Tuna 2022, let the games begin!

Bagman

Steelhead
I went in my tying room and i use doubled 20lb fireline. And when said and done it ends up being 4 strands and to the hook. The hook tracks with the shank and doesn’t droop down when cast or trolled. I like the material better than wire as with coho they can mess the wire up. Here are some pics that I posted on the old site if this helps answer some other questions.View attachment 26301View attachment 26302View attachment 26303View attachment 26304View attachment 26301View attachment 26302View attachment 26303View attachment 26304View attachment 26305View attachment 26306View attachment 26307View attachment 26308View attachment 26309View attachment 26311
Dam that looks great I’ll take Two, where do I send the money?🤗
 

SilverFly

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Here's the first picture of the article. Guy, you may recognize that pic ;)

View attachment 26353
Holy crap! Knew I shoulda went on a diet that summer. ;)

Awesome to finally see albacore getting the attention they deserve as a fly fishery.

Congratulations Nick! Getting to this point has taken a ton of hard work, perseverance, and sheer fishiness. All things you have in spades.
 
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PhilR

Whale Shark
Forum Supporter
Open seat alert

We need another crew member to replace a cancellation for a trip out of Hammond/Astoria on 8/22. Send me a pm if interested or for details.

Update: seat filled
 
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Bagman

Steelhead
Holy crap! Knew I shoulda went on a diet that summer. ;)

Awesome to finally see albacore getting the attention they deserve as a fly fishery.

Congratulations Nick! Getting to this point has taken a ton of hard work, perseverance, and sheer fishiness. All things you have in spades.
Is that from the July or August mag?
 

Kfish

Flyologist
Forum Supporter
I went in my tying room and i use doubled 20lb fireline. And when said and done it ends up being 4 strands and to the hook. The hook tracks with the shank and doesn’t droop down when cast or trolled. I like the material better than wire as with coho they can mess the wire up. Here are some pics that I posted on the old site if this helps answer some other questions.View attachment 26301View attachment 26302View attachment 26303View attachment 26304View attachment 26301View attachment 26302View attachment 26303View attachment 26304View attachment 26305View attachment 26306View attachment 26307View attachment 26308View attachment 26309View attachment 26311
Thanks for the SBS, I followed your technique and it came out pretty nice, super fishy profile.
 

Nick Clayton

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
Holy crap! Knew I shoulda went on a diet that summer. ;)

Awesome to finally see albacore getting the attention they deserve as a fly fishery.

Congratulations Nick! Getting to this point has taken a ton of hard work, perseverance, and sheer fishiness. All things you have in spades.


Remember our conversations sitting at my dining room table about how over looked this fishery was from the fly rod perspective?

Pretty incredible how far things have come! When traditionally gear focused mags are writing about it, you know we've gone in the right direction.

You've had as big a part in the success and interest in this as anyone! So has everyone else who has come out and helped to get this stuff figured out.

Pretty dang cool how we've totally changed the narrative on this fishery.
 
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Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
One thing I'm bummed about with my turnaround on Wednesday is we were going to have one guy fishing the fly the whole time. Sounds like it would've been a perfect day for it too. :(
 

SilverFly

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Remember our conversations sitting at my dining room table about how over looked this fishery was from the fly rod perspective?

Pretty incredible how far things have come! When traditionally gear focused mags are writing about it, you know we've gone in the right direction.

You've had as big a part in the success and interest in this as anyone! So has everyone else who has come out and helped to get this stuff figured out.

Pretty dang cool how we've totally changed the narrative on this fishery.

I remember the the "over-looked" discussions clearly. Just wish I could remember all the ideas we tossed around. Somebody should have taken notes, but I suspect any that had merit are still in your head.

As for getting a feature article in a high-volume, gear-oriented magazine - those of us with histories as gear slinging dirtbags understand the breakthrough this article represents. Fly fishing for albacore has been going on for decades. Nothing new here. Except that for the bulk of that time, albacore on the fly was practically a hidden cult thing. Very few practiced it, and those that did accepted they were the "red-headed step-children" of the fleet. What is new, is walking up the dock from a tuna boat, with fly rod in hand, to get kudos and questions from deckies and skippers on other boats. As for my role in this, thanks, but really more like I was a whiney little brat trying to fill crew slots. Whatever it took so I could fish tuna unapologetically with a fly rod.

It took a bunch of people to get to this point. I've learned things from guys who've never fished tuna before as they were trying patterns I never would have, different techniques, etc... There are so many variables, and cross-fishery, cross-gear, cross-technique comparable analogs. Apply that to albacore, a fishery that superficially appears simple, but in reality is extremely complex AND in many ways, poorly understood - and you have a recipe for some seriously cool discoveries.

There is still a ton to learn figuring out albacore tuna with fly gear. Not many great fisheries left in the world where you can say that.
 
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headduck

Steelhead
Late to the game...curious as f%$k. Gonna improve my fly technique so I can actually fish somewhat proficiently and next year... it's on.

Great info. Thx guys.
 

Tallguy

Steelhead
I blame you Silverfly. I wanted to go catch albacore off WA, using whatever gear was necessary, once I heard there was a good fishery for them. I just like fish, especially big strong interesting ones.

But you were obviously pretty passionate about them with fly rods, and once you started describing making your own ultra deep fly fishing lines to go catch them (or your true unicorn), I wanted in on whatever was making you do something that!
 
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