# April 2 Morning Star Tog Report



## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

After hearing all the good reports by Talapia and Bumsrim, I decided I had to get in on the hot toggin' action as well. Problem was, I've never been within 20' of a tog, much less catch one   ; so I decided to call Monty. He'll show me how it's done  I called Wednesday to book a trip for Saturday but got a call Friday afternoon that he's not sailing Saturday due to the weather. Fearing the worse, I asked, "Um well, is there any way I can get on for Sunday? I really want to go". The lady on the other end said "Sure. Only the stern corners are reserved, the rest are open, which spot do you want?" I decided on #22 and did my happy dance  All afternoon Saturday, I was on the internet, reading every report or tip out there, trying to learn as much as I can, and tying some simple dropper rigs, all while drinking coffee like it’s going out of style. Come Saturday night, I’m all excited and can’t sleep. So I pack my stuff up and head out, thinking I’ll catch a short nap at the marina. Luckily I left early; I got lost cutting through D.C. and ended up on the south side of the Anacostia river at a 7-Eleven, trying to read a map  and then again at the 295-50 interchange. On top of that, it was spring forward time so I lost an hour, and I had to stop at Wallyworld for some vittles and ice. I made it to the marina at around 5am, putzed around a bit until 6, talked with Chef for a bit and then got on the boat. I was amazed at the types of crab and wondering to myself “what self-respecting fish would chew on these when there’s tasty herring and mackerel around?” Turns out, the tog  It was a gorgeous day on the water: warm, light breeze, gentle swells. Unfortunately, there was little current and Monty had some trouble anchoring right where he wanted. On top of that, the entire boat only caught 3 fish on the first two stops. I made three drops; eight legs on each crab going down, eight legs on each crab coming up . Nary a nibble. I spent the first 4 hours standing there like an idiot with a rod in my hand. I just couldn’t catch a fish (the adage “can’t catch my a$$ with three hands” come to mind ). Finally, my urge to catch a tog overcame my pride and I had to ask Chef and the Cap’n. They really showed me how and I started hooking them. I caught 4 but had to throw one back since a couple of nice guys gave me a couple. The sharpies around me caught 15 or 20. Monty tagged over 35 fish. The pool fish was a 9.5lb male. My best were around 5lbs but I was happy since I got my limit and it was my first time   . I had a great time as always and I’ll definitely be back for more! 

Sorry, no pics since I also forgot my camera.


----------



## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

Nice report. Sounds like you had a good time
once you got the hang of it.


----------



## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

Just out of curiosity, what kind of rod and reel do you use? I was using a graphite composite rod rated for 20-40lb and a Penn GS 555 with 30lb braid with a 15' mono leader and I couldn't feel the bites. A couple of guys next to me were killing them with mono with Shakespeare Tiger rods (all fiberglass). Is a softer rod a desirable thing for this application?


----------



## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

AtlantaKing said:


> Just out of curiosity, what kind of rod and reel do you use? I was using a graphite composite rod rated for 20-40lb and a Penn GS 555 with 30lb braid with a 15' mono leader and I couldn't feel the bites. A couple of guys next to me were killing them with mono with Shakespeare Tiger rods (all fiberglass). Is a softer rod a desirable thing for this application?


Well to be honest, I think that any 
rod that allows you to pick up and move 
the sinker around and feel the snags and 
holes will work. Some rods will allow you
to feel more but as long as you can feel
where the snags are you should be fine. I 
have found that rods that are too soft
are a real pain as they tend to be too bendy
with the sinkers for my taste. I really spoil
myself with my rods and love my Seeker Inshore
rods and Calstar 700L and 700M rods. I also 
prefer something in the 7-8' range for party boat 
fishing, especially if you are up in the pulpit
area. There is an endless choice of good rods
to pick from...there is a St Crois inshore rod that 
I believe is rated for 20-40 that is right around
$100 that will work great. For line I go with 50 or 
65 braided line and then I use a fairly short 5-6' 
leader line of 60 pound mono. You can use just about
any bottom reel you want. I try to go as 
light as possible. The Shimano Tekota 500
is one of my favorite reels for bottom fishing 
in general. I also use a Daiwa Saltiga 15.
But like I said before, any bottom reel with
some pulling power should be fine. I firmly 
believe that tog fishing is about 20% equipment
and 80% skill and knowledge. The good tog
fisherman can use basically anything and catch.


----------



## KICKNBASS (Jan 18, 2006)

*True Indeed*

I use a shimano Tr200G reel, loaded with 30# mono straight. I have trued the braided line but have just as much luck with the regular mono. Then I also put my drop loops directly to my main line. Another tip for using crabs. If they are small pull off all the legs on one side. The tog like to pull at those loose ends and you go snatching with the fish no where near the hook. This method is good if you are no familiar with just how easy a tog can bite. As for my rod I use to use a diawa heartland 7'. It it a 20-50 blak muskie rod. to me that rod had the back bone but the tip was a little stiff for my liking. I swtiched to a 20-40 class penn mariner rod and since then I have been unstopable. This rod is also 7' 1 piece. Try to stay away from 2 piece rods IMO. You also want something that has the torque but is light enough that you can fish with it all day without wanting to dead stick. Sunday i fished the same wreck and rock pile for 8 hours or more. 

I hope this helped some.


----------



## Anthony (Jul 3, 2002)

AtlantaKing said:


> Just out of curiosity, what kind of rod and reel do you use? I was using a graphite composite rod rated for 20-40lb and a Penn GS 555 with 30lb braid with a 15' mono leader and I couldn't feel the bites. A couple of guys next to me were killing them with mono with Shakespeare Tiger rods (all fiberglass). Is a softer rod a desirable thing for this application?


Next time you are on the boat, look at Monty's rental rods and you'll get a good idea what kind of gear to use. I personally prefer a soft tip when I tog fish. 30lb braid should be strong enough, spectra lines are a lot stronger than what they are rated for, but I prefer 50-65lb braid, it's a lot thicker and easier to handle.


----------

