mad gaffer blackfish report mon. nov. 28

[bulletbob]

Very well stated capt Ray, and your explanation makes perfect sense.. A lot of fishermen don't realize that tog will come out of the rocks, and will raise up into the water column when there is a lot of suspended bait such as sea worm "hatches" ,grass shrimp or other small shrimp, clouds of small squid etc...
Its not done here in NY /NJ very often these days but shrimp chumming for tog was highly productive at one time years ago, and the tog would hit hooked shrimp drifted just below the surface.. I can certainly see that happening on rocky ocean structure just as it does in shallower water.. if there are clouds of natural bait near the tog, they will most likely "key" on it just as so many other fish species do.. Green or white crabs on any given day may simply not be "matching the hatch", and if the fish are stuffed anyway, that could explain "picky" fish, or lots of shorts... bob