captmike28
Well-Known Angler
So, the “real Tog season” opened for the Scott party on the Captain’s Table yesterday with a fresh 15-20 kt. SW breeze! I really wanted to work some of my CT drops since they have been very hot lately so we crossed the Sound with the 3’ rollers sliding broadside under the keel! Fortunately, once we got to a shallow jig spot the wind seemed to back off just a little and we were given about a 3-hour window on the ebb to get things done.
Down go the jigs on the spinning rods and soon the drags began to sing! Right out of the box Scott set the pace with a nice 3# keeper quickly followed by the best fish of the day a healthy Tog very close to 6#. All the members of the crew began sorting through the many shorts inhaling the crab baits to start building a catch of nice keepers with most being thick fish in the 16-18” class. Rocky managed to find a sweet 5# fish to take second place honors mid-morning after being frustrated for a while with a lot of unanswered “crab donations”! By 11 am the guys had boxed their 5-man limit and my plan was to give them one more shot at a trophy fish out on the nearby reef. However, as the ebb tide started to die the wind decided to freshen even more with 4’ rollers now sliding through.
I thought we could catch a break by making one last drop just north of Plum but the wind direction once we got there was decidedly much more from the west, so no place to hide there either. Finally ran back into the bay so the guys could play a little C & R with a few small Tog while I cut the fish and produced some healthy bags of tasty Blackfish fillets.
So, it looks like the typical fall pattern has begun, a decent day or two followed by several days of howling winds. As always, flexibility in your days to fish will minimize the number of postponed or cancelled trips you have to deal with.
Have fun, catch the Tog when you can, and by all means stay safe while out there this fall!
Capt. Mike
Down go the jigs on the spinning rods and soon the drags began to sing! Right out of the box Scott set the pace with a nice 3# keeper quickly followed by the best fish of the day a healthy Tog very close to 6#. All the members of the crew began sorting through the many shorts inhaling the crab baits to start building a catch of nice keepers with most being thick fish in the 16-18” class. Rocky managed to find a sweet 5# fish to take second place honors mid-morning after being frustrated for a while with a lot of unanswered “crab donations”! By 11 am the guys had boxed their 5-man limit and my plan was to give them one more shot at a trophy fish out on the nearby reef. However, as the ebb tide started to die the wind decided to freshen even more with 4’ rollers now sliding through.
I thought we could catch a break by making one last drop just north of Plum but the wind direction once we got there was decidedly much more from the west, so no place to hide there either. Finally ran back into the bay so the guys could play a little C & R with a few small Tog while I cut the fish and produced some healthy bags of tasty Blackfish fillets.
So, it looks like the typical fall pattern has begun, a decent day or two followed by several days of howling winds. As always, flexibility in your days to fish will minimize the number of postponed or cancelled trips you have to deal with.
Have fun, catch the Tog when you can, and by all means stay safe while out there this fall!
Capt. Mike
