TOG TUGGING, A TRADITIONAL FALL PURSUIT

Not every fisherman wants to battle with blues and bass when temps begin to drop each fall. Many prefer to tog a tug from rocky structure or at least break the routine with some blackfish action.

New Jersey’s artificial reefs are excellent structure for such angling. However, the sedge banks along back bay shorelines and jetties at inlets are viable alternatives, especially for foot fishermen.

One excellent spot is the sedge banks at the base of what once was a Coast Guard station on Great Bay. Now a marine laboratory for Rutgers University, the location can be reached by Great Bay Boulevard from Route 9 in Tuckerton. Drive to the end and walk the water edge south to the marine lab shore. The water at this spot is upwards of 40 feet deep as it’s the channel out of the bay toward Little Egg Inlet.

Tog fishing runs by seasons and currently the legal fishing time spans from November 15 through December 31 with a daily bag limit of 8 fish at a minimum length of 14 inches.

Fishing the sedge banks isn’t quite the challenge deep water angling is, but anywhere one fishes an angler has to be aware that blackfish are structure oriented and will run back into cover after feeling the hook stab. Heavy gear, stout line and a tight drag are the tools of this angling trade. Save the finesse for weakies, flatfish and sweetwater trout.

Especially when fishing reefs, overloaded with commercial pots, hang ups will abound. Bring plenty of terminal tackle and rig simply. General rule is to snell one or two hooks on short, maybe 6-inch, leaders. The two-hook rig should be made so the hooks are essentially tied into the main line at the same point---about 6 inches above the sinker. Thus, the hooks will result in a two-bait presentation on the bottom. Note, a tog rig with two hooks is not the familiar “hi-lo” arrangement.

Use enough weight to hold the line taut so it doesn’t swing away from the structure. A running tide makes tog tugging very difficult.

Baits for tog vary but crabs of one kind or another are favored by anglers and the quarry itself. Green crabs probably head the list, followed by fiddlers. Some anglers report using calico crabs as well. Some sharpies trim the legs while others prefer a more natural presentation. In any event, an angler has to respond quickly to a tog hit. The old tog joke is to wait for the THIRD tap and hit the fish on the SECOND strike. The point is, don’t doze at the throttle while fishing for tog.