Thunnus alalunga
Streamlined, football-shaped body with dark metallic blue back and silver-white sides and belly. The key identifier is the extremely long pectoral fin, extending well past the anal fin base. Finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins are yellow with dark edges. No stripes or spots on the body. Small, conical teeth.
Males and females are identical in appearance. Albacore are relatively long-lived for tuna, reaching 12+ years. They are highly migratory, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean multiple times during their lifetime.
Average Pacific albacore runs 15-25 lbs. Quality fish exceed 30 lbs. Trophy albacore top 40 lbs. The all-tackle world record is 88 lbs 2 oz, caught in the Canary Islands in 1977. Oregon and Washington typically produce the largest albacore on the Pacific coast, with 30-40 lb fish caught annually.
Trolling cedar plugs, feather jigs, and Rapalas at 6-8 knots to locate schools, then switching to stop-and-chum with live anchovies or bait chunks is the classic West Coast albacore technique. Once a school is located, casting swimbaits, iron jigs (Salas, Tady), or fly fishing with heavy streamers into the feeding fish produces fast action. "Run and gun" — trolling between temperature breaks until fish are found, then stopping to fish with bait — is the most efficient approach.
Trolling: 6-7 ft medium-heavy rod, 30-40 lb line, conventional reel. Bait fishing: 7-8 ft medium rod, spinning or conventional reel, 20-30 lb mono or 40 lb braid, 25-30 lb fluorocarbon leader. Fly: 10-12 weight rod, fast-sinking line, large Deceiver or Popper patterns. Albacore make long, fast runs — reel capacity and drag quality matter.
Albacore have relatively liberal regulations — no minimum size limit and generous bag limits (typically 10-25 fish per person per day depending on state). Oregon, Washington, and California all allow recreational harvest. Commercial regulations are separate and managed by Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with your charter captain or state wildlife agency before fishing.
Oregon · Northern Oregon Coast
California · Northern California
Oregon · Southern Oregon Coast
Oregon · Northern Oregon Coast
California · Northern California
Oregon · Southern Oregon Coast
Oregon · Southern Oregon Coast
California · Northern California
Washington · Washington Outer Coast
California · Southern California
California · Central Coast
California · Central Coast
Oregon · Northern Oregon Coast
California · Southern California
California · Southern California
California · Northern California
California · Central Coast
California · Northern California
California · Southern California
Washington · Washington Outer Coast
Expert tips, seasonal reports, and fishing guides featuring Albacore Tuna.
Connect with experienced captains who specialize in deep sea fishing fishing.
Find Charters