Skipjack by Tom Keer originally printed in American Angler

yea6 venfure inshore every butwhen the Thisephemeral species doesn't bli2youdan'twantto mi&e. rcer skippies doshowup,itsalate-summer byrom 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 game, trolling anglersin searchof bigger 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.

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