Is togging slow bc water is warm or fishing sux?

[John D.]

Didn’t get out for stripers this fall and looking to take my son out for a December tog trip. Admittedly, I am not an avid tog fisherman but do enjoy fishing for them. I haven’t seen many reports here, has the season been slow to start or is it just that bad? Or the sharpies teeth at tight lipped? Not looking for spots etc just trying to gauge weather a December trip is worth taking th day off of work as I despite fishing the weekends on boats.

Thanks and have a great thanksgiving.

[Togfather2530]

Blackfish don’t even prefer super cold water. That’s a common misunderstanding. Go now. Late season Tog fishing only gets sluggish usually and the fish become more lethargic and you have to fish deeper then. The bite has been pretty consistent so far. No one posts on here much other than party boats. The ones that do post have been striper fishing.

[Duffman]

Like TogFather said Party boats are posting up but regular guys not so much anymore. The crazy bass bite has everyone sticking to that fishery rather than switching over to togging.

Sent you a PM with some info. Hope it helps.

[hammer4reel]

Tog fishing has been decent when conditions allow it .
Seems the crazy winds only change direction now, only getting a few small windows a week .
And many of those have had serious ground swells .

There is ALOT of pressure on these fish now . With many having spotlock , spots that didn’t get hit much due to long anchor lines needed etc to get on the pieces . Now many of those have a boat on them everyday .

While 3d charts and spot lock make finding and fishing smaller spots easier , those spots can’t handle the pressure they are seeing .

.

[the directa]

Truer words were never spoken. Enjoy what toggin you get now. The spot lock will be the fisheries downfall

[bulletbob]

spot lock, underwater cameras, and the incredible electronics available today are putting a lot more pressure on all species everywhere, salt and fresh... The fish simply can't hide anywhere in any season these days. The "water is too warm" theory is hogwash.. Years ago "tog weather" was a bluebird day with a light west breeze in late Sept, into mid Oct... Back then great togging was had right alongside sea bass and porgy fishing, and ALL the head boats in every NJ and NY port advertised, Sea Bass/Porgies/Blackfish every fall.. Togging was winding down by late Nov as the Whiting and Ling started to show up inshore.
The "regulators" know damn well when tog start slowing down as the water cools. Thats why they open the season so late,,, The fish go to somewhat deeper areas, and start becoming less active.. Same reason Sea Bass opens in fall when a lot of the fish are well under way migrating offshore..they don't want too many caught I guess.. The way things are going however, I can almost understand.. Every species that fights hard, tastes good, or even just looks good gets pressure from recs, commercials, processors, or all three...

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by John D.

Didn’t get out for stripers this fall and looking to take my son out for a December tog trip. Admittedly, I am not an avid tog fisherman but do enjoy fishing for them. I haven’t seen many reports here, has the season been slow to start or is it just that bad? Or the sharpies teeth at tight lipped? Not looking for spots etc just trying to gauge weather a December trip is worth taking th day off of work as I despite fishing the weekends on boats.

Thanks and have a great thanksgiving.

Solid advice right there... Right now is the time, especially if you're not an avid Togger.. The fish are much more aggressive, practically suicidal this time of year, will come back for your bait several times and they're in shallower water. When the water cools off later in the season they go deep and get lethargic. You'll get bigger fish in the winter but way fewer bites.

To top it off this year seems to be much better then the last few as far as keeper ratio... Not as good as it was in distant past but if the conditions are right, you have a good chance of filling your limit this year.

Don't get fooled by the weather either... Even if its pretty strong out of the west like it usually is this time of year, you can still get out and since they're shallow, you can fish tight into the beach and it can be like a lake. Try and avoid strong South or NE winds, both are the kiss of death.

Go Get'm John! Make us proud

[Togfather2530]

Spot lock lol. I get a kick out of seeing them out there with those trolling motors working their ass off and the shafts bending and flexing like hell in the water. I don’t think the spot locks are as detrimental as you think to the fishery. Most people are just anchoring in large dump sites or reef sites in larger structure instead of anchoring small individual pieces of wrecks. I will agree that the electronics have come along way though. I love my new electronics.🤣 When I see the cost of the spot locks and 1 to 3 lithium batteries it kind of makes me chuckle. I know it won’t be a game changer to me. With my electronics that I have on my boat now I can throw the hook and pretty much get right back on pieces right where I want to be. I’d be super irritated if I blew all that money and the trolling motor was toast in a few years. Not to mention the cost of the freaking batteries. I don’t think anybody on a spot lock next to me is catching any more fish than I am. It would definitely make it a little quicker to get set up and I’m sure it would be a nifty little toy to have but I can’t justify the cost of it and the additional maintenance and expense. I take enjoyment out of being able to throw the hook and get back on my piece. Most of the best captains out there with real sizable boats rely on the hook.🙉

[hammer4reel]

Originally Posted by Togfather2530

Spot lock lol. I get a kick out of seeing them out there with those trolling motors working their ass off and the shafts bending and flexing like hell in the water. I don’t think the spot locks are as detrimental as you think to the fishery. Most people are just anchoring in large dump sites or reef sites in larger structure instead of anchoring small individual pieces of wrecks. I will agree that the electronics have come along way though. I love my new electronics.�� When I see the cost of the spot locks and 1 to 3 lithium batteries it kind of makes me chuckle. I know it won’t be a game changer to me. With my electronics that I have on my boat now I can throw the hook and pretty much get right back on pieces right where I want to be. I’d be super irritated if I blew all that money and the trolling motor was toast in a few years. Not to mention the cost of the freaking batteries. I don’t think anybody on a spot lock next to me is catching any more fish than I am. It would definitely make it a little quicker to get set up and I’m sure it would be a nifty little toy to have but I can’t justify the cost of it and the additional maintenance and expense. I take enjoyment out of being able to throw the hook and get back on my piece. Most of the best captains out there with real sizable boats rely on the hook.��

I guarantee you many guys are kicking your ass catching wise , that IF they had to anchor couldn’t hit a football field sized spot .
And they now easily hit the tiny stuff too

I can anchor on a dime with a hook .done it for decades .
and can tell you switching to a spotlock is an absolute game changer .
Especially wind/tide condition , where even on 2 hooks your floating around .
Spot lock holds that entire time with zero swing within feet of its spot .

Wanna go out and hit deep water wrecks , you need 2 barrels of anchor line, and a half hour to set correctly .
With spot lock it takes 10 seconds to do the same thing .

Have to hit a few spots , the spot lock gets you hours extra fishing a day .

As far as boat size , there are some very large boats now running spot lock , including a 39 Henrique, a few 35 down Easter’s .
Some of the bigger boats including freeman 47 are running duel trolling motors to get it done

.

[togzilla]

Truer words could not have been stated!
I have been bottom fishing for the last 35 years off Northern NJ utilizing a two anchor system. Takes time to get it right in certain conditions and other conditions can get on a small piece real quick. However, constantly have to re-position when wind and tide change can be a pain in the ass. Switched to a trolling motor 3 years ago and it is a GAME CHANGER PERIOD END OF STORY!!!! Can set up on a piece in seconds and never have to change regardless of changing wind or tide. If the piece isn’t productive I have no issues running to a new spot as a quick set up allows me to spend more time finding productive pieces and fishing than dealing with anchoring and changing wind/ride conditions. Maintenance is zero!!! Just have to make sure your battery is charged. I run a 3 bank charging system for my boat/housing motors and lithium battery. I can fish all day in 2-4 ft seas and still have more than a 50% charge at the end of the day. I run a 26 ft center console and will be upgrading to a 32 center console and will not put that boat in the water without a trolling motor. Trying to compare anchoring to a spot lock is like saying the automobile is a fad and I’ll stick to a horse and buggy. Having bottom fished in NJ for 35+ years both anchoring and spot lock I can say this with 100% confidence.