Fish Monger Report, Sunday, 11/29 "The Tog Whisperer"

[Capt. JJ]

Headed out at zero-dark-"what-the-F*&^K"-thirty with an all star cast that included Scott "Flukinator", Billy "The Kid", Bill "The Kid Sr.", Bradley "Im not Cooper", Evan "No MORE Lobster rolls, thank you", Dave "Foamy Crab", and unfortunately, NO "Rubberband" Pete, who was MIA for the second, straight, trip. (I forget the names of the other guys on board, but they were all 100% snipers who knew how to put the hurt on the toggled ones!)

Nate the mate assisted Capt. Jerry, and it should be noted that Dave "Foamy Crab" was not only a newbie to the Monger nation, but also a newbie to the ways of the Tog.

Headed out the inlet....didnt have to run far in the early morning gloom and drizzle, and once we got on the hook, we all got to work, and had a boat limit of quality lumberjacks by 12:00, with a load of roasters and a couple jumbos.

Green legs worked early as usual, but shortly after it was all about them whiteleggers, and we were back at the dock earlier than the usual Monger trip.

Now....for the REAL notes about the trip:

GDubs could not make it so you just KNEW we would crush them (sorry George!)

Pete was MIA again, and you just KNEW we would crush them without him. (see the omens shaping up here, guys, for future trips?)

Dave used very clean, sportsman-like, and pleasant language till he missed about his 5th or 6th straight fish, at which point he yelled, "Mu^%*ther*Fu^%ker", and we ALL know THAT feeling! LOLOL!

Thats when the magic started...........

Jerry, began his usual "sneak next to a charter guy, cast out a crab, and immediately hook up time-after-time again"...only THIS time, he did it next to first-timer, Dave, who brazenly looked at Jerry after the upteenth hook up, and asked, "Hey...you using special crabs or something?"

To which Jerry calmly said, "yeah...the foamy ones".

So Dave looks for a foamy one, drops it down, and gets that special bite we ALL pray for....the CRUUUUUSHHHHH, of a slob-tog.

Only, of course, in the spur of the moment, and as a newbie, after a solid stalemate half way up, he just pulled too hard at exactly the worst moment
(we ALL remember THAT one: do NOT pull when slobzilla is pulling in the opposite direction) and the line went slack.....at which point Jerry turns calmly to Dave and says, "That was a monster, and you'll know it was a monster because you wont have any hooks on your line when it comes up".

15 seconds later, as the rig comes up hookless (of course), Dave just stares at Jerry and says "How did you know that?", to which Brad yells out, "its cause hes the Tog Whisperer".

This is now Jerrys new handle: "Tog Whisperer".

57 "motherf%#@ers" later, Dave gets the hang of the intense brain-acide involved in out-waiting, and out-thinking, the toggies and ends up with 5 great keepers and a couple throw backs to mark his first day in Mongerville.

Folks, it was another amazing day in the FM nation, with a great crew, personal bests (Brad is having his 10.4 mounted next to a sign that reads: "weighed on a magic scale"), and good times with the hardest-working crew around.

Tight lines!

Capt. JJ

[PaBeerGuy]

Excellent read, love hearing Monger stories. JJ tells some of the best.

[LotsobitesBB]

Watching and learning how to blackfish from Jerry is something else. Play by play of what the fish was doing during a scratch bite for 5 minutes (three times in a row) was something else. 10 other guys hanging out watching (I may have been swinging at the wind while watching). We catch the dumb ones, he catches the smart ones.
Jerry and Nate top notch as always.
As always a fun trip with JJ and crew.

[rumster]

Nice report. Jerry aka (The Tog Whisperer) is one of the best captains on the water.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Great read JJ... Some funny stuff right der, I don't care who you are

[GDubya07]

Great Report and even better catching , Capt. Jell-Lee loves his Toggin

Dave will learn and he is learning from some of the best

Report always flavorful and descriptive , I am pissed I couldn't make it this time Capt JJ but totally appreciate the mad props and shoutout.Glad you crushed em and the newbies learned.Nothing wrong with a limit and sorry I couldn't add to the festivities

Great trip and catching except for lack of the Dubs- - Next time

BTW - How was the Wind and the sea ? Fishable???? Waves 3 to 6 ???? - How you doing stank???

GDubs-