46 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM SEPTEMBER 2019
and letting a school come to you. Blind-
casting as you wait often results in
unexpected hits.
Many experts favor a fast retrieve as
soon as the lure hits the water, which is
productive most of the time. If the rapid
return fails, make the lure an easy meal
with a slower retrieve and stop-and-go
action so the lure tumbles and wobbles.
“I like to approach up-current and off
to one side of a school,” Kittredge says.
“I position the boat to cast across and
slightly up-current, and retrieve the
lure at a moderately slow speed. With
the engine off , the boat drifts into cast-
ing range in stealth mode. At times al-
bies can be boat-shy, but when they’re
feeding heavily, nothing bothers them.”Match the Hatch
When albies cue in on specifi c prey,
they’ll usually refuse everything
but an exact imitation. “As selectivesight-feeders,” Kittredge says, “their
vision is impeccable. Little tunny key
in on fi ve bait species in the Northeast:
juvenile squid, sand eels, silversides,
bay anchovies and baby bunker,
so it’s helpful to determine what
they’re eating.”
Traditional lures are either fl at
and elliptical like ⅜- to ¾-ounce
Kastmasters and Hopkins Shorty jigs,
which imitate peanut bunker, small
butterfi sh and squid, or long and thin
metals like Deadly Dicks and CrippledLittle tunny (Euthynnus
alletteratus): Also called false al-
bacore, apple knocker, Fat Albert,
albie and bonito (in southern wa-
ters), these fi sh are football-shaped
with distinctive vermiculations on
their backs, and black spots between
their pectoral and ventral fi ns. The
two dorsal fi ns are separated, with
the fi rst fi n taller and spike-shaped.
Their teeth are tiny, and their
average size is up to 25 inches. Albies
seldom exceed 12 pounds, so any-
thing bigger is considered a trophy.Atlantic bonito(Sarda sarda):
Distinguished from false albacore by
tiger stripes running the body length
above the lateral line, and faint, wide
vertical bars across their sides. They
have large, sharp, pointed teeth, an
entirely scaled body, and a curved
lateral line. Their fi rst dorsal is long
with a gradual taper, and many deem
RIGHT ACTION: This chunky albie found their light fl esh excellent eating.
a leadhead paddle tail irresistible, above.
TINY TUNA ID
APPLE-KNOCKER TIMETOM^
MIGDALSKI^ (LEFT);^
ZACHSTOVALL^ (OPPOSITE);^ ILLUSTRATIONSBYDIANE^ PEEBLES