When you say the word albacore, it may mean different things to different people. To a shopper in the supermarket, it might be used to describe a can of premium quality ‘white meat tuna’; and to a saltwater angler on the east coast, it could be a reference to a commonly caught member of the tuna family known as the little tunney (Euthynnus alletteratus). But to offshore anglers in the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere’s Eastern Pacific, it represents only one thing …the highly prized longfin tuna, Thunnus alalunga.


As summer progresses, serious blue water anglers along the Pacific coast begin prepping their gear and hoping for another hot tuna bite offshore. For them, one of the most popular fishes in this family is the longfin albacore, which occurs worldwide in temperate seas. And in the eastern Pacific, they range from south of Guadalupe Island all the way up the coast to southeast Alaska.

The forage of albacore varies, depending upon where they happen to be feeding in the water column. Most albacore fishing takes place between 20 to 100 miles from shore. Studies by marine scientists indicate that 57 of every 100 albacore caught are hooked in water ranging in temperature between 60 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit. As the season progresses, even more longfin albacore will continue migrating up the west coast, and by late August, a throng of other pelagic species, such as dorado, bluefin and yellowfin tuna, will usually join them.

Having the proper tackle is an absolute must when targeting any member of the tuna family.

Rods should generally range between 6 to 7 feet in length with a relatively pliable tip. Always select a sturdy, conventional style reel with a star or lever drag system that is packed with a high quality 25 to 40 pound test monofilament line. Attempting to go after albacore with even the heaviest spinning gear might be considered by some to be a tactical error.

Party boats carrying large bait tanks filled with live anchovies or sardines can usually find a feeding school of albacore under working birds and then keep them around the boat for their customers by constant chumming; but it is more likely that smaller private craft will have the best luck locating fish by trolling. One of the most popular and time-tested lures is the old fashioned cedar plug, which has been around since the middle of the past century. Tuna feathers and hard baits like Rapala’s and YoZuri’s also work well, as do daisy chains dressed with small plastic, squid-like skirts. But no matter what you plan to troll, always make sure that it matches the size of forage species that are in the immediate area.

When an albacore bite is wide open, it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the action and try to catch as many fish as possible. While this is perfectly permissible in U.S. waters, where there is no daily limit on longfins, an equivalent policy does not exist in the Republic of Mexico. In the waters off Baja California, albacore are subject to exactly the same take limits as any other saltwater gamefish. This may actually end up being a more intelligent strategy than the one practiced north of the border, since we now possess a scientific understanding that no natural resource is truly “inexhaustible.”

But after the fishing is done,and the catch has been cleaned, fresh fillets of albacore become a gourmet delicacy that are delicious when lightly marinated in Italian dressing and grilled over glowing, mesquite coals. Sushi and sashimi lovers may prefer yellowfin or bluefin tuna, but the albacore still remains one of the most highly prized members of the family.

Their firm, tasty flesh has earned them the well-known moniker of ‘chicken of the sea’, and they are the only species of tuna that can legally be labeled as "white meat." Whether you choose to cook, smoke or can your catch; bleeding out and icing down your freshly caught tuna will make an incredible difference in the ultimate flavor and quality of your final product.