Tactics for togging into November.
What is it about blackfish that has so many veteran and novice anglers drawn to them? I mean once October 11th rolls around, most anglers are armed and ready to do battle with Mr. Tautog with the hope of driving our hooks or jigs into a double digit monster. And to be totally frank, I get the bug just as my fellow tog enthusiasts and why not since air temperatures are still relatively mild, the sun shining with relatively calm seas most days and best of all the tog are chewing and in shallow water no less. Indeed there is nothing like slamming quality blackfish on a light spinning outfit. Truth be told, most tog anglers of October are fair weather minded usually fishing to the second week of November before calling it quits for the remainder of the year. That is all well and good, especially along the west end of the North Shore as that is one of the first places that shallow water togging shuts down, driving the fish into the deep waters. Then there is a “Part Two” to the season which comes in the way of the East End of Long Island with exceptional fishing with big blackfish southeast of Orient Point and east of Montauk Point from Thanksgiving time and lasting a least through the December 15th season finale. It’s a time where anglers with tough skin come out to challenge some of the largest tautog of the year.
Open vs. Private Boats
I love hunting for big blackfish on my own boat as it has several advantages than open boat fishing. For starters there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when putting your buddies over a pile of big fish which keeps all involved happy with the fishing which usually helps keep their minds off of the frigid temperatures and bumpy seas. In addition, unlike most open boats when only a limited portion of the boat is catching fish while the remainder of the boat is off any structure. If you happen to be one of the fortunate anglers to be over structure and catching, you can expect a whole lot of mugging which becomes rather frustrating while trying to fend off muggers from stealing your spot of the rail.
But let’s be honest here, launching a boat in late fall is unlike launching your boat during the regular season. To start with, most boat ramps are closed off for the offseason and if you do find a launch ramp, basically you’re on your own as they become ghost towns and if you happen to break down on the water, pray that the Coast Guard will come out to assist you as Sea Tow and Boat US are only seasonal.
As for dealing with the weather, we know how reliable the weatherman isn’t. I wish I had a buck every time 2 to 3-foot seas were predicted only to deal with 4 to 6 feet or worse at times. If you are in a center console (and yes, I’ve seen center consoles sail in the heart of winter) and the prediction calls for calm seas only to find the winds kick up you will be enjoying a nice ice cold spray while on the move. The point is, although there are the negatives climbing aboard an open boat, the positives outweigh the negs starting with a cabin most likely heated to deal with the elements. At the age of 20 I could care less about any cabin, but at the age of 63, bring on the heated cabin. Therefore why not play it safe and jump aboard an open boat or better yet why not gather up a group of friends and charter a boat out of Greenport, Southold, Orient Point or Montauk and you won’t have to worry about being mugged.
Be Aware Of Weather And Currents
Whether you choose to fish privately or on an open or charter boat, I mapped out a few locations that produce slob tog well into December. It is relevant to understand that tog fishing on the east end of Long Island is not for the faint of heart since you don’t just have to deal with cold temperatures, but also lots of strong tidal current, rough seas without the pleasure of tucking in some where to get away from hazardous conditions as this is total open waters well off from the local Dunkin Donuts for a hot cup of joe.
These are waters of Block Island Sound which shares its duty with the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. Tidal currents can flow extremely fast, especially during the new and full moon phases. Heavy weather can add to the speed; therefore, I strongly advise when planning a trip out to these waters to be sure light winds are forecasted for at least two days straight with a steady barometer. In addition, if at all possible, try planning to fish one week before or after the full and new moon when currents are at their weakest, which will allow lighter sinkers to be employed. It will also make anchoring and lifting the anchor a lot easier task. During the full moon, the speed of the current at its peak can be as much as six knots, during the new moon the speed can hit over seven knots, while the first or last quarter rarely sees current more than two knots. In addition to the use of lighter sinkers, try lifting or setting an anchor in current speeds of 6 and 7 knots. It is practically impossible. Eight to over 24 ounces of lead may be required to hold bottom during the full and new moon. 20 ounces of lead is often required to hold bottom whereas 3 to 8-ounces will do its job during the first and 3rd quarter of the moon phase.
Fishing 2 North Fork Gems
Constellation Rock along the North Fork is a 7-1/2-mile steam east of Orient Point and you’ll come to Buoy 2 otherwise known as Constellation Rock, which borders the southern section of the Sluiceway and a portion of The Race complex. Constellation Rock is actually one of many huge boulders that clutter an area of The Race, with some boulders being as big as houses, compliments of the carvings of glaciers during the Ice Age. Water depth varies due to the height of the boulders, with some spots as deep as 60 feet, and as shallow as 25 feet over the big stones. With the right touch, you can fish Constellation as well as some of the other boulders during the hardest of tides, providing you set an anchor on the opposite side of the current and directly behind the rock. The boulders will block the force of the current causing it to bottleneck between the boulders and upwells over the rock, which creates comparatively sheltered water for big blackfish and a food chain of mussels, crabs, and bivalves for the sea bass and platter size scup to feed on certain times of the year.
Then there is Watch Hill Reef at the southwest corner of Rhode Island. The Watch Hill Reef stretches from the base of Watch Hill to Fishers Island. The main sections of the complex are Watch Hill Reef, Sugar Reef, Catumb Rocks, and the reefs and drop-offs near Lords and Wicopesset passages. The rugged bottom combined with the strong currents moving in and out of Long Island Sound creates an incredible inshore fishing hotspot for a slew of species. Come each November; however, open, charter and private boats from Montauk, Orient Point, Connecticut and Rhode Island set up shop for exceptional catches of tog to 16 pounds.
With such a large complex of fertile grounds, boatmen must strongly rely on depth recorders and GPS plotters to search out and anchor over the countless productive pieces of rocks, reefs and passages. Caution must be advised as there are areas on Sugar Reef and Catumb Rocks where a boater can run aground. You’ll want to use your common sense and follow the lead of other boaters and fishermen working the reefs.
The South Fork Gems include the Cartwright Grounds which is a superior area for a double-digit fluke from July through September, the Cartwright Grounds located approximately 6 miles south of Montauk Point, is a 7-mile radius of rocky lair resting in 80 to 100 feet of water known as the Cartwright Grounds. Back in the day, this area was strongly relied upon among the Montauk’s party and charter boat fleet during the winter codfish season. These days, November and December has traded codfish for blackfish at Cartwright making it another great location to focus on during these times of the year.
The Southwest Ledge, 10 miles east of Montauk, is probably the furthest hike to red hot blackfish grounds. Providing there are calm conditions, the hike to this piece of turf is well worth the run, being a solid producer of bully togs to double digit proportions during November and December. 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) on the deeper end, and Buoy 4 on the rocky shallower end. The 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.
Importance Of The Anchor
Anchoring over rocks and boulders is almost always more forgiving than anchoring over small wrecks, especially in deep water with strong currents. Therefore anchors suited to handle the size of your vessel is paramount, as is the length and diameter of the anchor chain. The longer the chain, the quicker an anchor will set. A 12-foot length galvanized chain to match the size of the anchor is ideal. Just as important is the length of anchor line required to hold and move around over an area you intend to fish. Since you’ll be fishing depths to as much as 95 feet, depending on tide and wind, figure on four to seven times the amount of scope to hold in the depth you are fishing. Since there is always the possibility of the anchor getting wedged in between a sticky piece of structure, an extra anchor system should be stored aboard as a backup, which is always part of the arsenal in any serious tog fisherman’s tote. When it comes time to lift the anchor, you’ll want to resort to an anchor ball which makes life a lot easier especially during the moon tides when lifting the anchor becomes a tough job.
Tog Tackling Tackle
Tog fishing during the late fall in these waters are for the big leaguers since you’re going to be playing with some big tog, deep-water and strong currents. With this in mind, you’re going to need the sticks with backbone and the reels to handle the pressure. A stout 6- or 7-foot graphite rod rated from 30 to 40 pounds with a fast-tapered tip matched to a 3/0 or 4/0-class conventional reel and spooled with a quality braid no less than 40-pound test. I would recommend the use of a 40-pound test shock leader approximately 8 to 10 feet in length in either mono or fluorocarbon via an Albright Knot. Fluorocarbon would be beneficial for anglers employing jigs since this particular material has minimal visibility in the water which will increase the chances of duping the big tog.
As for rigging, standard blackfish rigs will produce many big tog from these waters. My preference consists of approximately 8 feet of 40-pound fluorocarbon leader with a dropper loop tied 10 to 12 inches above the sinker. I’ll attach a super sharp Gamakatsu 3/0-octopus hook pre-snelled to a short 6-inch leader, which allows for less twisting of the line equating to minimal spin of the baited rig and quick penetration to an unsuspecting tog. Sinkers ranging from 3 to 20 ounces will round out the terminal end applying it to a surgeon’s end loop knot. All the standard hard baits of green, Asian, hermits and white legger crabs will produce once the waters have cooled to where the porgies and sea bass have left the grounds for the season.
| HOT SPOT COORDINATES |
| Southwest Ledge (N 41.06.71 W 71.40.32) Watch Hill Reef (N 41.29.48 W 71.86.34) Constellation Rock (N 41.14.640 W 72.02.820) Cartwright Grounds (N 41.00.025 W 71.48.50) |
There you have it; remember to dress warm and wear your boots and Grundens. Make sure the electronics are all operating, especially the VHF radio, and that all your anchoring and fishing gear are in shape and ready to go. Remember, most of those big white chins are females that will be spawning this spring if you safely release them. Besides, the smaller males make much better table fare. Let your conscience be the judge. Just remember to have fun and stay safe.
