05/25/12 Ran twenty miles to the south with four guys from MD looking to fill the box with sea bass. Bite was crazy good, fish breaking the surface at a break-neck speed. Add in the 16 to 18″ snapper bluefish that would jump our baits at times and needless to say, I’m tired! Back in the slip with 78 sea bass in the box.
05/24/12 Out with two of the nicest people you could ever wish to spend a day with. Bite was good but that darn throwback to keeper ratio was kinda tough. Worked hard all day moving from piece to piece looking for keepers. By days end, the box held 39 plump sea bass just waiting for the House Autry.
05/23/12 Ran 13 mile south with a family of four from northern NY looking to try their hand at sea bass fishing. Bite was great but way too many fish were ¼ inch under legal. Everyone was kept busy catching fish including our two Jr. anglers (ages 8 & 10). Back in the slip with 20 tasty sea bass heading for the fry pan. Nice little catch for a half-day trip.
05/22/12 Out for the first sea bass trip of the season with a crew from DC. Bite was steady with a throwback/keeper ratio around 6:1. Unfortunately most of the day was spent with only three lines in the water due to the effects of a lack of Dramine and a big swell pushing in from the east. Back in the slip with 79 sea bass and 2 tog headed for the fish cleaner.
05/12/12 Ran to the south looking for some tasty tog for this repeat crew from last spring. Bite was super in the morning with a fair number of keepers. Bite slowed in the late morning and by noon had nearly shut down all together. Back in the slip with 15 tog in the box the largest just under 10 lb.
05/11/12 Half-day trip with three guys from MD, one who’s tying the knot tomorrow. Bite was good and very fitting that the groom-to-be had the best bite of the trio. Back in the slip with four nice keepers in the box.
05/07/12 Toggin with the boyz from FlexHead Industries. Bite was slow in the morning but really picked-up as the day progressed. At times it was red-hot, other times, not so much. Did manage a few dandies and one of the prettiest 8 lb. males I’ve seen in a long time. Back in the slip a little early with 13 tog in the box.
05/05/12 More tog fishing with a mixed crew, some experienced and a couple who have never held a rod before. Bite was spotty, red hot for a time then nothing. Unfortunately, some of the crew regretted their decision to stay up till 3 am and were out half-way through the day. Back in the slip with 9 tog in the box. Big fish was a tie, two 11 lb. One caught by… you guessed it, the guy who had never been fishing before.
05/04/12 Out with three Tog experts looking for a limit. Bite was steady most of the day with a huge number of very nice sea bass mixing in with our tog. Today, catching wasn’t an issue. However, anchoring, a whole different story. Even the guys throwing two hooks just couldn’t over their target. I never remember re-setting the anchor as many times as I did today to keep the guys on fish. Back in the slip with 11 tog, one shy of our goal.
04/29/12 The crew from yesterday, plus two. Day started off with a very slow pick. One or two little moves and the bite improved. Things were great, everyone enjoying the day. Then it happened. The long evil fruit (banana) made it’s first appearance of the year on the Fin Chaser. Less than a hour later a swell pushes in from the east and now the current is directly against the wind, a true anchoring nightmare. Worked hard the rest of the day to keep the guys on fish. Back in the slip with 18 tog in the box, one fish per man shy of our limit. The pool winner was one of the new guys who landed matching 10 lb. tog. Third place went to the “togfather” with a beautiful 8½ lb. male.
04/28/12 Same ringleader as last week with a slightly different crew, one of which turned out to be a tog fishing professor, Gregg M. The bite was steady, but never red hot, three or four 15″ fish, then a keeper. In the slip with 14 in the box, two shy of the limit. Big fish of the day was Bucktail Joe’s 11½ lb tog.
04/21/12 Stayed a little closer to home today working some structure that’s not too well know for tog. Bite was never red hot, but the numbers we good enough to keep me there most of the day. Frank S put on what I can only describe as a “tog clinic”. His numbers had the others ready to feed him to the sharks. By the end of the day our limit was reached, plus one extra for the capt. Back in the slip with 21 tog in the box.
04/20/12 First day of a three day tog extravaganza with the “Togfather” and his posse from NY. Swung for the fences today running 24 miles south to find the hottest tog bite I’ve ever seen. One big issue, nearly all the fish were anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch under this ridiculous new size limit. Back in the slip with 12 tog in the box.
04/19/12 First trip of the 2012 season! This half-day trip found me running a few miles south with a crew of four from western PA looking for tog. Bite was very good, but conditions, not so good for toggin’ , a touch of rain and a touch more wind. The 2011 limit would have been hit with no problem, lots of beautiful 15″ fish. However, this is 2012. The “powers that be” have decided tog need more protection from the evil recreational anglers, can you say 16″ size limit. Simply BAD fisheries management compounded by BAD science. Back in the slip after a few hours with two nice tog in the box.
