Early season albacore tend to behave in a manner much like the following description. They're usually scattered over a wide area at first, and they may approach the boat quickly, but they usually don't stay there eating sardines for very long. Anglers who are quick to get a hot bait into the water where the fish can see it are the anglers who get the most of these early longfin.

"We were running west in the morning," wrote American Angler skipper Brian Kiyohara June 10, "with no known destination when we had a double jig strike on an up and down meter mark. After boxing the area we found that we were in close proximity to a half-degree edge. We found fish right in the transition and stayed busy most of the morning.

"We seldom went 20 minutes without seeing some sort of sonar or fathometer mark. We had one stop in particular where the albacore were right on the corner biting every bait for about a minute, as we hung the majority of the boat. It seemed like business as usual; the action was hot and heavy and the adrenaline and excitement pumped through everyone's veins.

"We ended up with 19 albacore and three bluefin out of that stop as the meter depicted the real deal. At around 11 in the morning the ocean changed right before our eyes in a matter of minutes as the edge melted and dissipated along with the fish. We ended up the day with 48 12 to 19-pound albacore and three 18 to 22-pound bluefin, and we were encouraged with the potential that we saw.

"What it comes down to is that the ocean is very big. It's one thing to look at a temp chart or a topographical chart and formulate a game plan, but it is totally different actually doing it. Without coverage (by many boats), it is a question of what ifs. Are the fish down or did they move? What is 10 miles to the north, south, east or west? It is next to impossible for one boat to figure it out. For Example, Mark on the Pacific Voyager had 23 fish scattered over a 22-mile area today. We both think that the offshore potential is here, already waiting to be exploited. His fish were all caught in premium day and a half range.

"One great note for our long range fleet is that today's sign at 210 miles from home is at the perfect spot for our multi day trips. The perfect distance from San Diego for a full first day's of fishing and an easy overnight run to our favorite island destinations. If we sound like a salesman you are right. First and foremost, we are fishermen because of our passion but because of the aforementioned reason of coverage, we need you to go fishing.

"John Grindley and Dave Zeman are pictured with the AA's first albacore of the year. Mike Nichols with the help of Cameron displays the year's first bluefin."