Rock The Dock! Bang the Beach!
My buddies and I give our marine mechanics nightmares. We start getting those “winterize your boat” schedules back in October and just keep throwing them away. As long as somebody is catching, we are still floating, and this year it may just swing right through until Spring. Why? Because the fat lady simply has not hit the stage yet.
Since this week begins a “consolidated” format for the entire state, let me just apologize once and get it all over with. I live in Margate, my home inlet is Great Egg. You say “Blackfish,” I say “Tog.” I’m sorry, for the next couple of months, they are tog. Don’t get all North Jersey territorial on me and crank my email. Mike Shipton and I are going to alternate writing each week through the winter and he is in Absecon, Atlantic City Inlet. For future reference, another “tog” boy.
If you want to find out if a guy is really a fisherman, taking him toggin’ will pretty much cut through all the hot air and fish tales. I’m a long way from saying any bozo can catch a striper, but give this tasty bait-napper the respect it deserves. There is a reason some guys on the rail are cursing while others are reeling. Putting a hook into a nice, fat tog before he wipes you clean of yet another chunk of crab is all about skill, and a little anatomy lesson. Tog have two sets of teeth. The front teeth, and those big Mick Jagger lips, are what the fish picks up the bait with. Try and set hard on the first pickup, and you pull the hook away. It is only when the bait is switched back to the second set of teeth that crush the shell, that you can get a good set. Wait too long, and it isn’t very long at all, and the hook gets ejected with the shell. Close your eyes, visualize, and then curse.
There have not been many days in the last week when you could get out, but those that have made the chilly excursion have been rewarded with not only numbers, but good size fish as well. I like to try new things when togging. This year I made a departure from the traditional blue, size 4 Virginia Style hooks to the same size Gamakatsu Bait Holder hook to see if the little shank burrs would give me an extra edge on hooking the elusive crab munchers. I know that making a departure from “Old Blue” just dropped me about 6 rungs down the food chain for some of you true togmeisters, but let me tell you, it was a good experiment and the results were truly positive, particularly for some on the boat that were less…skilled?
Also on the radar, starting right after the first of the year, is the good news about sea bass. They are back on the menu for January and February. It really is the first ray of sunshine for charter and head boat captains, and many of our tackle shops, since the mini-apocalypse. The bag was dropped to 15 per angler, and I am sure that is going to be a lingering and hot issue as we move into next season, but please consider those that are more focused on simply making it to next season. Minimum length is the same, 12.5 inches measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (not the end of the tail filament).
A little warm place to duck in to is a great idea when hitting the sea bass grounds in January. The new 90-foot Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach is going to be running offshore on Fridays, weather permitting, with a limit of 30 anglers on board to load up on the big ones. Call for reservations, 732-295-7569.
Captain Chris Hueth has certainly made a name for himself in the blackfish world. The high winds have kept the Big Mohawk at the dock the last couple of days, but things are looking pretty good for Friday and Saturday. 732-974-9606.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker is looking to keep right on running through the New Year. Capt. Steve had a crew for a half day tog trip on Christmas Eve day and swung some of the Seven Fishes over the rail. Both nice-sized tog and ling hit the deck. He will be running bottom fishing trips and some special Mudhole trips so dial him up if you are interested. 732-502-3226.
If you are looking for a six-pack charter out of the Belmar area, there are some pretty good options. Here are a couple of number for you to run:
Captain George on the Teri Jean – 732-280-8133
Captain Rob on Last One Charters – 732-556-7156
Captain Mike on the Katie H – 908-600-6413
Captain Jody & Captain Scott on XTC Sportfishing – 732-267-7922
Ron at Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant is going through the post-Christmas, almost New Year’s re-arranging in the shop. There has been a little rumble about schoolies over near Oyster Creek for those that want to bend a rod and then glow in the dark afterwards. All kidding aside, the warm-water discharge over there holds fish pretty consistently over there. With a little better forecast ahead of us than the last couple of days, you might want to give him a ring before setting out for your weekend outing.
At the Reel Seat in Brielle, Dave is still having bluefin and longfin flashbacks from before the blow. He had customers that did exceptionally well out at the Hudson. Dave is in this week getting all of his sea bass gear on the front line. He had a chance to go himself and do a little commercial hook and lining recently and assured me that I should not worry about them getting fished out as the catch in both numbers and size were exceptional. The Reel Seat will be going to their winter hours next week, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only.
Eric at Harrys Army Navy in Robbinsville had a nice Christmas surprise. He caught his first rainbow on a fly rod and it clocked in at about 7 pounds. Freshwater guys are doing pretty well up North in moving water but some of these colder nights are putting skim ice on the ponds which is not part of the plan. It is always fun to grab some shiners and catch some pickerel, or fill a bucket with perch this time of year. Back in the salt, you can find some nice stripers out of Shark River if you can find the herring. If you are seeing rain bait, then it is rat fishing but still, action is action this time of year. Try heaving some big rubber shads if you can zero in on the herring schools.
Team Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor Township is still having some solid tog action on the area reefs. Tog really zero in on bottom structure that is well overgrown, which puts them in prime crab and mussel territory. With the changes in water temps the last couple of weeks, the fish have been moving around. They really key in on bottom temps between 50 and 60, so if it has been extra cold, move further offshore. If a TackleDirect Gift card was in your stocking, don’t worry…. the showroom has been fully restocked and is calling your name!
Bill at Fin-Atics in Ocean City is still buzzing about the great togging at the local reefs and wrecks from just before the wind this week. Needless to say, high expectations that it will resume. Along with the prospects of connecting with some of those juicy, offshore Sea Bass next week has all the fanatics at Fin-Atics ready to layer up and go.
It looks like there is another front moving in on Saturday afternoon that is going to blow out the second part of our weekend, but as of right now (Thursday) it looks like later on Friday and most of Saturday is totally do-able. That makes the Best Bet for This Weekend a run to the Tog grounds(OK northern boys, blackfish grounds… gimme a break!). At the very least, you should be in the garage working up a couple dozen sea bass rigs for the big opener next week. I know that after all these years of not going in January, I am totally stoked to buy some extra bags for the vacuum sealer, run the fillet knives through the Magic Chef one more time, and beat those rocks like a rented mule!
Stay Tuna-ed!