Choosing the right tog bait
What is the most common tog bait?
Tautog are bottom dwellers that prefer rocky and protected structure. You can expect to find tog on rocky ledges, humps, boulders, in and around shipwrecks and dock pilings. These areas typically host a number of baits that tog prefer. Tog baits in nature consist of crabs and other crustaceans, clams, sand fleas, oysters, mussels and mollusks. Typical tog bait which are available at most bait shops along the east coast are green crabs, asian crabs, white crabs aka white leggers, blue crabs, mussels and clams.
Other tog baits work great that are not typically sold in bait shops, but you can catch yourself or ask a fisherman to help you out. Some of these baits include lobster, shrimp, spider crabs, sand fleas aka mole crabs, oysters, hermit crabs and fiddler crabs. Using live bait or live crabs is always preferential to dead crabs. If you have no other option you can freeze unused crabs and use them again on your next fishing trip. Did you know that our crew from New Jersey landed a state record on the boat in 2021? Well, now you do!
Where do you get tog bait?
The most common tog bait is by far, crabs. Green crabs, asian crabs, white crabs, blue crabs, fiddler crabs, and hermit crabs are the most commonly used. Tackle shops along the east coast carry most species of crab that tog like. These crab species are best used according to their locations. For example, fiddler crabs are much more common in the southern states which hold tog. You can find fiddler crabs in salt marshes from Maryland through most of New Jersey. Fiddler crabs congregate along the edges of shallow marshes and play a major role in the marshes eco system. Fiddler crabs are also very abundant. Fiddler crabs can be caught in fiddler crab traps along the edges of muddy marshes and brackish water, using anything from chicken wings to dead fish as fiddler crab bait.
In the Chesapeake Bay and many other brackish water in the north east you can find blue crabs. Blue crabs can be caught by hand netting or also in crab traps. Green crabs and asian crabs are the main crab species you’ll find as you go further north. Anywhere from New York up to Massachusetts will have loads of them. The Greens are an evasive species and take over ocean bottom with force. You can catch them using small traps anywhere you find rock piles in shallow water along the shore line. They are arguably the most important tautog bait.
White crabs aka white leggers are the favorite crab bait for north east fisherman. A good bait shop will carry them but often times you need to catch them yourself. White crabs move a lot so be ready to move your crab pots frequently. You can expect to find white crabs in sandy bottom along a rocky contour. Hermit crabs are pretty much everywhere. You can use small minnow traps to catch the crabs crabs or simply throw a piece of dead bait tied to a line in shallow sandy or muddy bottom. Wait a few hours and pull your bait back up. It should be loaded with hermits.
You can find mussels attached to dock pilings and scrape off plenty for a fishing trip. Digging for clams is also a great way to get easy bait for your tog fishing trip. Go to a beach at low tide and dig by hand or use a bull rake to scoop clams. Crack the shells and hook the bait through the clam tongue or belly.
How do you use crabs for tog bait?
I find that fiddler crabs and green crabs are the most common and readily available tautog baits. I also fish both crabs in a similar fashion. Fiddler crabs have a relatively soft shell and generally don’t get very big, especially male fiddler crabs. When fishing with fiddler crabs I cut the legs off and place the hook through the abdomen and out the top shell. I then crush the top shell to release scent and guts into the water. Fiddler crabs are definitely a tog favorite.
When fishing with the greens I usually start by cutting the legs off then cut the entire crab in half. I stick the hook point through one of the leg sockets and out another or through a piece of the bottom shell. As we start to attract big tog, I start using whole crabs with one or even two hooks. I use the same practice while using larger crabs like white crabs and spider crabs. No matter which crabs you use, always keep an eye out for female crabs with eggs attached to their tail. The tog go crazy for them! If you cant get crabs or mussels, frozen shrimp will also work in a pinch. Tautog are notorious bait stealers so make sure you have plenty of great bait and are ready to set the hook!
Most tog fisherman either use tautog rigs or tautog jigs to hold their tog bait. Most tackle shops in the north east will carry a number of different tautog rigs and jigs specifically for tog fishing. Tog rigs are helpful when fishing strong tides or deeper water. Some common tog rigs are single hook rigs, snafu rigs and slider rigs. When using tog jigs, I like the banana, football and sparky style jigs. I fish anywhere from 1/2 oz to 3 oz. Many jig patterns are meant to look like a fiddler crab, green crab, white crab or blue crab. I fish tog jigs throughout all of tog season.
How do you keep crabs alive?
Crabs are very robust creatures and can stay alive for a long time if cared for properly. The best way to keep crabs alive is in the ocean, obviously. You can keep crabs alive in a crab pot or a floating bait pen for weeks or even months. In particular, keeping fiddler crabs alive and keeping green crabs alive will increase your odds of catching trophy tog. To keep crabs alive make sure you give them crab food or they will start eating each other. If you don’t have access to a crab trap or a floating cart, you can keep your bait alive by drilling holes in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and hang it off your boat or a dock.
If you don’t have access to the water you can still keep crabs alive. I like to keep fiddler crab, green crab and white crab alive by placing them in several buckets in a cool damp area. I like to use multiple buckets so you don’t over crowd the crabs. You can keep crabs alive in a refrigerator as warm as it will allow. Keeping the crabs too cold will kill them. NEVER freeze your crabs if you intend on keeping them alive. Crabs will stay alive in a refrigerator for over a week. Storing your crabs in a cool basement is also a good idea, as long as the temperature is below 60 degrees. If you are forced to keep your crabs outside I recommend putting them in buckets with a damp burlap rag on top. This will keep a damp environment and absorb a lot of the suns heat.
What to expect when blackfishing?
Black fishing has become extremely popular and for good reason. Blackfish give a great fight, are plentiful and have great meat to eat. You’re able to catch your own bait if you put a little time and effort in. Fiddler crabs, green crabs, white crabs, mole crab, blue crabs and spider crabs are among the big tog favorite. Try to keep your excellent baits, especially the crabs alive. Use a variety of different tog rigs and tog jigs on your next fishing trip. Keep a log book and record everything you notice and learn during tog season. Tog are one of my favorite fish in the ocean. Use the right bait at the right time and you’ll have plenty of success hunting down trophy tog! Don’t forget when you go tautog fishing, you will be possibly be catching sea bass as well. That is an added bonus.
