Six tog hot spots that will run to the end of the season.
As we move into December, we find Long Island Sound water temperatures hovering around the 50-degree mark, which is a bit too chilly for any serious blackfish action. In fact, once the water hits 50 or 49 degrees, blackfish will become pale white, move into deep water, and go into hibernation for the winter, waking up sometime in April. Just on the other side of the Sound is the deep blue pond better known as the Atlantic Ocean, and unlike the Long Island Sound, when tog fishing shuts down at 50 or 49 degrees, the ocean blackfish bite lasts until 45 degrees, giving ocean fishermen at least three more weeks of exceptional tog fishing before shutting down entirely. Therefore, with that said, don’t put the rods away just yet, as many of the largest fish of the year will be taken in the next few weeks. Below you will find six spots located east to west that stay productive with blackfish throughout the month of December, so pick your days with good weather and have yourself and some friends a grand time with bulldog tog.
17 Fathom Bank
The 17 Fathoms (40°22.925’N / 73°48.708’W) is virtually a rocky road of natural broken bottom, with stretches of mussel beds, barnacles, snails, and clam beds. Then, on top of all the natural stuff, is a massive amount of man-made material scattered around the area, most notably rubble from the construction of the Holland Tunnel and subway systems of NYC. The concrete rubble and other assorted hard structure at 17 Fathoms rise off the bottom between 6 to 7 feet. The place is also a bottom fisherman’s dream, as the rocky structure seems to be a little more forgiving and is not as sticky as many wrecks and reefs across the area. The abundant structure houses a formidable array of blackfish during the colder months of November through early January. Sharpies employing white crabs on snafu rigs score well with tog in the 8- to 10-pound range.
Fire Island Reef
The Fire Island Ocean Reef is located southeast of Fire Island Inlet, sitting approximately two nautical miles due south of the Fire Island Lighthouse at N40°35.835′ / W73°12.480′. The northwest end features a few rock piles in 65-feet of water. The reef then runs approximately 1.5 miles eastward and consists of a 100-foot steel barge, three armored personnel vehicles, and a wooden dry dock, which lies in 70 feet of water. In between, there are several additional rock piles, scuttled clam boats, debris from the Meadowbrook Bridge construction, sailboats, and several barges. The best of the tog fishing here peaks around Thanksgiving and lasts well into the New Year… or until water temperatures drop below 45 degrees. During October and early November, the reef produces many smaller blackfish in the 1- to 3-pound range. As the season progresses, with water temperatures slowly dropping and fishing pressure lessening, many big tog in the 6- to 8-pound range are quietly taken by sharpies that wait for late fall and early winter to enjoy a tog fest with bulldog fish from this fertile piece of the ocean.
12 Mile Reef
The 12 Mile Reef is an 850-acre reef located in 125- to 150-feet of water, 12 nautical miles south of Moriches Inlet (40°37.250’N / 72°32.250’W). Considering the acreage of the reef, there really isn’t that much material scattered throughout the area. As of this writing, there are two 102-foot vessels, sixteen steel center beam railcars, several tiers of tires cast on concrete, and hundreds of galvanized pipes scattered among the reef. NYDEC plans on dropping more material across the young reef that was established in 2019. The reef is chock full of red hake all year, which are extremely abundant, with fish up to 5 pounds. Cod fishing has been sporadic during late December through pretty much the entire month of January. Blackfish are in the 125-foot depths most of the season; however, most big blackfish come here in mid-winter to hibernate, and the window of catching them is short. I believe you’ll fare much better with cod and ling at this reef.
Shinnecock Reef
The 35-acre Shinnecock Reef (40°48.160’N / 72°28.670’W) is located two nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet with a depth of 79 to 84 feet. Prior to the reef expansion, this reef was comprised of eight vessels, four barges, surplus armored vehicles, one dry dock, rocks, and a steel and concrete tower. In 2018, remnants of the Tappan Zee Bridge, steel and concrete bridge rubble, steel pipes, and an additional 75 rail cars were deployed to help bolster space and fishing opportunities. The rail cars used for the reef expansion were cleaned to mitigate potential impacts to sea life before being deployed. Once the rail cars settled to the sea floor, the area became a refuge for jumbo blackfish, sea bass, porgies, and even cod. During the fall season, the reef sees significant pressure by private and charter boats; however, by late November the reef reloads with big blackfish, which last until mid to late December before the tog fishing shuts down due to cold water temperatures.
Cartwright Grounds
The rocky floor of the Cartwright Grounds (N40°58.580′ / W71°47.03944′) located six miles south of Montauk Point is a seven-mile radius of rocky bottom resting in 80- to 100-feet of water. This area is tailor-made for exceptional tog fishing during November and December, with an assortment of sizes depending on the pieces being fished. Note that the stickier the bottom, the bigger the blackfish—not only because of the habitat they seek but because it is an area often avoided by open and charter boats to prevent losing expensive hooks and, especially, lead sinkers.
Southwest Ledge
Approximately four miles southwest of Block Island is Southwest Ledge, where the bottom is chock full of rocks and kelp beds attracting a panoply of bottom-dwelling and pelagic gamefish throughout the year. Southwest Ledge is actually a series of ledges lying between 40- and 70-feet of water. The area can be identified by buoy “2,” better known as the Submarine Buoy. The currents run very hard in the area, often requiring sinkers up to 16 ounces. While the ledge is active year-round with fishing activity, the tog masters come out in late November and all of December for the season’s largest blackfish that reach an astounding 16 pounds. Southwest Ledge is a massive area, so it’s important to use your electronics to narrow down specific pieces of structure and rock piles that are holding fish. The entire stretch, from the shallower rocky area between the shore and the number “4” red can out to the 3-mile line, can be productive. One extremely important note: Part of the ledge lies in federal waters, which are off-limits to striped bass fishing. Pay close attention to your chart plotter, and if you are targeting stripers, only do so within the state boundary.
Tackle Well Suited
When it comes to challenging big blackfish, trust me, you’re going to need tackle with plenty of muscle behind it. Seven- to eight-foot rods with fast taper tips for sensitivity and powerful butt tapers for the lift needed to haul the big bruisers from their sticky lairs, along with the backbone to manage moderate sinkers in strong current. PowerPro 50-pound Performance Braid completes the combo, as this form of braided synthetic is undoubtedly one of the smoothest, strongest, and most sensitive.
As for rigs, it’s quite simple and extremely effective to tie and bring along a few dozen super-sharp Gamakatsu 3/0 Octopus hooks to a short 6-inch, 50-pound fluorocarbon leader, with the tag end tied with the standard Surgeon’s Loop Knot. It is relevant to have plenty of extra snelled hooks and sinkers on hand since losing terminal tackle is inevitable when hunting down big tog. My next step is to tie an 8-foot length of 50-pound fluorocarbon leader to the main line of PowerPro via an Albright Knot. My next two steps are to tie a Loop Knot to slide on the sinker, then round out the rig by tying a Dropper Loop 6 inches above the Loop Knot, then attach the snelled hook to the Dropper Loop, and you’re ready to bait up and fish.
This rig should be kept to one hook and is ideal when using cut crab. On the other hand, if you prefer to use small whole crabs such as small green crab or whole white crabs, you may want to resort to a snafu rig. A snafu rig consists of two snelled hooks joined together, usually with an Albright Knot, with the total length of the rig the same as a snelled blackfish hook of 12 inches. The general purpose of this rig is that when fishing a whole live crab, it can be hooked on both sides behind the claws to increase the odds of sticking a slob tog. I usually tie several dozen of these rigs before the start of the season using super-sharp 3/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hooks. I also like Mustad’s 2/0 Big Gun hooks on some of the rigs, which work well when the tog play hard to get.
Jaw-Breaking Diet
In general, cut green and white crab will produce in most situations; however, when fishing on natural rock reefs such as 17 Fathoms, Cartwright Grounds, and Southwest Ledge, Asian, hermit, and stone (white crab) crabs will produce extremely well on the natural rocky lairs, as all three baits are natural enemies of the blackfish and are usually smacked real hard when the trio is feasted on by the aggressive blackfish. These three baits will get the attention of all size togs; however, small green and white crabs fished on a snafu rig will work well also. Otherwise, fishing single-hook rigs is ideal for cut crabs as well as Asian and hermits. Stay away from soft baits like clams, as they draw instant hits, but those smacks are usually from small throwbacks or small keepers. Stick with the hard baits, particularly whole white crab, and by day’s end, see who holds the larger quality fish. It will take quite a bit of patience, but it will be well worth it.
Speaking of patience, make sure you give each drop a good 15-minute work-over if life is absent in the spots you are fishing. Many times it will take blackfish 10 to 20 minutes to build around a boat once they smell crab spat. Many times I will anchor a spot that all my friends want to leave because the action isn’t instant, only to have blitz fishing 15 minutes later. As long as you know that you are on a wreck or a rock pile, give each spot a fair shake, and I am sure some tog will move in to investigate.
In closing, let me mention to watch the weather. Choose days when the winds are light and there are no low-pressure fronts from an oncoming hurricane or tropical storm that will cause strong undertow and dangerous short waves located just outside most inlets along the South Shore. Better yet, why not jump aboard an open or charter boat and let the captain find the fish for you. Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a great 2026 winter.
