During early portion of the saltwater fishing season, anglers have a shot at catching keeper tautog from shore. Join On The Water’s Andrew Burke as he targets his first-ever tautog from the rocks with OTW Editor Jimmy Fee during their lunch break.
Jetties and rock piles with nearby access to deep water make perfect spots for catching tautog from shore. The go-to bait for catching tautog is green crabs, which can be found all over Cape Cod. Fishing the bait near the rocky structure is key when targeting tautog. Generally, you want to keep the bait still, so they can easily hone in on it.
Setting the hook is perhaps the biggest challenge of tautog fishing. They have small, strong mouths filled with molar-like teeth, which they use to crush their prey. The first indication of a tautog hitting your crab will be a series of sharp “taps.” However, you don’t want to set the hook the moment you feel the initial strike. Instead, wait just a moment for a few more taps to follow, then set the hook hard and pull the tautog away from the rocky structure below. They fight very hard, and keeper-sized males make excellent table fare as well.