Pro Talk: Top Water Lures for False Albacore on Bay Anchoives

We spent 15 minutes on the phone with Capt. Michael Hogan, owner and president of Hogy Lure Company, to discuss using top water lures for false albcore keyed in on bay anchovies on Cape Cod. Here's what we found out... 

 Capt. Michael Hogan
Website: www.hogylures.com
Instagram: @hogyfishing
Facebook: Hogy Lures

Introduction: Albies can be both a source of thrills and great frustration. When they get keyed in on big schools of bay anchovies, albies can have little interest in just about anything else.

Location: Cape Cod, MA

Tides: Incoming or outgoing but never during slack tide. 

Approach: These top water techniques are best suited when sight casting to boiling fish. Look for birds, nervous bait schools or the obvious bonito and albies jumping out of the water. Slowly ease up to the feeding school and begin casting along the boiling edges. It’s best to begin casting at maximum distance to try and avoid spooking the fish.

Rigging Selection: For an top water presentation the 5/0 Unweighted Swim Bait Hook is perfect. This hook perfectly keels the bait and helps it float in an upright position.

Bait Selection: The 7-inch Hogy Original

Why this bait? Make no mistake, the 7-inch Original is more than twice the size of the bait they are foraging on. When asked why it works so well, all we can say is that the bigger the bait, the more visible it is. In a sense, it stands out on its own. These fish are so keyed in on massive pods of bait that it’s hard to compete with the many thousands of individual baitfish in the cloud.

Colors: Sandy Squid. In their natural habitat, bay anchovies have a translucent amber quality.

Retrieve: There are three parts to this retrieve: Begin with a relatively fast retrieve, where the bait will dive a couple feet below the surface. Then let the bait float to back to the surface. Now twitch the bait for 5 to 10 seconds before retrieving again.

Rod: Medium-Fast  action 7′ 6″ St. Croix spinning rod with a medium fast tip. The slightly softer tip help cast a light weight bait further.

Reel:  Shimano Sustain 5000

Line: 30lb Power Pro Braid

Leader: 30lb Fluoro