Not counting strippers, Tau-tog are the first fish of the year inshore saltwater anglers target. They are also one of the last fish targeted at the end of the year. They put a pretty good fight and are tasty table fare.
Tautogs are also known as “tog”, “black fish”, and “chubs”. Togs range live on the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. Tog spawn from may to August.
Most togs are found in less than 50 feet but may be deeper. Togs love cover. Wrecks, bridge pilings, rock piles, and reefs are all excellent places to search for tog. They are most active in the morning and evening. I really like the evening bite since I’ve that’s when I’ve done the best.
Togs eat mussels, clams, crabs, and shrimp. I prefer to use blue crab as bait. Try using a heavy duty pair of scissors to cut your crab into quarters. Remove the to shell before using the scissors to quarter the crab. I use a 2/0 true turn hook and I prefer the back-fin quarter for bait. Try to make sure that the hook is positioned so that it won’t turn into the crab shell when you set the hook.
