of the water erupted with small baitfish scrambling to elude the false albacore hot on their tails. False albacore, also called little tunny, bonita or bones in Florida and the Gulf, or simply albies, are late summer visitors to much of the mid-Atlantic coast. The anglers on board grabbed their spinning outfits, clipped on small, shiny metal jigs to match the baitfish, and made long casts into the swirls before cranking them into a fast retrieve. Hookups came quickly as these diminutive members of the tuna clan shifted into hyperdrive making drags scream and anglers hoot in delight.
It’s no wonder, albies run hard, change direction in the blink of an eye and test light tackle to the breaking point. Our crew had to work fast to keep lines from crossing as fish ran in every direction. That meant running around the boat weaving rods over and under only to turn around and go back the other way when one of the fish decided to double back. It was pandemonium punctuated with lots of laughs. The excitement associated with catching tiny tunas makes them a prime target for any inshore angler who enjoys catching fish that really puts up a fight. Albies are just one of several tiny tuna species that are seasonably available inshore to small boat anglers from New England to the Gulf of Mexico.
When most anglers contemplate fishing for tuna they conjure up images of boat rides to distant offshore regions and long, physical battles with a speedy yellowfin, a never-say-die bigeye or a massive bluefin tuna. All are members of the family Scombridae and the genus thunnus. They all attain substantial size with yellowfin and bigeye capable of weights well over 200-pounds and bluefin, the largest tuna species, reaching weights surpassing half a ton. All are fast swimming pelagic predators that roam the tropical and temperate oceans of the world and are prized by anglers for their sport value and eating quality, and by commercial fishermen for their market value. Most reside well offshore out of reach of small boat owners and require substantial tackle to challenge, but not their smaller cousins. The tiny varieties are also members of the Scombridae family but tend to venture much closer to shore at various times of the year and what they lack in size they more than make up for in willingness to hit a lure or take a bait.
Let’s look at a few of the tiny tunas and their regional availability to see if you can get in on the action in your home waters. Starting with New England, Atlantic bonito are a common visitor during the late summer and early fall. These tough little fish are typically found in schools hunting small baitfish that are pouring out of tidal ponds, creeks, rivers and estuaries. They will eat silversides, anchovies, peanut bunker or pretty much anything small and shiny that will fit between their jaws. They have a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth used to grab their prey before swallowing it whole. Atlantic bonito can be found as far north as Nova Scotia but are more frequently encountered by anglers from Massachusetts to New Jersey. We’ve caught them in Cape Cod Sound, Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound, Montauk, on artificial reefs off the south shore of Long Island and in the nearshore ocean waters off the New Jersey coast. And while they range further south, they are only rarely encountered by anglers in Delaware and Maryland. Bonito can grow to well over ten pounds, but most are in the three-to-five-pound range so keep the tackle light and enjoy the fun.
Atlantic bonito are schooling fish that can be attracted to your boat using chum. One of our favorite techniques is to catch small baitfish using a cast net and use them as live or dead chum. If they aren’t available, purchase a bucket of ground bunker chum as a substitute. If you don’t have a target location bonito will often be found around areas of structure like lumps, wrecks and artificial reefs. To locate them try trolling Clark spoons behind a small planer or drail weight until you hook up, then stop and chum to bring the school to the boat. Once they key in on the chum you can use the baitfish as hook baits or cast and retrieve small metal jigs.
False albacore are more wide ranging than Atlantic bonito and capable of growing to 25-pounds, although most are in the under ten-pound class. They are typically found seasonally from southern New England to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. They come inshore in late summer and if water temperatures remain moderate and bait schools remain available, they can stay late into the season. Montauk, New York has a significant run in September and October, the south shore of Long Island and New Jersey sees them about the same time. North Carolina hosts a massive run of albies from late August into November and December. Fly rodders from all over the country flock there because it is such a target rich environment and flies make a great imitation of very small baitfish. From Cape Canaveral to Miami where albies are called bonita or just bones, the season starts in June and runs through September when it shifts to the Keys for October, November and December. They hang in the Gulf well into the winter months.
Albies in Florida and the Gulf are frequently accompanied by another tiny tuna species, the smallest member of the true tuna clan. The blackfin tuna, Thunnus atlanticus, is a tropical species found along the east coast of the southern United States, the Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. It closely resembles the large tuna species but in a more deep-bodied, compact package. They are highly prized gamefish along Florida’s east coast and in the Gulf. They are found along the outer edges of the natural reefs along Florida’s east coast from June through early fall and frequently mixed in with schools of false albacore. They can be caught by trolling small lures or ballyhoo and are suckers for live bait, surface lures and flies, which make them a favorite with fly fishermen. They frequently venture very close to shore and have even been caught by anglers on fishing piers. Don’t be fooled by their size, blackfins are tough customers so hooking with them with modest spinning or fly tackle will set you up for a major battle. And they are prized table fare that compare favorably to their larger offshore cousins. Just bleed them when they hit the deck, collar them (remove the gills, stomach and intestines) and put them in an ice slurry for some great sashimi or grilled steaks when you get back to the dock.
All tuna species are amazing gamefish, and the tiny tunas are no exception. They are dream fish for fly casters and light tackle enthusiasts. Once you get into the game, they will quickly become one of your favorite fish.
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It’s no wonder, albies run hard, change direction in the blink of an eye and test light tackle to the breaking point. Our crew had to work fast to keep lines from crossing as fish ran in every direction. That meant running around the boat weaving rods over and under only to turn around and go back the other way when one of the fish decided to double back. It was pandemonium punctuated with lots of laughs. The excitement associated with catching tiny tunas makes them a prime target for any inshore angler who enjoys catching fish that really puts up a fight. Albies are just one of several tiny tuna species that are seasonably available inshore to small boat anglers from New England to the Gulf of Mexico.
When most anglers contemplate fishing for tuna they conjure up images of boat rides to distant offshore regions and long, physical battles with a speedy yellowfin, a never-say-die bigeye or a massive bluefin tuna. All are members of the family Scombridae and the genus thunnus. They all attain substantial size with yellowfin and bigeye capable of weights well over 200-pounds and bluefin, the largest tuna species, reaching weights surpassing half a ton. All are fast swimming pelagic predators that roam the tropical and temperate oceans of the world and are prized by anglers for their sport value and eating quality, and by commercial fishermen for their market value. Most reside well offshore out of reach of small boat owners and require substantial tackle to challenge, but not their smaller cousins. The tiny varieties are also members of the Scombridae family but tend to venture much closer to shore at various times of the year and what they lack in size they more than make up for in willingness to hit a lure or take a bait.
Let’s look at a few of the tiny tunas and their regional availability to see if you can get in on the action in your home waters. Starting with New England, Atlantic bonito are a common visitor during the late summer and early fall. These tough little fish are typically found in schools hunting small baitfish that are pouring out of tidal ponds, creeks, rivers and estuaries. They will eat silversides, anchovies, peanut bunker or pretty much anything small and shiny that will fit between their jaws. They have a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth used to grab their prey before swallowing it whole. Atlantic bonito can be found as far north as Nova Scotia but are more frequently encountered by anglers from Massachusetts to New Jersey. We’ve caught them in Cape Cod Sound, Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound, Montauk, on artificial reefs off the south shore of Long Island and in the nearshore ocean waters off the New Jersey coast. And while they range further south, they are only rarely encountered by anglers in Delaware and Maryland. Bonito can grow to well over ten pounds, but most are in the three-to-five-pound range so keep the tackle light and enjoy the fun.
Atlantic bonito are schooling fish that can be attracted to your boat using chum. One of our favorite techniques is to catch small baitfish using a cast net and use them as live or dead chum. If they aren’t available, purchase a bucket of ground bunker chum as a substitute. If you don’t have a target location bonito will often be found around areas of structure like lumps, wrecks and artificial reefs. To locate them try trolling Clark spoons behind a small planer or drail weight until you hook up, then stop and chum to bring the school to the boat. Once they key in on the chum you can use the baitfish as hook baits or cast and retrieve small metal jigs.
False albacore are more wide ranging than Atlantic bonito and capable of growing to 25-pounds, although most are in the under ten-pound class. They are typically found seasonally from southern New England to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. They come inshore in late summer and if water temperatures remain moderate and bait schools remain available, they can stay late into the season. Montauk, New York has a significant run in September and October, the south shore of Long Island and New Jersey sees them about the same time. North Carolina hosts a massive run of albies from late August into November and December. Fly rodders from all over the country flock there because it is such a target rich environment and flies make a great imitation of very small baitfish. From Cape Canaveral to Miami where albies are called bonita or just bones, the season starts in June and runs through September when it shifts to the Keys for October, November and December. They hang in the Gulf well into the winter months.
Albies in Florida and the Gulf are frequently accompanied by another tiny tuna species, the smallest member of the true tuna clan. The blackfin tuna, Thunnus atlanticus, is a tropical species found along the east coast of the southern United States, the Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. It closely resembles the large tuna species but in a more deep-bodied, compact package. They are highly prized gamefish along Florida’s east coast and in the Gulf. They are found along the outer edges of the natural reefs along Florida’s east coast from June through early fall and frequently mixed in with schools of false albacore. They can be caught by trolling small lures or ballyhoo and are suckers for live bait, surface lures and flies, which make them a favorite with fly fishermen. They frequently venture very close to shore and have even been caught by anglers on fishing piers. Don’t be fooled by their size, blackfins are tough customers so hooking with them with modest spinning or fly tackle will set you up for a major battle. And they are prized table fare that compare favorably to their larger offshore cousins. Just bleed them when they hit the deck, collar them (remove the gills, stomach and intestines) and put them in an ice slurry for some great sashimi or grilled steaks when you get back to the dock.
All tuna species are amazing gamefish, and the tiny tunas are no exception. They are dream fish for fly casters and light tackle enthusiasts. Once you get into the game, they will quickly become one of your favorite fish.
Back to Blue Life