Albacore in September?

[craigzilla]

I have a friend coming for a visit the third week of September and would like to take him on an Albacore chase. Will these fish still be hanging around the Oregon coast? Anybody have an opinion??

[Predator Dawg]

Hey Pilar,

How much boat do you think a person needs, on average, to make it out and back in one piece to where the tuna are?

[Pilar]

Most people will use 24' and bigger. Open bow is bad and sleds ride rough on the ocean and burn lots of fuel. Something with a full top, cabin and lots of fuel. Any boat can kill you if it is not properly maintained or skillfully driven.

I'm reminded of an incident last September at Tillamook bay. 3 folks went out on a large fiberglass boat for Halibut. This boat had twin OMC's, full cabin and all the stuff you like to have in the deep ocean.

They went out and got some Halibut 30 miles offshore and came back to fish the Tillamook South Jetty for Salmon. A 1/2 hour later two of them were dead and the third one stranded on the jetty. The boat was in pieces on the rocks. So they did everything right but it all went to hell 100 yds from the shore.

As 'Puffin' always says 'Greiving in a boat 1 mile from shore is no different than greiving 30 miles from shore. You go for a short swim and then you die'.

In my experience, the size of the boat matters less than the experience and preparedness of the crew or the condition of the boat.

I drive a 19' fiberglass runabout. It's old and has an attitude. BUT it is well maintained and very carefully prepared for these trips. I have no canvas top (not yet, DC) and wear rain gear on a windy day. The other thing is to run in packs. If one boat craps out your buddies in the other boat can help until the Coast Guard arrives.

[Pilar]

Hi Craigzilla. Usually the fish dissapear around that time or early October. The other thing is that in late September the weather offshore begins to decline. Winds are unpredictable and we get an occasional bad storm. Watch the weather for a few days before you go out.

I've caught them as late as 20 September so give it a try.