October is the beginning of the fall tog (blackfish/tautog) season in Cape May. Although they are sometimes caught in September, they really start to bite well in early to mid-October as water temperatures start to drop. With that in mind, my buddy Jim and I decided to try our luck at one of my favorite tog spots.
We were actually going to do some fishing for small blues, but decided to see if we could each pick up a keeper (the limit is only 1 tog greater than 14″ until November 15) on our way to our bluefish destination. We pulled up to our spot and within 2 minutes Jim had a fish on. It was about 16″, so it went into the bucket. For the next 30 minutes we had a ball trying to catch our second keeper. We lost a really good fish after it buried itself in the bottom and finally broke off. We also lost many a fiddler crab to the toothy devils and we never did get a second keeper. Actually, I did catch one that was probably 14″, but because it came off the hook so easily, we released it. As the tide stopped running, we headed for the bluefish.
So, the tog are biting and will be until water temps get too cold. Remember, the limit is only one fish now, but after November 15, you can keep 6 fish greater than 14″. Party boats like the Starlight Fleet in Wildwood Crest and the Miss Avalon in Avalon are catching tog as part of a mixed bag on the nearshore reefs. The tog are mixed with sea bass, croakers, and some other species.
For more info on tog fishing, click on the following link: http://www.capemaytimes.com/fishing/blackfish.htm