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the past few years,northeastern inshore watershaveconsistentlyattracted large
T-tor
Anglersfrom RhodeIslandto NewYork
numbersof traditionally offshorespecies.
l-{
I
haveenjoyedthe phenomenon,and lastyeara Massachussetts
anglerlocallyknown as
Striper Mike evencaught a 75-pound bluefin tuna while wade fishing from shore! Others
report taking dolphin inside of two miles.Among this menagerieof pelagicvisitors, skipjack
tuna may be lesserknown, but they are equally worthy of attention from fly anglers.
Overall,the population of skippiesin the PacificOceanis
robust,while stocksin the Atlantic havebeen on the decline.
However,you'd never conclude that if you fish in Rhode
Island,where skipjacktravel in schoolsof up to to 50,000fish.
When you're on them, you can return home exhausted.
Anglers typically hunt skipjacksin the usual bonito and
albie haunts, and often you can catch them from shore.While
inshore skipjack catcheshavebeen spreadfrom Gotham to
Cape Cod, the heaviestconcentrations during the past several
DUANERAVER
Atlantic Skipjack Tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
Do YouKnowJack?
Skipjackgo by many different names.Somefolks call it the
aku, others the arctic bonito, still others the victor fish. Commercial fishermen who hook them in error while trolling for
tuna call them mushmouths due to the skipjack'ssoft jaws. On
the menu at a sushi restaurant,itb servedaskatsuo.But whateveryou call them, they are a blast to chaseon a fly rod.
Skipjack favor a water temperaturebetween65 and
85 degrees.Dependingon the year,late fuly through mid-August
hasbeen the time when they arrive in the Northeast.According
to Capt.)im Levisonof Double Haul Chartersin Montauk,"If
yodre ln.ky enough to be there when they occasionallyshow up
inshore,you ll have great sport. That said,don t count on it. The
offshoreboatsdo far better than the inshoreboats."
Oddly enough,inshore anglersin the thorougtrly urban
haunt of Breery Point, NewYork, haveenjoyedbig catches.The
consistentlywarm water brings them in around mid-August,
and the fish havebeen stayingthrough September.When the
skipjackare in you ll seeother interestingspecies,such as
humpback whales,dolphin, and oceansunfish.As the temperaturesdrop in October,skipjackhead offshore.
'A
significant portion of our August and Septemberguide
trips target hardtails [yellowfin] in general,but skipjack specifi-
orwrerof the
Edgein New-
all along the coastline,but they come to the generalNewport area
specificallyforthe skippies.Wadefishermenhavecaughtthem
offthe rocks in Newport, along the various river mouths, parallel
to the beachfronts,and in the rips adjacentto the reefs.I've
remodeleda section of our new store specificallyfor fishermen
targeting thosepelagicspecies,skipjack in particular."
If you're having trouble finding fish,look in the w4fs1aboveand below-for clues.Skipjack corral bait, and if you
look overboard and seebaitfish compressedinto tight schools,
you ll know predatorsare around. Baitfish that are spreadout
and relaxedaren't worried about ambush by skipjack.
Payattention to the birds. Bait plus skipjack usuallybring
terns hovering just abovethe water'ssurface.Watch the speed
at which the birds fly. If they're flying leisurely,it might be a
school of bassor blues,but if the terns are really winging it,
they're on a school of fast-moving fish, such asskippies.Sometimes, flocks of cormorants will sit on the water feastingon a
school of concentratedbait. Squid ranks high on the skipjack's
diet. As a result, when the fish are feeding on squids itt common to seediving birds, such as shearwatersand petrals,in big
flocks in the samearea.
Skipjacksare fans of current and follow the edgebetween
fast and slow-moving water. The most corlmon spots are rips,
wherethereis a
declinesaswell. I rememberfinding one big schoolof skippies
a few yearsback,just off a reef structurein RhodeIsland.The
rockscreatedjust the right current speedand the fish raced
backand forth, parallelto both the rocksand shore.Fastcurrentsaround inshoreislandsareworth exploringaswell.
SkippieTactics
Skipjacktargetsmall menhaden(peanutbunker), small herrings (glassminnows), silversides,
sandeels,bay anchovies
(rainbait),and juvenilebutterfish.If bait spraysout of the
water,you ll know it's either bay anchoviesor silversides.Identifoing the bait is easyif you get a skippie in the boat-odds are
he'll honor your presenceby vomiting up a recentmeal.
Many standardbonito and falsealbacorepatternswill work
equallywell for skipjack.But if you had to pick one fly in a variety of colors,it would be the Mushmouth designedby Capt.
Chris Aubut and DaveSkok.The Mushmouth featuresa Carrie
reverse-tie,which keepsthe fly from foulStevens/Thundercreek
ing. The underwing of the fly is pearl,which imitatesthe belly of
most baitfish,and the wing comesin a variety of colors.Selecta
color that matchesyour bait, from black and greenfor tinker
mackerel,blue for bluebackmenhadenor glassminnows, or
brown for sandeelsor peanutbunker.Aubut and Skok designed
the fly specificallywith skipjackin mind, hencethe name.
Thereis a lot of discussionabout the leader-shyness
of some
of pelagicfishes.A lot of saltwaterfishermenare usedto easy
catchingin big blitzesof fish.When stumped,they'requick to
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drop down to reallylight tippets and minusculeflies.But the
anglercan't put pressureon the fish with a light tippet. Those
fish make incredibly long runs, tire to exhaustion,and are difficult to revive.Bearin mind that skipjackare usuallycaughtby
Continuedon page77
Scratchingthe
SURFACESkipiack! ry#Ifnffiil:
Continuedfrom page45
up steelhead.My favorite fly incorporates
a spun-deer-hairbody,moose-mane
wings, and is topped with a foam shell
back that createsa collar. The collar pulls
the flyto the top and keepsit there even
in heavy,choppywater. Most fly shopsin
the Northwest and many online fly shops
carry a good selectionof patternrsuch
asMoose Tirrds,Waller Wakers,Bombers,
and Quigley Gurglers-that work anywheresteelheadswim. Bomber-srylepatterns,developedby earlypioneersof
dry-fly fishing for Atlantic salmon, are
alsoproductive.
Always carry and use a simple stream
thermometer becauseknowing the water
temperaturethroughout the day,and
from day to day,is necessaryto your
consistentsuccess.
Morning water temperaturesare usually severaldegrees
cooler than afternoon and eveningtemperatures,so you can plan your strategy
bypredicting the water temperatureand
how the fish should respond at a given
time during the day.
Bringing steelheadto the surfaceis
one of the grandestgamesir fly fishing. It
can evenmake you a better angler.Here's
why: surfacepresentationsoccur in plain
view, and every minute variance in the
current playsa significant role. You seeit
all unfold in front of you. With time and
experience,theselittle changesin the current and all the endlesseffectsthey have
on your fly and line becomeingrained in
your subconsciousand provide you with
hours and hours of muscle-memory
experience.When you switch to another
technique involving a wet-fly swing or
perhapsswinging your favorite streamer
pattern searchingout brown trout in the
fall, you will find that the hours spent that
summer fishing a pattern on the surface
hasmade you a much more intuitive fly
fisherman.You know, without having to
seeit, exactlyhowyour fly is fishing
through the run$
you, avoid castingtoward them.If you see
Continuedfrom page63
trolling anglersin searchof bigger game,
fish breaking the surface,be patient and
such aslarge tuna. fu a rule, they are not
wait until you get a better presentation.
leader shy,even though many anglers
Presentyour fly on a 45-degreeangleto
considerthem to be. I tie a 40-pound
the pod. As you begin your retrieve,your
braided Bimini twist for a four-footbutt
fly*ill crossmore fish in the schooland
sectionand 20-pound nylon for a threegeatly increaseyour odds of hooking up.
foot tippet.
If you miss the few fish slashingon the
A nine-foot rod for a 9- or l0-weight
surfacethe schoolcan passbeforeyou get
line is ideal, aslong asit will shoot line
another shot at the prize.
quickly for thesefast-moving fish. A
When a school runs parallel to your
position, castin front of it and beyondit,
disc-drag,large-arborreel is alsoimporjust like leading a duck. Skipjack are fast,
tant. The disc meansyou can crank
down on the drag and the large arbor
so don't be shy about getting out in front
featureis important for getting line back
of them. By the time your line shoots
on the reel when the
skippiesrun directly at
you.I'll typically rig a few
different rods with various lines-intermediate
or extra-fastsinking-so
I can grab and go. Extra
spoolspreloadedwith
different lines give you an
extra edge,and lines for
this quick castingshould
have steeperfront tapers.
I like the taper in the Rio
Outbound becauseit's
steepand heavy,thereby
Occasionally,
moveinshore
skipjacks
andprovide
targebfora few
foftunate
anglen,butmostflyfishermen
havebetterluckofFhore.
making snap castsa
cinch.I'll usethe Intermediate and the DC Type 8 for quickand lands,the fish should be in close
sinking applications.The DC Type 8 has proximity. Then, you can varying the
an intermediate running line which
quicknessof your retrieve to position the
keepsthe head in the strike zone longer
fly ir the strike zone.Bear in mind that
asyou retrieve.
the school is spreadout, and the bigger
Most anglerswill seesome fish on the
the school,the more spreadout it can be.
surfaceand castdirectlyto them.A closer
Skipjack are classifiedasa federally
look usually revealssignificantly more fish
regulatedspecies.Therefore,you'll need
justbelowthe surfaceand spreadout over to apply for a federal fishing permit,
a greaterdistance.At this point, take into
which is availableeither through the
account the tidal flow. If the current is
Department of Environmental Manageflowing toward you and yotire casting
ment or online at www.nmfspermits.com.
into it, a thoughtfrrl angler knows that he's Or, you can call them at888-872-8862.
getting a dead drift.Youll haveto retrieve
Itt the samepermit that you'd usefor
very quickly in order to move yow fly.
schoolbluefin t*..F
Similarly, if you castdown current, the
moment your line finger clamps on the
TomKeeris afreel.ance
writer livingin WellDeanFinnertyguidesanglerson Oregon's
line, the line raisestoward the surface.
He is currentlyat work
fleet,Massachussetts.
North UmpquaRiverand otherwaters.Check M*ytuna anglersfavor sinkinglines as
ona colleaionoffly-fishingessays
to bepubouthisWebsiteat www.5rivusguidaervice.com.opposedto intermediate lines becausea
IishednextyearbyBarclayCreekPress.
WWW.AMERICANANGLER.
COM
.il llY/Allcl lsT 200RI T,