THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

the longest pectoral fins. So long in fact that they extend almost to the posterior edge of the second
dorsal fin.
Colouration is deep blue, often with a brownish tinge on the upper back, and maybe even showing
faintly on the lighter lower parts too.
Unlike us Brits, the Irish prefer the name albacore, and for any realistic chance of catching one around
the British Isles, Ireland is the place to be heading for. South west Ireland to be precise where the water
warms most quickly and there is access to the deeper open oceanic stuff that the albacore seems to like
best.
Even then it's often a long hike off from ports between Cork and Kerry, where a number of Irish
enthusiasts have made something of a speciality there of successfully targeting them, with Nick Dent
and Derek Noble right there at the fore front of the investigative work.
So it is to them that all the recognition here must go. I merely report their findings, because like most
home waters anglers, I've never seen an albacore let alone caught one, even beyond the British Isles.
In summary, the fish arrive later summer when the water is at its warmest, and have probably been
doing so for many years, feeding quite a lucrative commercial fishery which is often conducted way
beyond what can be described as angling reach.
However, over recent years, pioneers like Dent and Noble, fishing beyond the thirty mile mark trolling
with six to seven inch self weighted skirted lures at around six knots have on occasion found themselves
good numbers of fish, with pink and white being the most favoured lure colours.
Being so fast, and a fish driven by strong migratory urges, means that the angling boats don't find them
every time. But when they have, on some days they have taken in excess of twenty specimens, with the
record standing at a touch over sixty six pounds.
More than likely the boat caught British record standing at four pounds twelve ounces from the
Salcombe estuary was a chance encounter with a lone vagrant that had wandered way off course.
PELAMID Sarda sarda
Bucket List status – result outside of home waters
For some strange reason, at the time of writing, the British
Record Fish Committee have Sarda sarda listed twice as separate
inclusions under the names pelamid and bonito. As pelamid are
also known as Atlantic bonito, this might explain the confusion.
Something to be aware of, though this obviously could change.
A hard fighting small tuna species unlikely to go more than
around ten pounds in weight in our waters, though you could be
forgiven for thinking it to be a very much bigger fish by the
dogged effort which I can vouch for that they will put in.
Aram Taholakian, Pelamid
Colouration and markings should be sufficient to set it apart from
any other small tuna's. The back is an azure blue and the under
parts silvery. Above the lateral line is a series of oblique or
diagonal stripes starting above the corselet and going all the way
back to the tail, the corselet being a clearly defined area of
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