| I did exactly as Steve mentioned in .2 one summer. I was fishing for fluke
with sea worms and I could feel the crabs nibbling on the worm, so I'd tug it
away from them a foot or two. One of those tugs bent my 6 1/2' ugly stick
over (4lb line). Whatever it was headed straight down to the rocks and
wouldn't come up for about 10 minutes. I thought the fish had gotten away
and left the sinker stuck in the rocks but after a while, it came out and
I netted it immediately. I turned to some people next to me to inquire
as to the species (I think I was 17 at the time, 6 years ago) and they
told me it was a backfish (Tautog). I heard all ways to eat it from, "It's
lousy, make chowder out of it" to "Chowdering it is a crime". I settled for
making steakss out of it which I broiled with lemon, butter & parsley. It
was DELICIOUS!
Tim
P.S. It was 10 lbs, 3oz at the marina where I weighed it. They asked what boat
I caught it on and I told them I got it on the jetty. They were shocked,
apparently fish that size don't get caught in shallow water all that much.
P.P.S. When I cut it open, I found a green crab with a piece of my seaworm
in the mouth of the fish, so the crab actually caught the fish. For the
rest of the week, I'd catch some snapper blues for crab bait, then fish
in the rocks for blackfish with the crabs. Caught a few more, 2-3 lbs
but I'll never forget the 10lber.
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| Walt--
I think you might be at the upper end of the range for 'tog. But
prevailing water temps are important- especially if you want to
try catching them from shore/jetty. Water temps from ~48 - 60 +
(F) are most productive [unfortunately this co-incides with striper
season :-( ].
Re: TACKLE think STOUT !!!!
As mentioned in other replies, 'tog are found in rocky areas,
and on wrecks, around bridge pilings, old docks, and just about
any other sinker snag type terrain. Stout tackle is required not
to horse them out of the holes they dive into when they feel the
hook, but to stop them from reaching the hole. This is one place
where light tackle gets classified as "stunt fishing".
As for terminal tackle, this is an area where less is better.
The less hardware (snaps, swivels, etc) used, the fewer snags and
fewer lost $$$. When one seeks blackfish, you must be prepared to
lose rigs. One old saying goes: "if you're not losing sinkers, you're
in the wrong place".
For hooks, the Virginia pattern is the standard. Beak or claw
styles will work, But Virginias ar the best. These are usually labeled
"Blackfish/Tautog" hooks. The best style of sinker is the bank,
as it is least likely to hang up on the bottom. Although down here,
you see a lot of old-timers using old spark plugs instead 10 cents
an ounce lead.
Also, conventional tackle gets the nod over spinning, since
you need brute power to stop that dive for the rocks. And, keeping
your thumb on the line helps feel the hit. Even big 'tog can be
very sneaky when it comes to stealing bait.
When 'tog feed, it's a 2 step process, first they nip the bait
with those buck-teeth up front,(one tap) and then move it back to
the crushers in their throat (second tap). Between taps 1 and 2,
they have an annoying habit of spitting out the hook. The trick
is to nail 'em between taps, or, just before that first one. "good"
'tog anglers 'hook 'em before they hit. This is a feel that is
developed with time, but will really pay-off, since I have never
seen a blackfish get "un-hooked". They have lips with the consistancy
of rubber, and once hooked, they stay hooked.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, 'tog can be caught all year, because they
"migrate" in-shore - off-shore as the waters warm and cool. So if
you have access to a boat, they are available almost all year round.
As for cooking, tautog are among the most useful of fish. They can
be cooked in any style, and are as good in a chowder as they are
as broiled fillets. If you're really into seafood, they make a super
fish stock when you boil the rest of the fish after the fillets
are sliced off.
One more thing, which ever bait you use, take along lots of it.
Not only are the tog good thieves, but they usually are surrounded
by bergals (cunners? in NE).
Bagel
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|
I got my first experience with tautog (or blackfish) a number of years
ago while working as a mate on the Capt Bill Van (out of Belmar, N.J.).
I'm glad I had that experience.
Tautog are in the wrasse family. They yield firm, white-meat fillets which
have a slight taste by themselves, or can take on the flavor of seasonings
and accompaniments quite nicely. I've had them fried, baked (with and without
seasonings and coverings), cooked in chowders, and made into tautog salad.
One of my favorite recipes is fillets dipped in egg, covered in italian
flavored bread crumbs, then baked. They are a very good and versatile fish.
It's easy to catch them once you know the basic questions of WHEN, WHERE, WITH
WHAT, and HOW (but then again isn't any fish?).
WHEN --
The biggest "trick" to successfully catching them is knowing when to go.
As Rich pointed out, they will come inshore in the spring and fall when
the water temperature is in the proper range. In New Jersey, this meant
late March to early April was the start of the spring run, and late September
to early October was the start of the fall run. Up in Buzzards Bay and the
Cape (Cod), they come inshore between mid to late April, and then again from
mid to late September.
Just as important as knowing the season, is to know which time in relation
to tides to fish for them. I have found that in the inshore rivers and coves,
tautog are very fussy about biting around and during slack tide.
Action will be dead until about 1 hour before the slack tide and will last
till about 1 hour after slack tide. The action will generally pick up starting
with the smaller fish, then as the tide slows down, the larger fish get
into the feeding. Interestingly enough, an article in the April 21-28 (1988)
issue of The Fisherman stated quite the opposite. It claimed that a running tide
is when they feed. Maybe different locations (inshore and offshore?) yield
different behavioral characteristics? I have been fishing the same spots
for a number of years, and have always found slack tide to be the only
productive time.
WHERE --
Regarding where, it has already been mentioned that rocks are where you
will find tautog. An interesting point to note is that tautog can come well
inshore (as long as there are rocks). The biggest tautog I ever caught was
in a cove off buzzards bay. If I had a boat with an engine at that time,
I probably would have passed right by this particular spot, thinking that
it wasn't far out enough for decent size fish. Fortunately, everyone else
probably thought the same thing and there were some very nice size fish
(10-15 lbs) just waiting to take my bait. This means that there are many
spots along the shore for boat-less (or engine-less) people to take some
good fish.
If you can find a rocky hole or drop off that holds blackfish, it is more
likely than not that there will be a group of tautog as opposed to one or
two. I have rarely gone fishing when they are in (and biting) when I have
caught just one or two. Usually you either get many or you get skunked.
WHAT --
Regarding what tackle, Rich made a good point about the less (terminal)
tackle the best. A good set up is to tie a loop at the end of your line for
your weight, then tie another loop in your line between 3" to 6" above this.
Slip the leader loop through this second loop. Use a leader of between 12" to
18". I find that 60 lb. Ande makes an excellent leader for tautog. For hooks,
the Mustad Virginia (size 3 or 4), O'shaunesy 2/0, or Sproate (size?) are good
candidates, but pretty much any sturdy, short shank, sharp hook larger than a
flounder hook and smaller than a bluefish hook is good. The Virginia and
Sproate are what is usually sold as "blackfish" hooks. I prefer single hook
rigs to double hooked rigs, as you don't lose as much bait, and you must be
ready for each fish as it strikes. The lightest weight you can get by with is
desirable (as is usually the case).
One point I will differ is in the usage of spinning tackle. If you have
a good spinning reel and rod, you could have quite a fun time of it. A Penn
550 or 650, Shimano 5000, or equivalent reel with matched rod can do quite
nicely with blacks. If you are using lighter tackle, increase the length of
your leader. Many timesa tautog will bury itself in the rocks for only a few
minutes. When it feels it is safe, it will back out. A good leader of decent
length can stand up to this punishment, and still keep going when it's time
to fight again.
Another note regarding tackle is that tautog are not particularly sensitive
to the appearance of your offering. With crab baits, you will have much of
your hook exposed. Heavy leader or use of braided dacron line does not
seem to have much of a reduction on the number of bites encountered.
Crab is by far the favorite bait when fishing for tautog. The most popular
types are green crab and fiddler crab. If you are using average size
green crabs (approx 2" bodies), cut the crab in quarters and using only
one quarter at a time. If you use the entire crab, you stand a better chance
at losing the crab without setting the hook. When tautog are biting, it
won't matter that much that your bait is already broken. a piece will
produce hits just as well as a whole crab. I have even been successful
stretching out my last few crabs by using only one or two legs/claws at
a time. Fiddler crabs are usually much smaller than green crabs, so
one entire fiddler does just fine. Hermit crabs will also work well,
but if the action is going fast and furious, you will spend more time
getting the hermits out of the shell than just hooking a single fiddler
or cutting and hooking a piece or green crab.
In addition to crabs, sand worms (sea worms), blood worms, and quahogs/clams
will also catch tautog, but this is not the first choice of bait. You
may also be pesterred by other undesirable fish with these baits.
HOW --
Rich did a nice job describing how a tautog hits, and how you have to set
the hook. The main point is be ready!
If anyone would like a copy of last April's Fisherman article on tautog,
send me VAXmail at CTOAVX::PHILLIPS and I'll make a copy and send it to you.
-- Kevin
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