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Catching Blackfish With Tog Jigs
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Time to read 6 min
Written and originally published on 12/7/2018 at FishingLBI.com
Catching Blackfish With Tog Jigs
Whether you’re new to the game or an old salty dog with decades of experience dropping rigs on wrecks, there’s a lot to learn if you want to catch big blackfish with tog jigs. Check out this video and then let's dive into the details on targeting blackfish aka tautog fishing with tog jigs.
Have you tried to catch blackfish with jigs? You should! Why? At times they out fish rigs and produce really big catches. I must ask… How did anglers target summer flounder 10, 15, 20+ years ago? The majority now target them with tog jigs because it’s more effective. The migration to the jig occurred in the fluke, sea bass and tuna game years ago. Guess what… The tog game too!
Tog Jigs Advantage - Offers The Most Natural Presentation
Light tackle tautog fishing with jigs is still a relatively new technique. But the concept is simple. Lighter line, small reels and lighter rods all directly contrast conventional tog fishing wisdom. But! Lighter tackle allows small tog jigs to get to the bottom faster and entice more bites. Also the jig’s stealth approach gives the fish a sense of security so they take the bait. Unlike heavy blackfish rig fishing (typically use 8+ ounce sinkers) the tog can pick up the jigs and swim away without feeling the tug of the line and weight as they crunch and munch the bait. Light tackle tog jig fishing for blackfish allows anglers the most natural presentation of baits. This directly results in more bites and more opportunities to catch.
Simple Fishing Style / Technique
Light Tackle To Easily Fish All Day Yet Powerful To Pull Big Tog From Structure
More Bites = More Fun!
Big limit+ catch of blackfish aka tautog caught by Matt S. using 2oz MagicTail Tog Jigs.
Tog Jig Options - Fish The BEST!
The obvious first step to catching blackfish with jigs is to pick out the right tog jigs. Nowadays, there are a variety of tog jigs options on the market. With all of the brand names, at some point you’ll ask, “What type of tog jigs should I use?” Or “What is the best tog jig?” In my book, the answer is simple.
It’s in the name of the jig… The Magictail “Game Changer” Tog Jigs are the best tog jig. They really were the first (or one of the first) to developed a custom style jig head and custom hook specific for tog fishing.
Whether targeting blackfish from the boat on reefs and wrecks or land based fishing. Magictail Tog Jigs outproduce!
The 3 Classic Types of Tog Jigs For Blackfishing
In order to make a lead head jig it all starts with a mold and a hook. The lead is the easy part. In the early days, there were really only a few styles of tog jigs due to the lack of molds. The three styles that made the most sense for making blackfish jigs were…
- The Bean Jig – Resembles an oversized lima bean with flat sides. When sitting, it lies on its side with the hook facing sideways.
- The Football Jig – Resembles a football shaped lead head that is perpendicular to the hook. When sitting, the hook points upright.
- The Banana Jig – Features a snag resistant design; eye tie forward, slender width, curved like lead head belly (hence the name). Similar to the football jig, the hook points upright when sitting.
It has been said that some shapes fall faster than others. This can be the case when dropping a naked jig; however, tog jigs are always fished baited with crab. All three shapes listed above will get down and stay down about the same.
There’s more important characteristics to focus on!
The Magictail Game Changer Tog Jigs were developed over years of fishing and catching big blackfish with input from top tog anglers.
There were many tog jigs before, but most all used standard bean, banana and upperman style jig molds which worked but had limitations. The team at Magictail lead by Dante all fish hard and demand the best. They changed the game by innovating the best tog jigs and making improvements to it over time refining the lead body shape, the large eye and the (custom) exclusive hook that so many try to copy.
This photo shows a naked jig so each unique design feature of the Magictail Tog Jig is clear.
So what sets the MagicTail Game Changer Tog Jig apart from the Football and the Banana Jig?
It’s all in the intricate design, the Magictail Game Changer Tog Jig s have a unique shape which offers benefits. Like the football and banana style tog jigs the hook point always faces up. The flat curved bottom (banana jig trait) ensures the jig is always on the bottom correctly. It lays flat and doesn’t roll on it's side. The jig is center weighted and its shape is very snag resistant. These are all key features which make the Magictail Tog Jig great!
The Magictail Tog Jig Secrets That Sets Them Apart From The Rest
The most important characteristic however, is how the lead belly sits with the hook standing tall. This keeps the bait slightly raised off the bottom with open space between the hook and the bottom structure. This allows the fish to swim in and take a clean swipe at the whole hook. It makes the elaborately timed hook set process a whole lot easier and increase your hookup percentage.
Choosing The Right Jig With The Right Hook
Just like selecting an bait fishing hook, the same rules apply. Match the hook to the bait or the bait to the hook. The hook choice in a tog jig is important. It must be strong and sharp! Moreover, the Shank Length Matters! Short shank vs long shark is personal preference and it changes depending on the size of bait. A tog jig with a long shank hook (such as the Magic Tail Game Changer Tog Jig) allows for hooking of bigger bait, a must when fishing large pieces of crab, half crabs and whole crabs. Tog jigs with short shank hooks (such as the Magictail Back Bay Tog Jig) are best when fishing smaller baits. These are great when using Asian Shore Crabs, Fiddler Crabs and Sand Fleas aka Sand Crabs or Mole Crabs. It’s also common for anglers to bury these short shank tog jigs inside of a medium crab section.
ALWAYS bait up ensuring the hook point is exposed!
Does Tog Jig Color Matter?
In my experiences I have not found one color to outperform another in every circumstance. Everyday can be different so it’s best to have a spread of colors to cover your bases.
You can’t go wrong matching the jig color to the bait. For example when fishing green crabs, pair the bait with the green/orange “Green Crab” jig color. When fishing white crabs go for the white “White Crab” jig. Magictail does a really good job offering these natural color patterns.
I’ve also done good using the high visibility colors like the glow as well as the chart/orange. Just a heads up… glow always catches!
How Do Blackfish Feed?
Tautog pick at their food. They’re typically chewing on mussels, barnacles and other crustaceans that cling to rocks and structure. When feeding off the bottom they come at the bait from above and pluck at it. That is why you get those small taps when you first feel the fish. Setting the hook on a tog is a process that gets refined only with practice and experience. But as common sense would point out, if the fish’s point of attack is from above the jig, you would ideally want the hook pointing in that direction. This way, when you swing that hook is more likely to land and set in the fish mouth then with a side facing jig.
Looking for more info on targeting tautog with jigs? Check out my other blog post, Start Catching Blackfish on Jigs With These Helpful Tips!
More Tog Fishing Info
Check out the video links below to learn more about catching blackfish with jigs more specifically the Magictail Game Changer Tog Jigs advantage!
Matt Sorrentino aka Swagmattic
Matt is an avid saltwater angler and passionate fishing technician. He hones his craft, dialed into the finer points of fishing with focus on specialized tackle and techniques. He is the founder of NJ Fishing Club and is well know in the NJ saltwater fishing scene as well as the party boat circles. All of his seminars at the winter time trade shows are packed with tips and tricks. They are always well attended so be sure to get their early and be ready to take notes.