Albacore Migrate from the West Pacific (Japan and Midway) to the East Pacific (U.S. West Coast) along the Japanese current. Then into and up the California Current. The furthest south they occur off our West Coast below Punta Bunda, Baja. They then travel north as far as British Columbia Canada. This migration is followed until Albacore reach maturity above seventy-five pounds and are ready to spawn. When they reach that size to go into another circular current south of Midway Island and spend the rest of their days in that current. That's the reason we never see any Albacore with roe. The fish in our migration are all immature fish. Mature Albacore will reach a size of one hundred and fifty pounds or more. In the last few years it has been found that Albacore over 40 lbs. will stay in an area if suitable water temps and feed in there.
Albacore are one of the Tunas whose body temperature is warmer by several degrees than the water in which they swim. They must always be on the move because they haven't any swim bladder. If they stop moving they'll sink. The way they get a little rest is to swim up sharply from three-hundred feet or deeper to about one-hundred feet. Then they'll take a long downward glide back down to the depth they started from. We suspect this behavior may also have something to do with regulating their body temperature. The same way Yellow-fin and Big-eye tuna do. They will come to the surface to feed, but not for a long period of time. They have large eyes for feeding at depths of over a thousand feet. Their eyes don't have eye lids and are very sensitive to light..
The first Albacore each year show up off the California Coast. Usually show up at such places as the Cortez Bank, San Juan Seamount, in southern California around June however they have been caught as early as March. Then on the North side of Point Conception. They appear on places like the Davidson Seamount, the 455 Spot, 601 Spot, Guide Seamount, Pioneer and Gum Drop Seamounts right around the middle of July.
Typically Albacore south of Point Conception, are usually two year olds. Averaging eighteen pounds. Albacore north of the point, are three years and four year olds or older. They average twenty-five pounds and up. One year old fish, averaging eight pounds do however occur in both areas Albacore will be off our coast in some years as late as January, depending on Sea Surface temperatures.
Don't be put off by cooler water temperatures. Remember Albacore migrate at an average depth of between two hundred to three hundred feet or deeper. How cool do you think the water temperatures are down there? A good rule of thumb is July through September fish surface waters from fifty-eight and a half degree and up. Later season fish tolerate cooler surface temperatures. Of course warmer is always better. When the surface gets cooler than fifty-five or warmer than sixty-eight, they leave.
Albacore generally surface on or around a temperature break, or TIDAL up-welling. That's were cool deep water surfaces and hits warmer surface water. Causing a plankton bloom that attracts bait fish. These breaks can sometime be visually seen. They look like a long slick, kind of how it looks when a ship passes through an area (so always fish the warm edge of a temp. break). Remember Albacore like clear blue water, so blue that it's almost purple.
Another good place to check is around floating kelp patties. They usually hold bait fish that attracts predator fish. Feeding Porpoise and Whales are another place that deserves checking. If you have a good depth sounder you can read Albacore, if you don't, you ought to be able to read bait fish and squid, so check that area out. Long areas of floating kelp and debris usually means you are at the edge of the Tidal Current. Try the outside edge. Look for diving birds, or even just birds in the area ( be sure to fish around setting birds they are sometimes setting on top of fish), in general look for signs of life. You don't want to spend your day fishing a dead area. Also keep in mind that about three days before, and about three days after a full moon the bite will usually be a late afternoon bite.
If you find fish, don't be afraid to put the information out on the radio. Most of the time more boats working the area properly, can mean more Tuna for everyone including you. So it's up to us private boaters to keep each other informed. This is the down side of fishing in BC waters as few are targeting Albacore and concentrating on easily caught salmon & halibut.
In June till the middle of August fish can be found by trolling feathered jigs at between six and a half to nine knots. Troll lines in a V pattern, the bottom of the V should be at the center of the boat and the shortest line. The first thing Albacore are attracted to is the bottom of your boat and the wake. They think the bottom of the boat is bait ball, and the wake is something feeding on that bait ball. So don't fish lines seventy-eleven miles back. A good starting rule is around the second wave behind the boat. Always keep lines and jigs clean of kelp, jelly fish and sea grass's. Another words check them often.
For boats that carry live bait any time you get a jig strike or see fish, try to chum them to the boat. Always chum so that the boat will drift over the chum not away from it. You can chum dead bait (small pieces of herring, sardines or squid) but be careful that you don't put so much bait in the water that they will follow the sinking bait down.
Use light colored jigs on bright days and dark jigs when conditions are darker. Good patterns are. Zucchini, Mexican flag, red and white, blue and white, green and white, green and yellow, purple, purple and black, and root beer. If I only had my choice of four. They would be, zucchini, Mexican flag, red and white, and purple and black.
haha ill take them out.. i think it would be very cool! Mayeb leave outof renfrew or bamfield? head across swiftusre to the far side? Liek i said, if some one wants to go but downt have teh boat, ill bring the boat if u bring the trailer ;p Maybe get half a dozen boats to head out?
