Blackfishing really gets hot come October. In November most anglers will pull there boats and winter store them away. This is when the die hard's are out in full force! November 16th, the limit increases from 1, to 6 fish per person. The average "tog" is around 3lbs and a trophy is around 10lbs. Some days you catch an entire boat load of average fish, like the photo on the right, and other times you catch monsters all day, like the photo below of a 14lb+. It's cold and windy most of the time, but not much will stop most fisherman from getting out on the water. Don't let the weather scare you, it's the most exciting fishing New Jersey's inshore waters has to offer. Pound for pound, these Tautog are the hardest fighting fish. So if you haven't tried it, get out there now. You will love it, we promise. Practice, practice, practice........
Green, white and asian crabs are all used to target these bottom dwellers. The Togs are usually found in rocky bottom and on wrecks. Some days are different. Sometimes it takes a bit to get them chewing, other days its game on. Your long time fishing buddies will "skate" around the boat and you'll hear their "footsteps" when they come to "mug" you because you just "rolled" a nice one. You know the drill....... and if you don't, that's "blackfishing lingo". Let the sh*t talking commence!
Winds, currents and swells all take part with a Tautog bite. Anchoring is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. 2 Anchors A MUST! Precision, Precision, Precision is the way to catch them. Whether it's a gigantic rock pile or wreck, or a piece the size of a cooler, you need to be on it right!
