It’s most wonderful time of year, fishing for jumbo blackfish!
You’re getting bit, your sinker starts walking away from you while bouncing across the bottom; put your tip down, swing and come tight! That’s the easy part. Well, almost.
Back in the November ’25 edition (Tackling Tautog: Gearing Up For A Personal Best) we talked about tackle and gear that will do the job on big blackfish. As we enter a New Year of tautog fishing, let’s discuss how to use your gear to your advantage in ‘26.
Big Game Rigging
Targeting big blackfish is a systematic game for me, and being “In the zone” is somewhat of an understatement. Fifty-pound test braid mates well with a 60-pound test Ande Pink top shot and becomes a great choice for middle range wrecks. When we are on a trophy hunt, braid goes up to 65-pound test while top shot and leader gets bumped up to 80.
The most durable blackfish rigs are simple ones. A double hook V Rig, or a single hook. Both tied on 60- or 80-pound fluorocarbon leader material. To tie the V Rig, take a 30-inch length of leader and snell a hook on each end. Hang both hooks on something strong. Find the center of the leader; up about 4 inches from the hooks tie an overhand loop in the double line, passing the center of the leader through three times. Seat the knot tightly.
Tie this rig into your top shot via a Belmar rig. By tying into the double line at the bottom of the Belmar rig, you have a nice cushion between the lines that won’t bite into each other under heavy pressure as a single line will do. The single hook rig ties in the same way.
If there is a very heavy tide running and the whole crab on two hooks feels like its spinning, or if your leader is getting spun around your top shot, fish a small whole white crab hooked through one side on the single hook rig. While a slider rig is fast to tie, I’ve lost several really big fish when I hooked them on the top sliding hook. By it jamming against the snelled hook, the leader parted just above the snell at the hook. It’s taken me a couple of big fish losses to learn this lesson.
While on this subject, a Perfection Loop will pop under extreme pressure. A double surgeon’s loop won’t let you down at the top of your leadered hook. Any rigging will hold up to medium sized models, but very large blackfish, the likes of which you’ll find deep during the winter months, will find the weakness in your rigging and leave you broken hearted.
Rigs & Jigs
Owner Octopus Cutting Point hooks in size 5/0 are great blackfish hooks. Salt X just came out with a new 3X strong Big Game J Hook that is also very impressive. For my money, I stay away from other hooks to avoid disappointment. Bait your V Rig with a nice medium-sized white crab. Clip off the claw and a couple legs so you can put each hook in the claw hole and out a couple holes down. Give this beauty a little crush under foot before you send her it down. Fish this bait on a slack line without bouncing it on the bottom. If spiny dogfish are around, don’t crush your crab.
Fishing a jig is a bit more delicate, if you will. If hunting big fish, you’ll thank me when you use a 5-foot long stretch of 50-pound test leader. A non-slip mono loop knot fixes the jig nicely to the bitter end. Dominic Lamanno makes Backwater Baits, and his football head jig in sizes from three-quarters up to 2 ounces are the best I’ve fished. Hang a half a smallish white crab on the jig, get it to the bottom and be prepared when the fish just picks it up and swims off with it. When you lose bottom, that’s him!
So, now that your beautiful bait is on the bottom and you get a couple scratches, you may find they don’t finish the bait. For whatever the reason, they just won’t eat it the right away. Give your rod butt a good smack or two; don’t move the sinker but try to move the bait just a tiny bit. Some days we’ve played that game all day long as they go nuts for an active bait. After a few taps you may elicit that violent strike that makes you happily trade your warm bed for a freezing wet deck. Heaven right here on earth, I tell ya!
The Fight Begins
While fishing a jig or a rig, the battle is won or lost in the first 20 seconds. With drag locked down, swing hard and get your rod tip high (my Century ProTogger is built specifically for this moment). Pull the foregrip toward your chest while pushing the rod butt in front of your hip. Immediately get on that reel until he stops you, and then hold the fish there. This is your most powerful position when fighting a fish. The fish is now about 20 feet away from the bottom, digging with his head down looking for home on a tight line. Those violent rod pulsations are not headshakes, rather they are panicked pulsations from the broad tail.
| TAKEAWAY TOG TIPS |
| Fish your bait on a slack line while feeling for a little nudge, and get ready to swing when you get the small scratch bite. Next you get a much stronger thump, thump – that’s the time to swing like it’s your job. Try to get on the best charter boats that you can. Maybe you make friends with a great group of guys that have the same goals as you. You can all invite each other on your charter trips. If these guys are good toggers, you will be able to learn skills and good habits from them in real time.
Frank Mihalic |
Never pump the rod while fighting a blackfish. The fish will turn off and make a circle on your tight line. Now is the time to gain a few turns on the handle. Keep the rod between the two and five o’clock positions, and after the fish is away from the bottom, put the rod under your arm as you usually do. Drop a couple clicks off of your star drag. When the fish surges toward the bottom, bow down to him, even sometimes putting the rod tip in the water to decrease pressure on your rigging. As he continues his trip up, maybe drop another click off the drag.
Slow your retrieve as your top shot comes into your rod tip. Don’t let the fish break the surface of the water. Trust the net man is there on your right, have your rod on the left, so as you swim the fish toward the net man he swims easily into the open net. It takes two to net a fish.
Practice the bite, the hookset, and fighting the fish on every fish that you catch. You won’t know it’s a jumbo until you set the hook and get him on the reel. Work smoothly, like a machine. Make your very best presentation at all times. Put a new bait on with every drop.
Wishing you your biggest blackfish ever!
