Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Jan 16 Career Best Tautog



Whew, this one was a LONG TIME COMING..... Tautog used to be a NC Citation Species. It was dropped from that program about 6 years ago. To get that Citation you had to catch a 7lb Tautog. When I first hatched my plan to "catch them all", I knew Tautog would be the toughest roadblock. Nearly impossible... After the Tautog was dropped from the NC Citation Program, I was still very interested in catching them. As a matter of fact, as I get older I am drawn to more obscure species and more radical approaches to fishing..... Somewhere along the line, all the Red Drum and Trout become too vanilla and too much like the "last one" or "last years fish".... Meanwhile things like Sheepsheads and Crevalle Jacks and Spadefish and Ladyfish became more exciting and challenging to me.... (TO ME) I realize that is a very important qualifier..... Anyway, Tautog still represent a major challenge and one of my winter-time interests. But, I might add, I do not pursue them beyond my home waters. North Carolina is the southern end of their range and only the Oregon Inlet area has any consistent Tautog fishery at all... As a matter of fact, Oregon Inlet is probably a 100 times better than Hatteras. And make that a 1000 times better than Beaufort Inlet. And I've never even fished for Tautog at Oregon Inlet.... Even farther north, Virginia has a GREAT Tautog fishery, including several fish that were close to the All Tackle World Record Fish..... I have never fished beyond Hatteras Inlet for them..... That's what I meant by "not pursuing them"...... Having never fished in "decent" Tautog waters, obviously my chances for a large one is not good. Also, what I would consider a "good one" would be considered a very average one in Virginia... Anyway, in my entire life I have probably caught 20 Tautog. I caught maybe 10 last year and it was best year ever. My largest Tautog was probably around 2 lbs. A far cry from the 25lb World Record from New Jersey. All that changed today when I dropped a piece of Squid into a 12 feet deep hole in the Rocks that are covered by 7 feet of water by the Ferry Docks on the north end of Ocracoke Island. I got a slammer of a bite and immediately got hung up. After a few seconds my rod tip bounced free and I quickly cranked upwards as my fish battled through Rocks and Concrete and Steel Ramp Stanchions. Suddenly she broke the surface! A Large Tautog! With time running out (time for the Ferry to load) and with NO Landing Net, I rolled the dice and lifted my prize...... Could've gone either way but..... Seconds later I had a 18" long 4 lb Tautog laying at my feet. Career Tautog. Early leader for "2013 Fish of the Year".... Now I want a bigger one! Total Catch for the Day: 4 lb Tautog

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

dont give up, we see a fair amount of 5 lb class fish freediving the southeast portion of the state although most are small. They can right plentiful at times. tasty fish

Capt. Marty said...

For the Tautog and it's loyal followers, Mass-RI-Delaware-NJ-Md-Va represent a whole different world and the average size and trophy potential makes NC Togs nearly seem like a sub-species. Im sure you wont be suprized much, but a google search of Tautog Images is an eye-opener.

Never forget the opening line in my first Field Guide that my dad bought me when I was 5 or 6.... The Tautog is a Temperate Wrasse. (most other Wrasse are tropical) Wow, seems like I dated a few Temperate Wrasses but I didn't think they were Tautogs! Cunners, maybe. Ha Ha. Sorry, I lost it for a second

Anonymous said...

I remember thst Temperate Wrasse. She was a bitch

Capt. Marty said...

My work partner, Billy Harris just smoked a 3 lb Tautog! Stocking up the Tog Meat.