Deep south Tautogs 12/2/24

[jmurr711]

Came out of retirement & had an excellent trip with Capt Tom down in the cape, greens worked in am but then it was all whites until the afternoon when the tarantula chew started. Vince won best dressed and didn't hook a fish in the mouth until noon but ended up with 3 or 4 keepers which is incredible. We took home our charter limit and released a bunch more trying our best to keep more males than lasses. Had bluefin busting around us all day I'm sure Tommy loves not chasing them so I could tog 😂 I still have some skill as i was orl ++++++++

[Gerry Zagorski]

Sounds like a great trip Murr!

[Broad Bill]

If like many have suggested the blackfish bite is off because of warmer water temperatures, why would the fishing be better in Cap May which I'd think would have even warmer temps?

I know it's just one report but sounds like the OP had them biting all day.

[jmurr711]

If like many have suggested the blackfish bite is off because of warmer water temperatures, why would the fishing be better in Cap May which I'd think would have even warmer temps?

I know it's just one report but sounds like the OP had them biting all day.

less pressure, stripers & dog fish. Those fish inshore north of barnegat have to hide until the stripers & dogfish leave

[Broad Bill]

Jmurr thanks for your reply, makes sense. So it's not necessarily the water temp itself, it's the invasion of dogfish and stripers accompanied with the water temps and in the case of stripers their annual migration. Stripers migrate north south, not sure about dogfish but I would assume for the same reason their migration will have the same impacts eventually on black fishing up and down the coast and south of us when the water temperatures drop. What's strange about that is I remember years long gone when we had fantastic black fishing and striper fishing at the same time. Dogfish on the other hand are a completely different issue and I can see any other fish "hiding" to avoid being their next meal. Dog fish are the equivalent of cormorants, protected, overabundant and destructive to all other species.

[hammer4reel]

Jmurr thanks for your reply, makes sense. So it's not necessarily the water temp itself, it's the invasion of dogfish and stripers accompanied with the water temps and in the case of stripers their annual migration. Stripers migrate north south, not sure about dogfish but I would assume for the same reason their migration will have the same impacts eventually on black fishing up and down the coast and south of us when the water temperatures drop. What's strange about that is I remember years long gone when we had fantastic black fishing and striper fishing at the same time. Dogfish on the other hand are a completely different issue and I can see any other fish "hiding" to avoid being their next meal. Dog fish are the equivalent of cormorants, protected, overabundant and destructive to all other species.

Water temps dropped a few degrees before our Sunday trip .
Scratchy bite in AM with no dogs around .
Mid day water warmed a tad and it was insane dogfish every drop .
Fish aren’t coming out to chew unless they are solid roaster size , that dogfish aren’t bothering .

Was video taken recently on the jetty’s , Was crazy how many tog are still in super shallow water .

I hope to see a much better bite after these next two weeks of much cooler nights

[jmurr711]

the reason i cant agree with the water temp thing is I had so many incredible inshore og days in september & october in the past where we would catch triggerfish, porgys, jacks,weakies along with the tog. The dogs in the manasquan area north are an absolute menace. The large amount of pressure during the 1 fish season cannot help either

[hammer4reel]

the reason i cant agree with the water temp thing is I had so many incredible inshore og days in september & october in the past where we would catch triggerfish, porgys, jacks,weakies along with the tog. The dogs in the manasquan area north are an absolute menace. The large amount of pressure during the 1 fish season cannot help either

Water temp isn’t to get the blackfish to bite . They chew good from 50-high 60’s .
It’s to get them to move off the shallow areas and start to congregate on deeper pieces .
Where it causes competition for the available baits .

And cooler water pushes the dog fish to deeper water quicker so they aren’t a PIA

[jmurr711]

Water temp isn’t to get the blackfish to bite . They chew good from 50-high 60’s .
It’s to get them to move off the shallow areas and start to congregate on deeper pieces .
Where it causes competition for the available baits .

And cooler water pushes the dog fish to deeper water quicker so they aren’t a PIA

yes i am aware & i remember catching them in 15-30ft of water all summer into late november, the ny bight area is barren of blackfish compared to 10yrs ago. was it sandy covering the bottom up? is it the dogfish? is it the bass? is it the catch & release guys catching on 10lb test all summer? Still plenty of life in south nj

[Broad Bill]

Interesting guys....thanks for the replies. Just proves fisheries are comprised of an entire interrelated food chain. Change one component and the entire food chain is impacted. Spot lock, roller trawlers, live fish markets, overall fishing pressure in this area, advancements in technologies / techniques (jigging) have all contributed to the decline in the blackfish stock. Slow growing fish will have a hard time sustaining the combined pressures along with natural predation.

Still pisses me off going to fish markets and seeing the number of illegal sized live blackfish in tanks. Don't know why they don't simply close these places down after multiple violations.

[bulletbob]

The excuse that water temps need to drop is absurd.. decade after decade the peak of blackfish season was mid october until mid november. water temps in the mid to low 60's into the mid to low 50's. Thats when they are most active, most aggressive and feed most readily. The idea that water temps need to drop into the 40's is ludicrous in the case of tautog, regardless if they are deep or shallow.. The reason blackfishing is slow for most is that over the past 30 years they have become a highly desireable COMMERCIAL species that bring big dollars.. Ask a party boat mate you know well that know where to ell them how much he get for a live 5 pounder.. I think the answer will shock you.. Many people [especially in cities in and around the NY Bight]in 2024 love to eat them raw and thinly sliced, and will pay big money for the privilege. They are being exploited far beyond their capacity to rebuild their numbers to historic levels.. Not a good scenario for a species thats stays relatively close to the coast, and has very specific and restricted habitat requirements..bob

[bulletbob]

http://asmfc.org/species/tautog

Read where the worst commercial exploitation is taking place.. I promise it will came as no surprise.. There is a big reason tog fishing is better north and south of the NY Bight.....

[Tuna Tales]

Drop in water temps def helped yesterday. I agree with what Dan said here.

We had our 6 man limit with releases including 4 DDs: 13, 12 and two 10s. We always try to release the big ones as best as possible. Most of the blackfish were 4 to 7 lbs - quality fish overall. All caught on @ToggyTimeJigs.

The last quick video (screenshot) is my 10 lber which we released right from the net.

Again, as I mentioned a few times, IMO - NJ should mirror what RI has in blackfish regs.

Joe T.