Tog Fish Like the Pros with @bignosebassin

Blackfish (aka Tautog), are one of the most sought after game fish in New England waters. With their bulldog style fight, and white flakey meat, they line up to be the ultimate bottom fish to catch. They aren’t the easiest fish to target because they live places where your typical fishing gear wouldn’t last. Blackfish live around rocky structures and wrecks, making them hard to wrench off the bottom. But with proper gear, this is made easy.

Step one is making sure you have a stout yet sensitive rod, making the Daiwa Proteus SS 64MH a prime rod for this style of fishing. The Proteus SS 64MH is a jigging rod that excels in fishing for blackfish because it has a light tip yet strong backbone.

Step two is pairing your rod with a reel that has plenty of drag, yet comfortable in your hands to reduce wear and tear on your hands after a long day of fishing. Best in its class, the Daiwa Lexa WN 300HSP is an affordable baitcasting style saltwater reel. It’s slim fit design makes it a dream to fish all day, yet it has 22 lbs of drag, making it a perfect contender in the blackfish game.

Step 3 is getting yourself a quality line that can withstand abrasion from all the rocks. I recommend 30lb Daiwa J-braid 4x because it is abrasion resistant, it’s thinner than your 8x lines, therefore making it have less drag in the water. Tie a 6-8 foot leader of Daiwa J-Fluoro 40-50lb fluorocarbon leader to the end, to ensure the blackfish aren’t weary of your line.

Lastly you need a quality jig that won’t break the bank and can withstand dozens of bruiser blackfish. I like the Asylum jigz blackfish bugz jig in the danz and dazed color, anything from ½-2.5 oz depending the depth you are fishing. These jigs have a quality hook and design so it won’t spin on the way down keeping you tangle free!

Now gather up your gear and head to your closest rock pile, and catch some of your own delectable blackfish!

Author: Evan Kamoen

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