Blackfish
The tautog (or “tog”), a popular inshore game fish, has ranked as high as fourth in recent years in poundage taken by recreational anglers in Massachusetts. This species lives along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, with the greatest number lying along inshore waters from southern Cape Cod to the Delaware Capes. It does not sustain a significant recreational fishery north of Massachusetts. The tautog is a stout fish with a blunt nose and a thick-lipped mouth that has large conical teeth in front and flat crushing teeth in back. The single dorsal fin originates over the gill slit and runs back nearly to the tail. The anterior three-quarters of this fin possesses a series of stiff, sharp spines, and the paired pelvic fins have one spine each.
Tautog are hard fighting, tough on tackle, and excellent on the table. They are one of the first species available to anglers in the spring and one of the last available in the fall. Anglers are particularly successful from April through May, and in the fall when tautog are concentrated in the greatest numbers along shorelines. While the best fishing is centered on Cape Cod, tautog can be caught all along the Massachusetts coast from Cape Ann to the South Shore. Tog are caught either from a boat at anchor or by casting anywhere along Massachusetts’ rocky shorelines. Anglers use bait such as a large piece of sea worm, whole or halved crabs (green, rock, hermits, or fiddlers), and pieces of conch, snails, or cracked clams. A rod with “backbone” is required to catch this battling fish. Most anglers choose a medium-action spinning or conventional rod with 20 to 30-pound test line, and use a “no hardware” 2 hook rig with a sinker tied to the bottom. It is important to stay alert casting or lowering the bait into the water, as fish often hit the bait as soon as it reaches the bottom. All slack line should be taken in as soon as the bait stops sinking. Once a fish picks up the bait, let it tap once or twice, and set the hook hard, lifting the tog away from the bottom before the line becomes entangled in rocks.
