While running hot and cold in recent seasons, during good years (like 2025 seems to be so far), the waters off Montauk Point force anglers to choose between running down schools of blitzing albies or schools of blitzing stripers. We can all only hope for such a dilemma.
Captain Peter Douma of Windward Outfitters notes that albies have become the most sought-after fish by fly fishermen visiting Montauk in the fall.
In a “typical” year, Douma says the albies arrive by Labor Day, but some years, they may not move in until much later. For captains like Douma who don’t rack the albie rods until the bitter end, albies present opportunities into November. “The last few years, from late November almost to Thanksgiving, they’ve been pretty good,” Douma says. “They may disappear in late October, then make a last push in November, as long as the water temperature stays in the mid-50s.”
In Montauk, bay anchovies ranging from 1 to 3 inches fuel the albie bite. Douma also encounters sand eels, silversides, and the tiny, nearly translucent baitfish colorfully referred to as “snot bait,” but anchovies are the primary bait.
While epoxy-style jigs rule for light-tackle anglers in New England, Douma uses the Albie Snax, rigged with a 3/0 live bait hook, almost exclusively. On the fly, he favors Surf Candies and a slider pattern that presents similarly to an Albie Snax. “Most of the albies my clients have caught on the boat have come on that fly.
Douma doesn’t get too hung up on color, but tends toward pink, white, and burnt orange.
When Montauk’s albie bite fires up, it’s better than anywhere in the Northeast. One of Douma’s most memorable outings was last November when a client landed 16 fish with a 10-pound average in 6 hours.
Captain Peter Douma
Windward Outfitters
