Another North Atlantic winter is over, finally! But it was a cold one, and how tautog react to the March layoff come April 1 is still anyone’s guess.
I typically end my winter blackfishing off the Jersey Shore in mid to late January, primarily out of Cape May. I don’t plan on any more fishing trips after January 15th, give or take a couple of days. But this season we had many of our trips cancelled due to high wind and rough seas, some even for the extraordinary cold that also made deep ice in the marina preventing many blackfish boats from sailing, even when the wind dropped out and the seas calmed.
The winter offshore fishery for these great fish offers a completely different opportunity. These anglers who brave the harsh January conditions are a very select group of exceptionally dedicated toggers. I can literally recite the names of these hardcore toggers with the utmost respect, as the list is quite limited. This is not a matter of will, rather a matter of skill, equipment and clothing, all mixed up with a little bit of crazy.
All winter long several boats dedicated to blackfish continue to sail out of Maryland and Virginia, but as the late winter turns into early spring with ocean water temps continuing to drop, these boats push further and further to the south and east, deeper and deeper, in search of blackfish on the natural hard bottom and wrecks.
My crew and I choose to take it easy on these fish all season, but especially so in the pre-spawn spring season. We only keep the male fish up to about 7 or so pounds; any larger we prefer to release as these fish have great genes, and the chicks just need to be egg-laying machines to make more baby tautog. So being steadfast in our resolve, we choose to let most of our fish go. In this great country that we live in, we can keep legal fish if we want, so we don’t begrudge anyone from ever keeping their legal fish.
Back In Blackfish
On April 1 the blackfish season will open again in New Jersey. Just as we left it, albeit just a little bit warmer and less ice, thank God! The wind, she still screams however. The first 10 days or so of April are usually a bit dicey, then the air warms and the wind calms just a bit and we get to get after our favorite fish just where we left them. In these first days the tautog are still out in pretty deep water, although they are beginning to push into the nearshore reefs. Early in the month we are still focused on the 80-foot depths or more this time of the season.
These early fishing trips mean cold water temps, meaning they may not chew very well if at all. It really depends on how low the water temp went over the winter. How much ice and snow did we have in Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey, as the snow melt flows down the Delaware River through the bay and out into the ocean, causing water temps to drop and drop, eventually making a turn and they begin to rise. This is when we will start to move into late fall spots with deepwater sites like the Delaware Reef Site #11, #10 and the Cape May Reef. Once again, all of the New Jersey boats are enjoying the springtime blackfish game!
From Shark River, Manasquan, Barnegat, Atlantic City, Longport and Cape May, there are some excellent captains who specialize in this game. Both head boats and six-pack charters, there is a boat for everyone; it’s how you learn and fine-tune your blackfish game! Get on a head boat on a good weather day and learn from experienced captains with comfortable boats and the best bait, providing you with an excellent chance to have a great day on tautog grounds.
Trust me, it’s okay to show up on the boat and ask for a boat rod if you don’t have the proper gear or rigs; you gotta starts somewhere! Certainly not a one trick pony, I prefer to play the big fish game. I’m usually always fishing a VRig with a whole white crab on my Century ProTogger. Definitely ready to battle some oversized blackfish, it’s my focus and intention every single time I step on my crab before I send it down; I’m looking for a trophy with my drag set on murder!
Adapt To The Bite
| TRISTATE REGS |
| In New Jersey, tautog season reopens with a four-fish bag and 15-inch size limit from April 1 through April 30. A one-fish bag and 15-inch size limit returns from August 1 through November 15, and then it’s five-fish and 15 inches from November 16- December 31. The winter fishery runs from January 1 through February 28 with a four-fish bag.
In Delaware, there’s a 16-inch minimum size and four-fish bag limit in place for tautog from January 1 through May 15, a short closure through the month of June, with the season open again from July 1 through the end of the year. New York splits its tautog regulations into two separate regions, the ocean fishery and the sound fishery, both with a 16-inch minimum size. For those fishing out front in the NY Bight, it’s a two-fish bag limit from April 1-30, and a four-fish bag limit from October 15 through December 22. On Long Island Sound, it’s two fish from April 1-30, and a three-fish bag from October 11 through December 9. Looking for a boat to take you tautog fishing in April? Check out our Report Section and the list of sailing schedules in ports from Monmouth to Cape May. |
When we do get a nice weather window, we will try to push off farther than usual in search of some true trophy fish. Although we’ve caught so many big fish inshore at this time of year, it’s just important to be on the right boat, with the right skipper giving the fish what they want to eat. Put in your time; hard work with laser focus will help you find your share of big fish.
When the fish are not very aggressive, try fishing smaller baits that are easy for the fish to eat. Small crabs cut in half with no legs is a great place to start. If they start chewing well, then you can switch over to larger baits. Smaller baits mean that fishing this bait on a jig might really get the fish fired up! These days I’m fishing a Backwater Poison football jig, 30-pound braid and a Tsunami SaltX 5000 reel on a Century Full Carbon Weapon. If the fish are super picky, this can be a blast, as long as I’m not fishing a nasty piece with tall structure.
Adding some soft bait might get them interested in your crab. Try putting a strip of clam, or a piece of cooked shrimp on your hook ahead of your crab piece. After they get chewing you may be able to skip the mush and get them eating your bait the right way.
By the last 10 days or so in April, the weather will be getting very nice. The winds usually drop out as the air temp gets very nice letting us get out and have some fun! Keep in mind that May 1 shuts down our New Jersey blackfish season for a few months until it will open again on August 1 with a limit of one per day until mid-November. This late fall season we will, once again, have smelly cut up crab hands and fresh blackfish on the grill.
