in the back creeks looking for reds, but none was around
Small one, but the target. 36"er
3RD WEEK OF NOV Its boat wake Sunday
Hot rod Lee
I was singing the boat wake Sunday song this week, usually I don’t like fishing on Sundays but like a lot of weeks in the fall, you might only get one day to fish. But the real reason to fish on this Sunday was Rob and Ragulsky were going and even Lee took off of work to fish the perfect conditions. I have a hard time in the winter getting motivated to go tog fishing. The older I get the more my hands get painful. Arthritis runs in my family and at 44 years old, it’s starting to take effect. And when tog fishing, when using crabs my hands are always wet and oily, they start to get cold and then they start to lock up. By the time I got out there lee had already been hot rod’ng and wackin ‘em. I like tog fishin but I don’t like the cold, but I really like fishing with my friends, and especially when Lee is on like he was. Lee was the hot rod, rob caught the largest at 20.5” and me and willyrags caught a few, most were in the 18” range and they were on. One of the fun things about togging is how we can all fish in one area; we stack up on a set of pilings all taking turns moving in and out of the bite spot. We watch each other’s miss hook sets and laugh and watch each other’s fights up close and since we all have good line awareness we can have fun in those close quarters. Folks have been asking about my opinion on this year’s striper’s season. These cold fronts that are happening are the type that brings down the masses of fish, typically. Anything is possible with these migrating fish, but it will be time to start real soon and if they move thru we will GET ON’EM!
Robs 20.5"er
18"er
2ND WEEK OF NOV Tog time
Fall was on its way this week with a strong cold front on its way I needed to get out this week, the water temps are perfect for the tautog to be on so that was the target this week. Andrea, who I work with at Appomattox River co, had never caught a tog and was off on the same day so we headed to the ships. We got green crabs at Chris’s, I’ve never been that big of a fan of em but no one had the blue crabs I like to use. The bite was slow to start for us, but It turned on for us after a while, Andrea’s first hook up was lost into the structure because of not have the drag set tight enough. The second shot she got she came tight and landed her first tog. We caught about a dozen between the both of us with three of em in the 16-17” range. We caught plenty of oystertoads as well as the biggest one I ever landed a 13 inch big headed monster. On Tuesday nights I go to a 6pm awesome yoga class. I get there and its canceled, it had been rainy and chilly all day, I had just been sitting inside doing computer work and that class was going to be my exercise for the day, on the way back home I decided to go hit the HRBT, I didn’t care if I caught anything but I would be outside paddlin and breathin. I took my time and got there when the incoming current started to flow. I hunted the lightline out to the island and didn’t see anything, I jigging and casting around the island. on the way back I felt good just be out, I love the technical paddling that’s necessary to navigate between the lightline and the pilings it’s a great skill tester and flow workout, and if I see I fish then more maneuvering and positioning techniques get to be exercised. First I saw one 18”er in the line, I hunted him for a while and finally got the lure presented right and got em to attack. Then I found a few more’ all of them by themselves or in loose pairs. Then as I was heading in I saw a 30 to 32”er as I was crossing in front of the piling and ran him over, I hung around for a while and hunted him but I never saw him again. Fun week this week and the cold fronts are coming, tautog and the local striper are active, get out and GET ON’EM!
