Western Alaska | Turks & Caicos Islands
Harker's Island | Battle Creek Lodge | Rotoroa Lodge

Harker’s Island.

False Albacore. Fat Alberts. Albies. Whatever you call them, Harker’s Island is where you go to get them. Considered one of the toughest fighting fish for a flyrodder to catch, they run up and down the coast, but are only near the shore in a few areas, Harker’s being one, and Martha’s Vineyard being the other. I can honestly say that the only thing to bring a person to Harker’s Island is the fishing. As Scott and I prepared for a day of fishing, we noted the accommodations left something to be desired, but we knew that we were fishermen, nothing else. If you approach this trip with that mindset, you are in for a thrill.

That morning, we set out with Bruce Foster, our guide. First things first, he was a total gentleman and very engaging, and we had a great time with him. I consistently noticed that during our two days of fishing, that we were one of the first boats to reach the fishy spot. There were hundreds of boats in the ocean waiting for these fish to show themselves, and we often found ourselves in the prime spot. Our first day was cold and windy, and the fishing was not the best, we both caught a couple of fish. I was very pleased to be covered head to toe in waterproof gear, the combination of sea spray, rain and wind made these items essential. The next day, it started out cold, but by the afternoon we were down to T-shirts, and the fishing was very good. Scott and I hooked into 21 fish, and landed 18 fish on the second afternoon, and had a ball. The novel part of this was that Bruce, either real or imagined, seemed as pleased with the first fish as the last.

The highlight of this fishing trip was sitting in a rip as the albies “busted bait” all around us. There were so many of them that it was hard to decide where to cast first. In this mayhem, and by all means it was mayhem, we managed to catch our largest albie, a nice 10 lber. We were there a little early for the big ones, but I could not honestly imagine the crowds had we arrived to fish during peak season. Everything you hear about the strength of the albie is true, and if you want to experience it, this is the place.

Warning: The prime season is very short, and it is not uncommon for the guides to be totally booked up a year in advance, so if you want to do this, book very early.

Email at Bruce at: fisherman@friend.ly.net

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