October and November at Cape Lookout, NC is home to one of the greatest fly fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard. Each year during the fall, massive biomasses of baitfish congregate near Cape Lookout Shoals, attracting large numbers of schooling False Albacore (Albies) or “Little Tunny”. These small tunas are fast, aggressive, and very powerful foe on a fly rod. The eat little flies and are often caught at or near the surface under feeding birds. The baitfish (which include a variety of small glass minnow like species and some other small forage) ball up as a defense mechanism and the Albies are there to feast. It’s not sight fishing in the truest sense, but many of the takes on fly can be seen by the angler. If you enjoy seeing your backing about 5 seconds after the bite, then this fishery is for you. We recommend 8-11 weight fly rods with intermediate, floating, and sinking fly lines to cover a variety of depths and scenarios.
