By Paul Lebowitz

Fishing until dark salvaged a tough day; overall albacore outlook remains rosy

Home is where the albacore is? For the Ranger 85 and the greater San Diego-based sportfishing fleet, that proved the case the weekend following Independence Day. The action was centered just 33 miles from the mouth of San Diego Bay.

Although every sign was auspicious – good water, pleasant weather, plenty of bait, and lots of fish in the area - most boats fished hard but had little to show for it until late in the day despite limit to near-limit scores posted earlier in the week.

Aboard the Ranger, owner / operator Frank Ursitti chalked it up to an ordinary albacore in-season slow-down. “We hit an off cycle. In a day or two the fish will be back on it,” Ursitti said.

After the disappointingly short albacore season of 2006, when the fish blew through local waters in seemingly less than a week, 2007 looks like a typical year to Ursitti.

“We always used to say the 4th of July marks the start of the albacore season,” Ursitti said. “The fish are right on time this year.”

But not in time for a morning bite during this trip. When everyone sat down to a tasty lunch of chicken fajitas, only a handful of albacore were chilling in the fish hold.

All came on jig strikes. According to deckhand AJ Mejia, smaller jetheads in greens and pinks accounted for most of the stops. 

Ursitti was confident fishing would improve before the day was out. After sniffing for albacore all the way out to the Mushroom Bank, he turned his big sportfisher back toward the beach.

Around 3 pm the captain reported seeing improved signs of life. The next jig stop turned into a bait drift for a quick dozen of the long-finned tuna.

“We want you to mix it up and try different things,” Ursitti had said during his pre-trip briefing. Rather than fishing big sardines, the captain encouraged people to try baiting smaller anchovies on lighter line and even begrudgingly recommended fluorocarbon leaders. The advice paid off during the picky bite, rescuing the trip and ultimately yielding a bit more than one fish per rod.

“That’s where the day and a half format really shines if it’s necessary to capitalize on the late afternoon bite,” Ursitti said.

Anglers with tuna trips in the offing should bring a diverse assortment of rigs. Don’t overlook the light 20-lb gear, but also pack the big stuff (60 to 80 lb) in case of a ripping bite. An assortment of small sliding sinkers (1/8 – 1/4 oz) will come in handy for pitching the featherweight anchovies. 

Like many other anglers on the boat, Larry Bentley was still looking for his first fish as the sun started to sink towards the horizon. He kept at it, eventually getting one on the troll and the eventual jackpot winner on bait. The big fish of the trip weighed in at 28-lbs.

“A quality grade of fish,” Ursitti said as he considered the Ranger’s catch. Ursitti pegged the average as 18 to 22 lbs, the perfect size for fun fishing.

Ursitti said that despite the down day, the seasonal outlook remains rosy. “Fish are filtering in. The water temperature is good and there is plenty of feed in the region to hold the fish. All indications are good,” Ursitti said.  

The fish are here. “Get them while there’re hot,” Ursitti added.  

Albacore Fireworks – Albacore season ignited over the 4th of July. Boats posted near-limit numbers, but by the following weekend the bite had slowed. In spite of lower totals at the dock, water conditions remain good and there are plenty of fish in the zone. Here Ranger 85 angler David Burgeson shows off a nice longfin.

Finesse Fish – Angler Elmer Davis found success during a scratchy bite by downsizing to 20-lb test line and baiting an anchovy. Deckhand AJ Mejia hoists his heavy albacore. Although numbers were down over the weekend, the grade of fish remained excellent, with the average running from 18 to 22 lbs.

Local Tuna – Boats didn’t have to run far to get to productive albacore water. During a recent 1.5 day trip, the Ranger 85 found the bulk of its catch just over 30 miles from San Diego Bay. Angler Mike Fuglie hooked this one while trolling.