Tog fishing is on fire!
December 05, 2022 Stone Harbor 1 photo
Tautog
Tautog

Trip Summary

It's been awhile since I've put anything up. Slacking, but I felt like I was in a rut posting the same old bridge hopping reports. Well, I finally changed it up over the last few weeks. I got out with Jesse and Troy on the Brynnie-B II for some tog fishing. We ran out and scoured the reefs and wrecks for the feisty brawlers. Ot didn't take long to find them. Every piece if structure we fished had plenty of willing nibbles tearing up our green crabs. Troy was the newbie on the trip, but he caught on quickly. Jesse was the high hook on the day, with Troy taking second. I was in a distant third. We brought home four keepers. Should've been five, but Jesse had o e slip through his hands and over the gunnel. We landed 70 some odd fish between the three of us. It was pretty much a bite every drop. Today I went out with Justin and his wife Amy. We ran out to the reef hoping to get onto a decent tog bite. It was a little choppy early on, but calmed out nicely. Our first wreck didn't disappoint. We pulled up a load of tog, with three keepers in the mix. Once the bite slowed we moved to another wreck. Another solid bite with keepers in the mix. Our third option was already taken by two other boats, so we cruised on to a small, nondescript wreck. That turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It was covered in tog. We landed several keepers, including Justin's tog of the day, a 20" 6# beast. Finally we made our way to another reef and worked over a variety of structures. We landed a few more keepers, several shorts, and added a bunch of sea bass to the bag, including three nice keepers. Overall it was an epic day. Amy was the newbie to tog fishing on this trip, but you wouldn't have known it. She absolutely slayed them all day. We landed upwards of 100 fish today, counting all of the tog, sea bass, and the few spiny dogs in the mix. It was non-stop action all day. And it was an absolute blast! The only other fishing I did was down in South Carolina from the surf. Lisa and I finally snuck away and hung out with my parents for a week. It was really nice catching up and relaxing. Anyway, I landed a bunch of croakers, some snapper blues, and a tiny pompano. Not what I was hoping for, but it was fun. And the best part, while beach combing, we found four sharks teeth. That will be a new obsession to go along with sea glass hunting. Still waiting for the striped bass to move in off our beaches... Tight Lines!
Frank Breakell
Stone-harbor, New Jersey, United States
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Whether you’re a novice or seasoned angler, Brynnie-B Inshore Fishing has a trip just right for you! Captain Frank Breakell offers something for every level of angler – every trip is fully customizable to suit your needs and desires. Everyone ...

Other reports from this captain

Windy fun!
Windy fun!
September 17, 2024
Decided to get out and fight the wind tonight. For whatever reason, I enjoy fishing on stormy nights. The water is rough, casting is hard, retrieves are difficult, and the fish usually bite. I enjoy the challenge. So, I went to a sod bank and battled the northeast wind. The flood tide was a bit much, making the current run even harder than the nearly full Moon already was. And of course it pulled every bit of grass off the sod banks and I to my casting lanes. Regardless, I managed to catch a nice weakie. Of course it popped off the hook as I lifted it. But, it was all good. I would've released it anyway. It would've been nice to get a photo though, it was a nice weakie. A few casts later I got another weakie that spit the hook as I reached for the leader. Just not my night it seemed. The bite died out and the grass got thicker, so I took a walk. I found a crazy Eddie that was swirling and rough. As luck would have it, a striper popped right in the middle of the maelstrom. I cast a bunch of times trying to present the bait just right. After about twenty casts I must have got the presentation correct. I got hammered by a nice striper that peeled off drag in the heavy current. We battled back and forth, both giving and taking line. I finally got it close and grabbed the leader. She measured out at 31 inches. Snapped a quick photo and released her back I to the churning water. No other takers. I took a ride and tried a new area. It seemed quiet at first, but then a school of bait erupted in the surface. I cast and something swirled on my jig. A few casts later I came tight to another striper that put up a fantastic fight. This one measured out at 27 inches and was fat. Another quick photo and release. And again, the action died. Took another ride to search another area for any willing brawlers. Found loads of bait, even had it exploding on the surface, but no willing predators. On the plus side, I got to watch a pair of otters chase each other around. Cuteness overload. But no fish. I tried one final spot, but it too was devoid of any willing takers of the scaled persuasion. So, I called it a night. And it was a good night. The windy conditions did not disappoint. Tight Lines!
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Fun in the back, due to the wind.
Fun in the back, due to the wind.
September 16, 2024
Ran a fun trip in the back yesterday with Justin onboard for the ride. We poked around a favorite bridge to see if anything fun might be hanging around. As we cruised through we noticed a pigeon sitting on the cross beams of the ice breakers. Seemed to be an odd place, but, to each his own. We cast around with a variety of lures, and soaked some baits. Little fish were the catch of the day for the outgoing tide. Sea bass and pinfish were destroying our baits. Tried for tog and sheeps, but no takers. While fishing we heard some awkward splashing. Then we saw the source. The pigeon we passed earlier had fallen into the water. At Justin's insistence we rescued the flopping, sputtering pigeon. He became our mascot for the day, hanging out on the bow watching us fish. Once the tide turned and began flooding the little fish bite dropped off. We began drifting for flounder. Justing landed the first keeper of 18.5 inches. We missed or dropped quite a few other bites. We had schools of mullet swimming past us now and again. And up on the flats there were peanuts being harassed by snappers. There were quite a few big boils and splashes here and there too. It was quite the show. When the bite slowed we made a move and drifted some deeper water. The wind made things interesting. Suffice to say, the motor was used quite a bit for positioning. We made a few drifts along a sod bank getting sporadic hits. On what was supposed to be our final drift I got hammered by a 20 inch flounder. So, it wasn't our final drift. We tried another area, but the boat traffic and wind with the tide made the drift unfavorable. We made another move and worked over a normally productive area, but only got short flounder and pestered by little sea bass. While drifting along near so.e houses our pigeon feiend decided he had overstayed his welcome. He flew off to the nearby docks and never even said goodbye. Justin was crestfallen. He had hoped to take his featherwd feiend home to his beloved, as she so loves birds (kidding). So, with the wind continuing to increase, the bite dropping off, and our feathered mascot gone, we called it a day. Had a great time, as always. Given the amount of bait showing in the back waters, the Fall bite should be solid. Looking forward to it. Tight Lines!
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