Feverish Fishermen Going Overboard for Albacore

How crazy have things gotten off our shore?

Well, albacore counts are soaring higher than they have all season, which is all that really needs to be said. But we’ll elaborate.

Philip Friedman, of the fishing information hotline 976-TUNA, said Thursday he heard about an angler aboard the Mirage out of Port Hueneme whose rod was pulled from his hands by an albacore that caught him by surprise.

“So he jumps in the water to try to get his rod and he cuts off 10 others who had hooked up,” Friedman says. “He got all tangled and was floating down the side of the boat. Now, adding yourself to the food chain 80 miles at sea is not a good idea. Who know’s what’s out there?”

Plenty of albacore, that’s what.

The Toronado out of Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach had 250 albacore on deck Thursday afternoon just east of San Clemente Island. Eighteen anglers aboard the Pacific Dawn out of Cisco Sportfishing in Oxnard on Wednesday caught 178 albacore 70-90 miles out. The same day in the same general area, those on a multiday trip aboard the Excel out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego reportedly bagged 500 albacore--and they had three more days to fish.