Blackfish reports

[Togfather2530]

I only fished for a few hours this season but judging from the lack of reports and lack of good reports I assume the fishing hasn’t been very good. I’ll be getting out Saturday. Just curious has anyone been out and experienced any kind of good bite or good fishing.

[JettiCrawler85]

Fishing on the jetty’s has been good. Pulled a lot of keepers at IBSP fishing in the rocks and other out front jetty’s. Offshore reports are not that good. Fish might be in migration mode to water temp on some of my apps is reading sub 50 so inshore bite might be coming to an end. I think the Prowler has been having some good days but they haven’t posted in a while. Crawling the rocks one more time tomorrow and then packing it in.

Time to break out the tip ups. Get me on the ice!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Like usual the fishing was lights out until 11/16 when the season opened up to 5. I’d say it’s been a fair season so far, good days and bad, you have to work for what you get, weed through a lot of shorts but there have been a good amount of Double Digits caught.

[bulletbob]

I know I keep repeating this, but the REASON tog season opens mid november is because thats when they slow down historically. They don't want too many caught.. Only us old timers recall that by the 1st of December almost every single "bottom fishing party boat" switched to Whiting and Ling.. There was NO winter blackfishing to speak of, despite a few caught incidentally while Whiting/Ling fishing. I once saw a guy catch 2 nice one in shallow [30 ft] water in frigid mid january on mackerel chunks.. poor thing must have been starving.. Blackfish are most active in 65-55 degree water, and get less active the lower the water temp goes.. Yes there are always be a remnant that will bite in say 42 degree water, and I guess thats why guys today consider snow, wind, and bitter cold "blackfish weather"... In my day "blackfish weather" was a 65 degree late september day with no wind and bright sun, and the fishing was spectacular...

[Gobigblue]

So Bob are you saying the water Temperature in Rhode Island is warmer than in New Jersey because the states Tog Fishery is still really good, and has been for quite sometime.

[Tuna Tales]

I had a very good day yesterday -- limit catch and I released this nice male DD tog using my nephew's jigs.

Like Gerry said - you need to put your time in.

Joe T.

[JettiCrawler85]

First 2 days after the opener this year I caught multiple keepers at IBSP on the rocks as far east as I could go without getting swept into the drink. Couldn’t get back till the next weekend and the bite slowed down significantly. Went this past weekend and put a lot of time in for just 2 keepers and a couple shorts.

Pre opener fishing was lights out. Had a couple days at other rocks where I was catching 50-60 fish a day. Unfortunately all at the 14 mark. Scrounged up a couple keepers here and there. The chew was hot when the water temp was 55-65.

Temps are extremely important for these fish and the chew and also you have to put your time in. Bring plenty of cigars !

[FishnChips]

like gerry said u have work for them stop reading reports go out and find them conditions r everything been fishing now last 2 months yes they were biting last months good now u have to adapt when water starts to cool down im no expert but i try fish every moment i get for these smart fish. jusy go fishing n figure them out good luck ...

[Duffman]

Sent you a PM Tog

[frugalfisherman]

It sucks.

[bulletbob]

So Bob are you saying the water Temperature in Rhode Island is warmer than in New Jersey because the states Tog Fishery is still really good, and has been for quite sometime.

There are a lot more tog up there, and a real lot less pressure..As stated, there are always some fish that will bite when the water gets cold, but tog are a lot more active in 60 degree water than in 40 degree water...

There is a reason boats in NJ fish a lot deeper in December than they do in October... The water is warmer...I fished winter tog for years along with everyone else... Trip after trip year after year always same result.. I'd get one or two keepers, once or twice I got 3 or a few ling along with the one or two tog.. the mates as usual, did better then anyone else, but every single trip, a lot of guys caught one or none.. Hated waiting half an hour for a bite, and when the bite came it was a bergall or a pup... Look there are some capts that have the winter thing down, and catch fish consistently for their clients and they have my respect... However, I stand by my assertion, that mid winter "blackfish weather" is probably the worst time to fish for them, too many have gone "moribund" as the water temp drops... If guys are going out in frigid January and February ice storms and mopping up big tog, they have all my respect... Historically, I always caught 10- 20 times as many tog in sept/oct than I did in Dec/Jan... When there were other fish to be caught no one fished tog into january as they do today... I might think differently if I still lived at the shore... These days, its not worth me spending $200 to freeze my rear end off and maybe come home with one or no fish..bob

[hammer4reel]

There are a lot more tog up there, and a real lot less pressure..As stated, there are always some fish that will bite when the water gets cold, but tog are a lot more active in 60 degree water than in 40 degree water...

There is a reason boats in NJ fish a lot deeper in December than they do in October... The water is warmer...I fished winter tog for years along with everyone else... Trip after trip year after year always same result.. I'd get one or two keepers, once or twice I got 3 or a few ling along with the one or two tog.. the mates as usual, did better then anyone else, but every single trip, a lot of guys caught one or none.. Hated waiting half an hour for a bite, and when the bite came it was a bergall or a pup... Look there are some capts that have the winter thing down, and catch fish consistently for their clients and they have my respect... However, I stand by my assertion, that mid winter "blackfish weather" is probably the worst time to fish for them, too many have gone "moribund" as the water temp drops... If guys are going out in frigid January and February ice storms and mopping up big tog, they have all my respect... Historically, I always caught 10- 20 times as many tog in sept/oct than I did in Dec/Jan... When there were other fish to be caught no one fished tog into january as they do today... I might think differently if I still lived at the shore... These days, its not worth me spending $200 to freeze my rear end off and maybe come home with one or no fish..bob


Shallow water tog is best till 55 degrees on the bottom .

Deep water bite is very good from 55 down to 42.

Bite in deep water is usually more consistent because they have less structure to be on .
Inshore there are way more pieces .

Right now TOG are the new designer fish . They are getting tons of pressure . Spot lock has dramatically changed the game . Guys who couldn’t anchor on a football field can now lock into a spot as small as their boat .

.many guys are jig fishing with way too light tackle and light line .They break off big fish that get back on the piece pulling thirty feet of line with them . Not good for that fish .

3d charts have also taken all the secrets out of the bottom . One look at a 3d chart on a plotter . A person can learn spots that took decades to learn in a half hour .

It’s not water temps shutting down the bite now . It’s pressure .

.

[Togfather2530]

Got out fishing with three guys and one guy that was sick and didn’t fish all day. Managed to get 10 keepers in a few hours with three fishing in around 75 feet of water. Messed around with some stripers for a bit. Plenty of readings and bird life but the couple we caught were smaller fish.

[Togfather2530]

Shallow water tog is best till 55 degrees on the bottom .

Deep water bite is very good from 55 down to 42.

Bite in deep water is usually more consistent because they have less structure to be on .
Inshore there are way more pieces .

Right now TOG are the new designer fish . They are getting tons of pressure . Spot lock has dramatically changed the game . Guys who couldn’t anchor on a football field can now lock into a spot as small as their boat .

.many guys are jig fishing with way too light tackle and light line .They break off big fish that get back on the piece pulling thirty feet of line with them . Not good for that fish .

3d charts have also taken all the secrets out of the bottom . One look at a 3d chart on a plotter . A person can learn spots that took decades to learn in a half hour .

It’s not water temps shutting down the bite now . It’s pressure .

.

I totally agree with all this. I would like to see even tougher regs on blackfish.

[Tuna Tales]

On the Blackfish Regulations - my fishing friends are talking about self imposed regulations.

On our trips -- we release anything over 8 lbs regardless of how many we have in the boat already. We also try to release the larger females. (if the fish will not make then we will keep it).

NJ should at the very least do the SAME as RI. 5 fish pp @ 16" min. Only one from the 5 can be over 21".

Again, you will have a million opinions here but due to how slow these fish grow and the spot lock pressure -- NJ better wake up.


Joe T.

[hammer4reel]

I totally agree with all this. I would like to see even tougher regs on blackfish.


One regulation that also would help drastically is severe penalties for guys keeping small fish for the live catch market .

Those small fish are the future of the fishery .

.

[Togfather2530]

We throw the bigger fish all back too.

[FishnChips]

what about all those NEW YORK BOATS fishing in newjersey WATERS taking r fish . every day im out see all those partyboats from NEWYORK in ur waters n charterboats makes me sick stay in ur waters

[Togfather2530]

Well, if they get boarded going back to New York, they will have to conform to New York regs. Anyone black fishing is going where the structure is whether it’s in New York or in New Jersey. I don’t know what the party boats do as far as size limit that are New York boats that are fishing in the ocean. Some of them are more than 3 miles out. I’m not even sure of what the size limit is for New York because I don’t go back to New York to dock.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Releasing the big fish has become very popular and I've seen captains and crew go out of there way to revive them in holding tanks if they think they're not ready to go back. We throw back all the females and if we do decide to keep some males, we're not pigs about it. They're also a very hearty fish so I don't think the catch and release mortality is as much of an issue as it is with other species.

If you're not familiar with identifying males from females the picture attached here is a male as you'll see from the distinctive white spot.

I've read a lot of articles and these fish don't move north and south, they move east and west from shallow water to deeper waters depending on water temps. They're also very territorial and usually return to the same pieces every year. For this reason, if we want to keep them around our local wrecks and reefs in numbers, we have to consider being more selective about where and what we keep.

[bulletbob]

Releasing larger fish??.. Honestly, can't say I ever saw that one before. Exactly the opposite. The babies go back, period, everything remotely legal goes in the cooler.. Can't blame guys that might have just spent $150 for a few blackfish.... I have seen in person where party boat crews had those big blue hard plastic DEF barrels filled to the top with cold sea water, and kept pumps running into them, while the water ran down the deck bow to stern, almost the entire trip after the first few fish was caught.. The boat employee was going to sell them alive, as I had already figured, and had ready and eager buyers waiting .. He said each one was worth a minimum of $25, usually more, and this was several years ago... How do I know that? simple, he told me while I fished next to him..

More than anything else, the "live fish" craze, sushi, sashimi etc, has been one of the greatest detriments to tog populations.. Pin hookers the live close to the coast can make a lot of money, if they are good, and know how not to get caught... In my day, blackfish were not highly thought of, and the abundance compared to today is off the charts... Don't know the answer, but as long as a single live 3 pound fish is worth $25-$35, guys will catch them and sell them...bob

[tautog]

It is actually difficult to sell tog over 6lbs so releasing large fish is pretty common when the pool isn't an issue. Most live fish buyers want large shorts and small keepers.

[Gerry Zagorski]

I have seen in person where party boat crews had those big blue hard plastic DEF barrels filled to the top with cold sea water, and kept pumps running into them, while the water ran down the deck bow to stern, almost the entire trip after the first few fish was caught.. The boat employee was going to sell them alive, as I had already figured, and had ready and eager buyers waiting .. He said each one was worth a minimum of $25, usually more, and this was several years ago... How do I know that? simple, he told me while I fished next to him..

Not saying this did not happen but I've experienced the opposite. If the angler wanted to release the fish the barrel was set up to revive the fish if it had not recovered enough to be released when it was caught. One time I saw the captain and mates nurse a fish all afternoon and were finally able to revive it just before the day ended. Smiles all around when that fish swam away. I've also seen the opposite where the fish couldn't be revived and the disappointment in their faces when they were forced to keep the fish.

I think there are a lot more conservation minded people now a days and it's good to see more concern for the resource. I do however remember the days of people filling burlap bags filled with Bluefish, I was one of them.

At the end of the day and as it should be, keeping or catching and releasing within your legal limits is a personal choice and we should respect a person's choice either way.

[bulletbob]

as stated in my post,they guy in question actually revealed he had a ready market, and prices were high,,This is probably 7-8 years ago now and things may have changed .. I do know one thing for sure because its human nature. Not one of us wants to be told he can't keep a fish he paid a lot of money to catch... Not denigrating the guy in question.. If I were him, fishing every day,I would sell some of it as well, in all likelyhood..There were his fish, he caught them, kept only his limit etc.... bob

[Gobigblue]

Bob, things have changed a great deal since you've been fishing last!! No one says you can't keep a fish, but it is encouraged to release big fish 7+ pounders especially if they are females. These fish are the breeders and need to be returned to live another day to make more babies. This also applies to fluke because these big fish are mostly females. Bigger fish typically don't taste as good as the smaller keepers. If you are worried about the amount of money you are spending and have to base the success of the trip by how many fish you kill! Fishing is a rec sport and its the thrill of catching fish should be what's driving you, not how may fish you are putting in your freezer. If you just want fish, save your money and go to Shoprite!!

[bulletbob]

Bob, things have changed a great deal since you've been fishing last!! No one says you can't keep a fish, but it is encouraged to release big fish 7+ pounders especially if they are females. These fish are the breeders and need to be returned to live another day to make more babies. This also applies to fluke because these big fish are mostly females. Bigger fish typically don't taste as good as the smaller keepers. If you are worried about the amount of money you are spending and have to base the success of the trip by how many fish you kill! Fishing is a rec sport and its the thrill of catching fish should be what's driving you, not how may fish you are putting in your freezer. If you just want fish, save your money and go to Shoprite!!

Understood... I made several NJ trips a year up until just a few years ago.. No longer can I justify a $200 party boat trip.. thats what it costs me these days. If you have good access to fish like fluke, Tog ,Sea Bass, etc, its easy to think as you are thinking. Some guys just can't go salt water fishing on a whim, and when they do, its a very special trip, and most of us want to bring home some fish. Maybe one day, I'll get down there again, and see first hand a party boat customer release his potential pool winning 10 + tog... Until that day, kindly pardon my "I'll believe that when I see it" snotty attitude... bob

[Gerry Zagorski]

Understood... I made several NJ trips a year up until just a few years ago.. No longer can I justify a $200 party boat trip.. thats what it costs me these days. If you have good access to fish like fluke, Tog ,Sea Bass, etc, its easy to think as you are thinking. Some guys just can't go salt water fishing on a whim, and when they do, its a very special trip, and most of us want to bring home some fish.

Right on Bob and this is why I continue to harp on it being a personal choice.. You don't know what other peoples circumstances are and you should not pass judgment on people who's choice and circumstances might be different than yours.

[bulletbob]

Right on Bob and this is why I continue to harp on it being a personal choice.. You don't know what other peoples circumstances are and you should not pass judgment on people who's choice and circumstances might be different than yours.

Gerry-
Right now, if I came down on a PB trip and hung a big 10+ tog, had no other fish that day, no way it would go back.. Maybe,, if there were lets say a 5 fish limit, and I already had 3 or 4 nice fat fish, I would consider it.. Now IF I still lived close by, got out regularly, and had no trouble accessing this fishery on a fairly regular basis, its no longer as unique, and there would be no need to always keep the biggest fish. There always "another day".... So, it all depends on ones personal situation..

At this point in my life, a 5 pound tog would be a rare trophy, that I would love to bring home.
When I lived in NJ, fished for them all the time,it was just "yeah nice one", then tossed in the bucket, and forgotten about quickly.. Just not all that special.

I see guys raving over LL salmon over on the fresh water side all the time here... Thats because they don't come easy in NJ, and are not readily caught by most NJ fresh water guys fishing locally... For me, I could drive to Cayuga, and put some time in casting from shore with a spoon, , jig or big rooster tail, hang a tail walking 8 pounder on any given winter day.. Most NJF guys would consider that a mountable trophy... Me, having caught them even bigger than that would look at it, think "yeah, nice one", unpin it, and keep fishing.....


Like many other NJF members, I release a LOT of my biggest and best catches, because while its nice to hang a nice fish or two, its just not all that big a deal... However, now that I don't have access anymore, the thought of releasing a tog of a truly impressive size is alien to me, because that fish would be a rare, perhaps even once in a lifetime event for me.. I hope this makes sense, and sorry I swerved so far off the path of this original content, but this IS a really interesting discussion!!

[hammer4reel]

Gerry-
Right now, if I came down on a PB trip and hung a big 10+ tog, had no other fish that day, no way it would go back.. Maybe,, if there were lets say a 5 fish limit, and I already had 3 or 4 nice fat fish, I would consider it.. Now IF I still lived close by, got out regularly, and had no trouble accessing this fishery on a fairly regular basis, its no longer as unique, and there would be no need to always keep the biggest fish. There always "another day".... So, it all depends on ones personal situation..

At this point in my life, a 5 pound tog would be a rare trophy, that I would love to bring home.
When I lived in NJ, fished for them all the time,it was just "yeah nice one", then tossed in the bucket, and forgotten about quickly.. Just not all that special.

I see guys raving over LL salmon over on the fresh water side all the time here... Thats because they don't come easy in NJ, and are not readily caught by most NJ fresh water guys fishing locally... For me, I could drive to Cayuga, and put some time in casting from shore with a spoon, , jig or big rooster tail, hang a tail walking 8 pounder on any given winter day.. Most NJF guys would consider that a mountable trophy... Me, having caught them even bigger than that would look at it, think "yeah, nice one", unpin it, and keep fishing.....


Like many other NJF members, I release a LOT of my biggest and best catches, because while its nice to hang a nice fish or two, its just not all that big a deal... However, now that I don't have access anymore, the thought of releasing a tog of a truly impressive size is alien to me, because that fish would be a rare, perhaps even once in a lifetime event for me.. I hope this makes sense, and sorry I swerved so far off the path of this original content, but this IS a really interesting discussion!!


Cayuga is a beautiful area .

[Gerry Zagorski]

Gerry-
Right now, if I came down on a PB trip and hung a big 10+ tog, had no other fish that day, no way it would go back.. Maybe,, if there were lets say a 5 fish limit, and I already had 3 or 4 nice fat fish, I would consider it.. Now IF I still lived close by, got out regularly, and had no trouble accessing this fishery on a fairly regular basis, its no longer as unique, and there would be no need to always keep the biggest fish. There always "another day".... So, it all depends on ones personal situation..

At this point in my life, a 5 pound tog would be a rare trophy, that I would love to bring home.
When I lived in NJ, fished for them all the time,it was just "yeah nice one", then tossed in the bucket, and forgotten about quickly.. Just not all that special.

I see guys raving over LL salmon over on the fresh water side all the time here... Thats because they don't come easy in NJ, and are not readily caught by most NJ fresh water guys fishing locally... For me, I could drive to Cayuga, and put some time in casting from shore with a spoon, , jig or big rooster tail, hang a tail walking 8 pounder on any given winter day.. Most NJF guys would consider that a mountable trophy... Me, having caught them even bigger than that would look at it, think "yeah, nice one", unpin it, and keep fishing.....


Like many other NJF members, I release a LOT of my biggest and best catches, because while its nice to hang a nice fish or two, its just not all that big a deal... However, now that I don't have access anymore, the thought of releasing a tog of a truly impressive size is alien to me, because that fish would be a rare, perhaps even once in a lifetime event for me.. I hope this makes sense, and sorry I swerved so far off the path of this original content, but this IS a really interesting discussion!!

Picking up what you're laying down Bob and yes a good discussion and nothing to apologize for. Respectful discussions like this are full of great information, seeing others point of view and educating people who might not be familiar with the fishery. Mission accomplished on all 3 fronts :D

[Gerry Zagorski]

This just in my buddy Tim AKA Sven of the Hook is out on the Ocean Explorer today 12/23 and hung this nice piggy

[Togfather2530]

Awesome. Any idea on weight? Did they release it?

[Gerry Zagorski]

Awesome. Any idea on weight? Did they release it?
Has not been weighed yet but Tim is thinking around 12 pounds and since he has plenty of double digits under his belt I’d bet it’s very close to that…

[Gerry Zagorski]

Final details are in....

The fish was 12 pounds, took today's pool and is the new leader for the Ocean Explorer seasonal pool and they're trying to revive her as we speak.

As you might imagine Tim is floating in his Grundens on cloud 9 with an early Christmas present and his 4th double digit tog this season. Well deserved, he puts in his time and he learned from the best :D

And like we discussed, they're out there but you gotta work for'em and when you get your shot you have to be prepared.

Happy to call Tim one of my close friends and couldn't be more excited for him! Just love when all the stars align and one of our own and a long time sponsor of the site home with the goods!

Well done boys!

[JettiCrawler85]

Went on a party boat the 22 and on one right now. The fishing absolutely blows. Might have 10 keepers on a boat of 30 and maybe another 15-20 shorts. Total garbage. Not the boats fault or cap - fish just are not chewing. Cap has on top of good structure. Oh well.

Get me on the ice!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Was talking to Tim about his fish and he said something that reminded me of other things I've witnessed myself and if you pay attention to reports of slow fishing in the winter.....

Tim said first crab down Gerry....

Can't tell you how many times I've been out when you get to the spot catch one or two fish right off the bat, you think you're on to something and then nothing.

You see the recent reports " caught one or two fish on each drop but they never got going"

Point of all this is if you want to have a chance when the fishing is slow be the first crab down.

Sucks for IslanderII and Joey Dah Fish since they're always the ones anchoring the boat but the rest of should be ready to drop down as soon as those anchors come tight.

[dales529]

Was talking to Tim about his fish and he said something that reminded me of other things I've witnessed myself and if you pay attention to reports of slow fishing in the winter.....

Tim said first crab down Gerry....

Can't tell you how many times I've been out when you get to the spot catch one or two fish right off the bat, you think you're on to something and then nothing.

You see the recent reports " caught one or two fish on each drop but they never got going"

Point of all this is if you want to have a chance when the fishing is slow be the first crab down.

Sucks for IslanderII and Joey Dah Fish since they're always the ones anchoring the boat but the rest of should be ready to drop down as soon as those anchors come tight.

CONGRATS TIM! Well deserved and a great fish.

[Tuna Tales]

Was lucky enough to boat this 16.75 lb Blackfish yesterday on a wreck in around 90 feet. 30"

The fish hit my nephew's 2 oz Asian Glow jig. My PB Blackfish.

Tried to revive for 15 minutes but was not happening.

Overall good action all day with keepers, shorts and releases to 9 lbs for the boat. I also lost another nice one which I could not stop.

My second DD this season.


Joe T.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Was lucky enough to boat this 16.75 lb Blackfish yesterday on a wreck in around 90 feet. 30"

The fish hit my nephew's 2 oz Asian Glow jig. My PB Blackfish.

Tried to revive for 15 minutes but was not happening.

Overall good action all day with keepers, shorts and releases to 9 lbs for the boat. I also lost another nice one which I could not stop.

My second DD this season.


Joe T.

Nice catch Joe!

[hammer4reel]

Was lucky enough to boat this 16.75 lb Blackfish yesterday on a wreck in around 90 feet. 30"

The fish hit my nephew's 2 oz Asian Glow jig. My PB Blackfish.

Tried to revive for 15 minutes but was not happening.

Overall good action all day with keepers, shorts and releases to 9 lbs for the boat. I also lost another nice one which I could not stop.

My second DD this season.


Joe T.
Awesome fish Joe , congrats

[Gerry Zagorski]

My report from the Mimi from 12/29 https://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122335