captmike28
Well-Known Angler
We took full advantage of a great weather window this weekend to satisfy 2 different groups of charter customers on the Tog grounds. Although the bite has already been very steady in several locations, I chose to work my favorite drops in the vicinity of Fishers Island, and it proved to be a good move.
Saturday’s crew of Vinnie, Frank Jr., Frank Sr. (aka “the Legend”) and Jason joined me for an early morning start in a very shallow drop of 20’ on the west side of the island. Action was very hot right out of the gate on the start of the flood tide. The crew spent a couple of hours sorting through at least about 40 fish to put 4 keepers in the box to 17.5#. Of course, Frank Sr. had the first crack at putting a serious Tog in the boat, but the fish’s strong surges allowed it to gain its freedom mid-way through the battle. Also decked were about 15 short Sea Bass.
Next move a little further north to a 50’ drop found a continuation of the short Tog and Sea Bass parade, but Vinnie finally found the first good fish, a solid 4# beauty to bolster everyone’s confidence. But soon the shorts took over again, so it was time to move on to my favorite jig stop where the guys did most of the damage for the rest of the trip. In a little under 40’ of water the shorts were soon replaced by nice sized keepers in the 17-18” range until the “Legend” finally sets the hook in a real fat fish, just under 6#. The bite continued to be very solid and by the time we had to leave the guys boxed a boat limit of tasty Tog and threw back 3 more keeper sized fish. As is often the case on this drop at least 3-4 really big bruisers jumped on the baits and broke off after some very serious battles!
Today’s crew of Lanny, his son, and friends founds us start once again in the Fishers shallows with a steady diet of shorts but a few more keepers mixed in this morning. After about 90 minutes the guys had boxed 5 keepers in the 16-17” range and one keeper Sea Bass among many other shorts.
From there we headed straight back to the scene of Saturday’s strong finish and boy were the Tog really growling. Just a couple of shorts and then the big fish really came on strong. Several really fat 3-5# fish found the box until Bruce gets a massive hit on his spinning outfit that almost took the rod out of his hands. However, he did a masterful job and soon the 3rd largest Tog ever landed on my boat hit the deck at an impressive 11.75#!! Despite his very serious look in the photos, I can tell you he and everyone aboard were smiling, shouting with amazement, and high fiving for quite some time.
Th furious bite continued for the next 2 hours, and the final tally was another full boat limit with a few other 4-5# fish landed and at least another 10 more keepers released as we cleaned the catch before heading home.
So, it looks like Tog season is off to an explosive start for us on the Captain’s Table. All we need is some continued good weather and I can envision many more happy crew members having a great time and going home with many prized Blackfish filets!
Capt. Mike
Saturday’s crew of Vinnie, Frank Jr., Frank Sr. (aka “the Legend”) and Jason joined me for an early morning start in a very shallow drop of 20’ on the west side of the island. Action was very hot right out of the gate on the start of the flood tide. The crew spent a couple of hours sorting through at least about 40 fish to put 4 keepers in the box to 17.5#. Of course, Frank Sr. had the first crack at putting a serious Tog in the boat, but the fish’s strong surges allowed it to gain its freedom mid-way through the battle. Also decked were about 15 short Sea Bass.
Next move a little further north to a 50’ drop found a continuation of the short Tog and Sea Bass parade, but Vinnie finally found the first good fish, a solid 4# beauty to bolster everyone’s confidence. But soon the shorts took over again, so it was time to move on to my favorite jig stop where the guys did most of the damage for the rest of the trip. In a little under 40’ of water the shorts were soon replaced by nice sized keepers in the 17-18” range until the “Legend” finally sets the hook in a real fat fish, just under 6#. The bite continued to be very solid and by the time we had to leave the guys boxed a boat limit of tasty Tog and threw back 3 more keeper sized fish. As is often the case on this drop at least 3-4 really big bruisers jumped on the baits and broke off after some very serious battles!
Today’s crew of Lanny, his son, and friends founds us start once again in the Fishers shallows with a steady diet of shorts but a few more keepers mixed in this morning. After about 90 minutes the guys had boxed 5 keepers in the 16-17” range and one keeper Sea Bass among many other shorts.
From there we headed straight back to the scene of Saturday’s strong finish and boy were the Tog really growling. Just a couple of shorts and then the big fish really came on strong. Several really fat 3-5# fish found the box until Bruce gets a massive hit on his spinning outfit that almost took the rod out of his hands. However, he did a masterful job and soon the 3rd largest Tog ever landed on my boat hit the deck at an impressive 11.75#!! Despite his very serious look in the photos, I can tell you he and everyone aboard were smiling, shouting with amazement, and high fiving for quite some time.
Th furious bite continued for the next 2 hours, and the final tally was another full boat limit with a few other 4-5# fish landed and at least another 10 more keepers released as we cleaned the catch before heading home.
So, it looks like Tog season is off to an explosive start for us on the Captain’s Table. All we need is some continued good weather and I can envision many more happy crew members having a great time and going home with many prized Blackfish filets!
Capt. Mike
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