September 15, 2017 — Anyone who’s been walking down by the water these days along the south side of the Cape, or on the Vineyard, has probably noticed a lot of boat activity on the water and plenty of fish action. What’s it all about? Most likely, it’s false albacore.
False albacore arrive in our waters in the late summer. They’re fast fish, related to tuna. We see them in the size range of 8-12lbs. They’re notorious for their good eyesight, for being very picky about what they strike, and for driving fishermen crazy.
It’s been a great season so far for albies. One likely reason is the plentiful numbers of baitfish known as peanut bunker. Peanut bunker are juvenile menhaden, and false albacore love to eat them.