captmike28
Well-Known Angler
I ran a rare one-man charter today for the always enthusiastic “Celebrity Chef” Nader. He came prepared to land some serious Tog with a full arsenal of no less than 6 specialized Blackfish outfits for a variety of conditions.
The early morning ride out to Fishers was a bit nautical in the face of a steady 12-15kt. NE breeze but once we got to my favorite jigging drop things were quite fishable. We both break out the spinning rods, Nader begins with his signature “Trout” rod, and quickly ties into a real brute he can hardly contain for a few minutes until his leader finally parts. While that might discourage some it only increases Nader’s resolve to catch an even bigger fish. We both box a fat 17” keeper next and then Nader decides to up his game and equipment to a super light conventional rod with a snafu rig and 3 oz. sinker. A whole crab goes down and soon he is hard and fast to our largest Tog of the season aboard my vessel. After a very spirited battle I slide the net under a beautiful white chin that tips the scales at just under 10 #, 9.75 to be exact! Not more than 10 minutes later Nader is calling for the net again and this time it is a 7# Tog that hits the deck.
I am still struggling with the spinner and realized the fish wanted bigger baits. Then I noticed that the slightly longer shank hook on my All-American Tackle Tog jig would accommodate 2 half crabs at once. That slight adjustment got me back in the game and I began to land more keepers with regularity. We were looking for only large fish today so I only added one 4# fish to the box. Meanwhile, Nader with his smoking hot hand managed one more super thick fish in the 6# class and by 10:30 a.m. we were in the C&R mode.
No more really large fish were caught for the balance of the day but we easily returned at least 2 more limits of nice Tog up to 5#. So, today was by far our best day of the season so far, quality wise. Despite the very chilly start and rough ride out to the grounds we cruised home on a nice flat Sound as the temperatures seemed to rise a bit…or maybe it was just the adrenaline rush of a very satisfying day on the North Fork Tog grounds!
Capt Mike
The early morning ride out to Fishers was a bit nautical in the face of a steady 12-15kt. NE breeze but once we got to my favorite jigging drop things were quite fishable. We both break out the spinning rods, Nader begins with his signature “Trout” rod, and quickly ties into a real brute he can hardly contain for a few minutes until his leader finally parts. While that might discourage some it only increases Nader’s resolve to catch an even bigger fish. We both box a fat 17” keeper next and then Nader decides to up his game and equipment to a super light conventional rod with a snafu rig and 3 oz. sinker. A whole crab goes down and soon he is hard and fast to our largest Tog of the season aboard my vessel. After a very spirited battle I slide the net under a beautiful white chin that tips the scales at just under 10 #, 9.75 to be exact! Not more than 10 minutes later Nader is calling for the net again and this time it is a 7# Tog that hits the deck.
I am still struggling with the spinner and realized the fish wanted bigger baits. Then I noticed that the slightly longer shank hook on my All-American Tackle Tog jig would accommodate 2 half crabs at once. That slight adjustment got me back in the game and I began to land more keepers with regularity. We were looking for only large fish today so I only added one 4# fish to the box. Meanwhile, Nader with his smoking hot hand managed one more super thick fish in the 6# class and by 10:30 a.m. we were in the C&R mode.
No more really large fish were caught for the balance of the day but we easily returned at least 2 more limits of nice Tog up to 5#. So, today was by far our best day of the season so far, quality wise. Despite the very chilly start and rough ride out to the grounds we cruised home on a nice flat Sound as the temperatures seemed to rise a bit…or maybe it was just the adrenaline rush of a very satisfying day on the North Fork Tog grounds!
Capt Mike
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