All about Tautog (Blackfish)

[lostatsea]

Who fishes for blackfish and uses asian crabs? Do you think they are better than the whiteleggers? thanks

[seamonkey]

Tog Fishing - The Basics

by Capt. Marc E. Resciniti
Technician I
October 24, 2008

Tautog fishing is at its best in the fall. Commonly called "tog", tautog is one of the most challenging species to pursue while fishing over New Jersey's Artificial Reefs.
This fall the posession limit increases to six fish a day on November 16 (it is a one fish limit at the time this is being written - see the Marine Digest for current regulations) and they are on the reefs in good numbers.
The following basic techniques will help you land more fish this season.

Boat Placement Over a Reef
Proper boat placement and anchoring is the key to a successful day out tog fishing. Your boat has to be positioned directly over a piece of structure and remain steady. To accomplish this, first locate a piece of structure using DGPS or LORAN C coordinates. Once in the vicinity, circle your boat around the waypoint and watch the depth sounder until you see the structure on the screen. Mark the area with a buoy - it will give you a reference point while you anchor the boat.

After the site is located, kick the boat in neutral and determine your drift. Run up current of the drift and lay two anchors off your bow making a 45 degree angle between them. Finally, let out enough scope to drift back to your reference buoy. This anchoring technique will keep your boat much steadier over the structure than using a single anchor.

Tackle and Rigging
The ideal equipment for tog fishing is a conventional rod and reel. The rod must have a good backbone and be capable of handling a minimum of an 8 ounce sinker. The reel should be spooled with at least 30-pound line and have a low gear ratio to provide enough torque to haul the powerful tog out of its home. Old time pinhookers (commercial rod and reel tog fishermen) would use a 1:1 ratio reel, but that is not necessary.

A good tog rig consists of leader line, two sharp and strong hooks, and a heavy lead sinker. The leader line should consist of at least a 50-pound fluorocarbon and be about 3 to 4 feet long. <A href="http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/images/marine/knots.jpg">
Click to enlargeThe rig can be tied to the main line using a number of different knots, but an Albright knot seems to hold best. Use a perfection loop at the bottom of the rig to attach at least an 8 ounce bank sinker (a heavier bank sinker will be required if conditions are rough). A blood loop dropper knot should be tied about 4 inches above the sinker for the attachment of a snelled hook. This loop attaches to the leader at a right angle, which prevents the snelled hook from tangling.
An easy way to snell hooks is to use a 2-foot piece of fluorocarbon and tie a 2/0 to 4/0 hook to one end with a domhof knot. Then do the same to the other end of the fluorocarbon. This leaves you with two hooks, one on either end. Hold the hooks in your hand and double up the line and tie a double overhand loop at the opposite end of the hooks. Take the double overhand loop and run it through the dropper knot on the leader. The snelled hooks should extend about 6-8 inches from the main leader line. This leaves you with a rig that has two hooks lying on the bottom.

Bait
The most common bait of choice under most conditions is the green crab; however, sometimes other species of crab works better. For instance hermits, calicos, or fiddler crabs may entice more bites during the warmer months, but Jonahs and rock crabs may be better during the winter. Surf clams and conch can be used, but they generally attract small fish.
The two hooks are inserted into either a piece of crab or a whole crab. Run the hooks through the knuckles of the crab to prevent the bait from falling off. On days when the bite is good, a whole crab will entice the larger fish to hit.

Feeling the Bite
Tog are one of the most difficult fish to hook. The repetitive tapping when a tog hits causes a lot of people to set the hook too early and miss fish. The key is patience. When tog are lightly tapping they don't have a good hold of the bait. Be patient, wait until the fish gives a pull, not a tap.
Every day brings a different bite. Sometimes the bite is on and you can't miss and other times you can barely fill a tug. If the bite is light or non-existent just move to the other side of the boat or let some scope out to adjust your position on the piece of structure. That can make all the difference in the world. Once you feel a good pull, set the hook and crank the reel. Tog have to be hauled out of structure with gusto, otherwise, the fish will hang your rig in structure.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/arttautog08.htm

[DarkSkies]

Post up anything you want to about tog.... facts, figures, pics, anything at all you feel like throwing up here.

If whatever you quoted comes from a published or copyrighted source, please add the link. Thanks.

[ledhead36]

What is the biggest tog you have ever caught?

[vpass]

7 Pounder on a whole green crab. I was fishing along the pilings in a Marina near Jamaica Bay, about 20 years ago. I caught many 4 and 5 pounders. It's a great spot, but impossiable to gain access now.

[voyager35]

11lbs, off a rocky part of Staten Island in the spring, about 1/4 mile offshore. I find the bigger ones I got have been in the springtime and are mixed in when we clam for bass. A 7 lb tog is a nice fish from shore. There are some great blackfish spots in the Port Elizabeth/Port Newark area that were made inaccessible after 9/11. It's crazy how we are so keyed in on offshore snags when some of the biggest blackfish can be found right under our noses.

[gjb1969]

in pp 18 in and a 19 in back to back both over 4 lbs many over 5 lb on boats

[The Worm Ouroboros]

My largest was an 11.8 pound beauty I caught in 2008 aboard the Viking Starship on one of their Blackfish Haven trips.

[voyager35]

http://njscuba.net/biology/sw_fish_tog_cunner.html

Tautoga onitisProfile by Peter J. Himchak
Supervising Biologist,
Marine Fisheries
Range:
Tautog are distributed along the northeast Atlantic coast of North America from the outer coast of Nova Scotia to Georgia. Greatest abundances are found from Cape Cod to Chesapeake Bay. North of Cape Cod they are usually found close to shore ( within 4 miles ) in water less than 60 feet deep. South of Cape Cod, they can be found up to 40 miles offshore and at depths up to 120 feet.

Length ( inches ) 3.0 5.5 9.0 10.5 12.5 14.0 15.5 17.0 18.0 19.0 21.0 22.0

Age ( years ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 20

Size:
The Tautog is a slow growing, long-lived species with individuals over 30 years of age having been reported. Larval growth rates have been estimated to be between 0.01 and 0.03 inches per day. Young of the year juveniles grow during the summer at a rate of around 0.02 inches per day. Juvenile growth rates have been observed to be higher in vegetated than in unvegetated habitats. Average length after the first summer of growth is 2.9 inches; 6.1 inches after the second summer of growth. Adult growth is relatively slow and varies with the season. Adult male tautog grow faster in length than adult females. A reasonably accurate guide to tautog length at age is provided in the table to the right.
Food & Feeding:
Juvenile tautog feed primarily on small bottom and water column invertebrates. Diet changes as juveniles mature and increase in size. Adults feed primarily on the blue mussel and other shellfish. Adults grasp mussels using their large canine teeth, tearing them from the surrounding surface by shaking their heads. Small mussels are swallowed whole, while large, hard shelled ones are crushed by the pharyngeal teeth prior to swallowing. Adult tautog also consume barnacles, crabs, hermit crabs, sand dollars, scallops, and other invertebrates.
Migration:
Tautog are not highly migratory along the Atlantic coast but rather demonstrate an inshore offshore migration pattern throughout the year. Adult tautog migrate inshore in the spring as water warms to around 48F to spawn in late spring through early summer. The fall offshore migration is triggered when water temperatures drop below 52F in the late fall. Most adult tautog form schools and migrate offshore to deep water locations ( 80-150 feet ) with rugged bottom, becoming inactive throughout the winter.
Habitat:
Tautog are structure dependent fishes throughout their lives. Juvenile tautog occur in bays, in submerged aquatic vegetation beds and around pilings or other hard structures. Adults inhabit rough bottom, which includes rock outcroppings, shipwrecks and artificial reefs, in near-shore ocean waters. North of Long Island, NY, rocks and boulders can be found in abundance along the coastline as a result of glacial deposition, providing habitat for larger tautog. South of Long Island, there are a few natural rocky habitats in coastal waters, so tautog commonly inhabit shellfish beds, coastal jetties, pilings, shipwrecks and artificial reefs. The major rock outcroppings along the New Jersey coast occur off the mouth of Delaware Bay and the area north of Manasquan Inlet. Artificial reef locations occur along the entire New Jersey coastline. Artificial reef creation may be expanding tautog habitat into open, sandy coastal areas where tautog would not normally be found.

Spawning: Tautog normally reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 years of age ( 7-12 inches ). Spawning usually occurs within estuaries or in near-shore marine waters. Tagging studies have shown that adults returned to the same spawning locations over a period of several years. Discrete spawning groups may exist in Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound and Chesapeake Bay as evidence by tagging studies and fishing observations. Optimum size for female egg production has been estimated at 16 inches. Tautog between 8 and 27 inches in total length were observed to contain 5,000 to 637,500 mature eggs. Eggs are buoyant without oil globules, 0.9-1.0 mm in diameter. Spawning occurs in heterosexual pairs or in groups of a single female with several males.

[voyager35]

Older individuals like this one acquire an overall gray coloration, with white patches on
the sides. They also develop grotesque thick fat lips, and a mean snaggly set of
teeth, although they will not try to use them on you.



Recreational and
Commercial Importance:
The primary fishing grounds extend from the beach out to about the 12 fathom contour. Recreational fishing modes include bottom fishing, particularly the directed trips of party and charter boats, jetty fishing and spearfishing. The tautog is fished recreationally during April-June and September-December. The ideal boat rod for tautog is 7 feet in length with a sturdy butt section and slow tapered tip. Live green crabs or fiddlers are the best bait to use. Conventional reels are preferable over spinning tackle for bottom fishing and a fishing rod with muscle will help keep those hooked tautog from getting back into the reef structure where the line may get hung up or cut on the sharp edges of mussels or barnacles. The mean weight of tautog harvested in the New Jersey recreational fishery ranges from 1.8 to 2.3 pounds. The New Jersey State record tautog weighed 21 pounds 8 ounces. New Jersey recreational landings have fluctuated over time ranging from 0.2 million pounds in 1981 to the peak value of 2.5 million pounds in 1992.
Commercial fishery landings for tautog in New Jersey averaged 108,000 pounds over the period 1981 through 1994, coming from a variety of gear. Presently, fish pot trawls account for most of the commercial landings. Historically, commercial landings have accounted for approximately 10% of the New Jersey total annual tautog harvest.

Acknowledgements & References:
Illustration and feeding, Bigelow and Schroeder (1953); range, Parker, et al. (1994); larval growth, Dort (1994); young of year growth, Sogard, et al. (1992); adult growth, Cooper (1967), Simpson (1989), Hostetter and Monroe (1993); feeding, Olla, et al. (1974); spawning, Sogard, et al. (1992); tagging, Cooper (1966), Lynch (1991); fecundity, Chenoweth (1963); fishing tackle and illustration, Freel (1989), Public Information Document and Tautog Fishery Management Plan, ASMFC (1995, 1996).
This article first appeared in New Jersey Reef News - 1998 edition

Blackfish are usually taken by spear, but the really big ones tend to be extremely wary and difficult to approach - they didn't get big by being stupid! Hunting them is worth the effort, the flesh is firm and white, is excellent fried, baked, or in chowder.

The hide of a Blackfish is thick and tough, almost like leather. When cleaning your catch, I have found that it is easier to fillet the fish first, then pull the skin from the fillets, scales and all, using pliers! Trying to scale one of these beasts with a knife just results in a dull knife, and the skin imparts a fishy taste that ruins the meat if not quickly removed.

I must question the logic of the fishing regulations for this species, at least with regards to offshore fishing in deep water. A hook-and-line fisherman might haul up dozens of "shorts" from the bottom to the surface, looking for that one keeper ( in fact, the current laws encourage them to do this ). Although these little fish must be released, the damage is already done - their swim bladders expand just as our lungs would in an uncontrolled ascent, with even worse effects. Often the internal organs are forced out through the anus. The fish also suffer a temperature shock from being pulled through the thermocline, not to mention whatever harm the hook itself has done to them. Although they may swim away into the depths when set free, I sincerely doubt very many of these poor fish survive. This does not seem like a very good conservation plan to me. At least a spear-fishing diver can verify the size and status of his quarry before taking it.

When it gets cold, Blackfish move to their offshore wintering grounds and become inactive. Baby Blackfish look just like adults, except they may be emerald green, the better to hide amongst the weeds. They are shy and retiring.

Tautog was the Native American name for the fish.

[voyager35]

November 16 when the limit goes back up to 6 is a day I anticipate all year.
http://www.scottsbt.com/fishids/regsrecs/regsNJ.htm

tog are one of the tastiest fish in the sea.

[bababooey]

I say they are the best tasting voyager. That's why I don't understand the hype from all the striper guys it's crazy. Big stripers don't taste that good. Blackfish are much better. here you go lost at sea

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...them-for-baits

[robmedina]

^^^^^ That's what I hear- Poor mans lobster.

[DarkSkies]

A friend was out the other day....this is the pic of his first fish, 20" and about 4 1/2 #. He managed a few others, all released.