Fishing for Fall Tautog

One beautiful Blackfish.

Also known as blackfish, tautog are fun because they put up a good fight. They’re also delicious.

If it’s Fall it must be tautog season.

Come fall, as water temperatures dip into the low 60s, tautog migrate into rocky, shallow areas.

They can be found early on in extremely shallow water, even less than 10 feet. They move deeper as the season wears on and water temperatures drop.

Fishermen can locate tautog over inshore structure such as a ledge, rockpile, wreck, reef, or breakwater. Buzzards Bay is packed with the type of structure that tautog love.

Anglers should look for a small, rocky outcropping in 20 to 30 feet of water. Check out the bottom with your depthfinder. Once you locate structure, drop your anchor and try to position the boat right on top of the highest spot. A few feet can make a big difference, so precise anchoring is important.

One very large tautog.

For tackle, use a 6- to 6 ½-foot rod with a sensitive tip and stiff midsection and butt. Many bottom-fishing anglers swear by conventional reels, but a midsize spinning reel will also work. Use 30- to 40-pound-test braided line. Being thinner and more sensitive than monofilament of similar strength, it will let you feel your sinker tapping the bottom and the tugs of tautog chomping at your bait.

Tautog will go after clams and seaworms, but they prefer green crabs. Cut the crabs into quarters or halves, depending on their size, and thread your hook through two of the leg sockets.

Lower the crab into the water and free-spool line until the sinker taps bottom. It’s important to keep the sinker right on the bottom. Every few seconds, raise and lower the rod tip to stay at the bottom and keep your bait out of weeds.