Surf fishing for Tautog – on the water
Daytime fishing has changed dramatically over the past few decades. On my trips to Cuttyhunk Island in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was easy to keep busy hunting tapes in the 20- to 36-inch range with pencil buttons at all hours of the day. Catching 25 or so fish in an afternoon wasn’t out of the ordinary if I worked at it. Over time, and on more and more trips, the day’s catch dwindled to a handful or no fish at all. This didn’t happen on every trip, but statistically speaking, the chance of spending a busy afternoon catching bass was pretty slim. It was those tough midday rides in the rocky fields that opened my mind to surfing to fish for the tautog.
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A few years ago, during my club’s annual fishing trip to Cuttyhunk, I saw Steve Hasselbacher, a fellow member of the Connecticut Surfcaster’s Association, return to our neighborhood at Pete’s Place with a pair of decent blackfish. He noticed them and a great black bass while looking down from a rock from which he was fishing. He went back to the beach, uncuffed his hair, turned over some rocks to find some Asian grape crabs, and got back to work.
Previously, fishing for blackfish was restricted to kayaking back home in Connecticut, because it was a great way to get to waters that larger propeller-powered boats couldn’t. After seeing Steve fishing, she realizes that Cuttyhunk has no shortage of rockfields full of black fish that boats can’t get through.
I spoke with Steve and soon started swimming with my friend Andy Kuczma to the outer rocks surrounding the island to search for blackfish. It wasn’t too complicated and it was very productive. A typical session of a few hours in the afternoon resulted in eating anywhere from a handful to a few dozen fish.
Over the past two years I have also improved my wetsuit fishing technique, making it much more productive and simpler. The day before the trip, I take students from whatever class I’m in at low tide to a patch of beach behind one of the classroom buildings at the Sound School to do our civic duty and remove invasive Asian grape crabs from the local ecosystem. We put them in a few buckets with some wet seaweed, and then when I get home, I put them in a six-pack cooler. Crabs can also be caught on site as these small, invasive crustaceans can be found lurking among rocks or under small rocks almost everywhere from New Jersey to Massachusetts.
Toggin’ too much interference
When I’m fishing through the waves for a Tautog, I wear a $40 wetsuit with some Under Armor skimpy underwear that reduces friction between my skin and the neoprene, plus keeps me warmer in the chilly North Atlantic waters. I pull a pair of inexpensive but comfortable hiking boots studded with machine spikes over my neoprene socks. I use the same 9ft Lamiglas SuperSurf rod that I use for most of my fishing and a ZeeBaas reel with a 30lb braid and about 4ft of 30lb Trilene Big Game monofilament leader. I place the Hunters Tactical Power Clip on the leader end of my Palomar knot so I can quickly and easily change up my throws. I have a surf bag with three tubes on a strap that takes the weight off my neck and back; It also keeps my investments safe and secure while swimming in the rocks and waves. In the front pocket, I carry a tape measure and a pair of hair clippers. I put a pair of pliers in the back of the tubes and secure the rope to a loop on the bag. (I put ropes in so I don’t end up looking old Peanuts A cartoon of Charlie Brown getting tangled up in his kite line from a bad kite-flying experience.) I also carry a rope with a plastic lip that prevents the fish from escaping while I measure it against a slippery little rock in the surf while I hold the tape and my rod.
In one of the connecting tubes, I placed a light crystal tube (capped to prevent water from entering) with a handful of blackfish tools in it. I have a variety of sizes so I can find what I need at the moment depending on the wind, current, depth and distance. Andy likes to use blackfish tools with bank sinkers and hooks on the leader, but I keep my terminal handling simple to avoid mess. (Making chaos is my greatest life skill.)
I prefer jigs with short but strong hooks and a body shape to keep the hook point upright to avoid snagging in all those bubbling weeds surrounding the island. An Upperman (lima bean) flat jig is on its side and places the hook point directly on rocks and weeds, dulling the hook while also snagging.
I use the other two tubes to hold a pencil or two, a ghost, a tin, and maybe a plastic swimmer or three in case I see some superficial movement or just want to change things up for a few minutes.
To carry the bait to the rocks, I use an eel jug that another friend, Toby Labinski, gave me many years ago. It consists of a one-gallon commercial salad dressing or mayonnaise jug (ask someone at a local restaurant to give you one) wrapped in black stealth tape and perforated with holes to allow water in and out. There are holes in both the jar and the lid, with a piece of line between them to keep me from losing the lid. There is a shoulder strap attached to the jug for easy carrying when I’m swimming with my gear. I use enough seaweed to keep the crabs from drying out, but not enough to keep me from pulling them out and pinching a lot.
Target a tog of rock
I start by systematically checking the surrounding waters until I find the fish in a place where I can work effectively. I start by just dropping the jig down and sometimes I catch the fish right under my feet. I don’t neglect fishing on the coastal side of my rock either. I don’t keep the crab in one place for more than a minute because I don’t want to spend my time soaking it in barren water. I gradually increase the distances I cast, search along the edges of the rocks I can see, then gradually blind and increase the length of my block. If the wind or current is strong, I avoid fishing in it because it will put some distance between me and the crab, making it hard to spot its bites. Throwing downwind helps, at least to some extent, to maintain tight contact.
If I feel some tapping on my line, I don’t adjust the hook right away. Sometimes, it’s a small fish and waiting a few seconds might give a bigger fish a chance to come and steal the crab. Other times, it’s a fish biting at the crab’s legs or the edge of the crab. This is often followed by a firmer pull, and that’s when I set the hook (or miss and feed the fish). If I hook, I try to pull the fish away from the heavy structure and keep it close to the surface. The fish always tries to use the rocks to escape from whatever worries them, including hook and line. When a fish approaches me, I try to keep it on top and let it spin a little until it gets tired, since the hook is less likely to come out of those thick lips. I don’t want the fish to go under the rock I’m standing on and the line rub against it, and it’s much easier to unhook when you’re not having too much trouble. If you have a knife, you can cut it just below the gills to bleed the fish if it’s preserved, which will improve the quality of the meat.
Whenever I dress up a new crab, I break off its claws, and maybe some of its legs, and then drop it in hopes of catching more fish. It also helps to make sure the crab doesn’t pinch me while I’m tying it. If I get poached steadily, I use smaller crabs so that there is less fish that can bite without making contact with the hook. This works sometimes.
When I take my jig away I let it go for a minute or so then pull it up a bit, let it go for a while, then repeat. I do not let it settle long between turns of the reel, for I have already covered that ground, and I think the motion sometimes attracts fish that otherwise would not have found the crab.
When I grab a case and measure it, I move it to the spearfishing tool. It’s easy to swim with and doesn’t tangle, unravel or get in the way. I put my belt between the two upper steps so it would never come off. It opens like an old Duolock snap: slide the pointed shaft up through the nostrils and out of the mouth, then close it again. Nice and easy, yet safe.
So, if you want to do some fishing during the day but the fishermen aren’t cooperating, get out there and try surf fishing for a tautog. They are challenging, fighting hard and taste great.
Related content
Bait for fishing Tautog
How to catch fish with Tautog jigs
Tautog fishing tips from the pros
