Anglers love talking about the fun they have fishing for tautog – blackfish - and will regale you with tales about using crabs and sandworms and fighting with these strong fish from the gunwale of their boats. They are likely to tell you about their rods – bending almost in half while they fight for all they are worth to get this fish from his rocky haven. Those without a boat or access to a boat often feel that they are left out from this feisty catch. It doesn’t have to be that way, you simply need to know where to find them and how to fish for them. Unlike other shore fishing, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about shore bound blackfish.

If you are in an area where the shoreline waters reach the optimal temperatures of 50-65 degrees and have rocky areas, they might be the best possible locations to find tautogs. Since these fish prefer to favor cooler waters, your options are probably even better in early spring and late fall. Once the waters begin their springtime warm-up, blackfish will head towards the coastline to feed in shallow water rock piles. This is where they will begin preparing to spawn and once that process is complete they will move out to the deeper, colder waters.

Blackfish tend to move towards the shoreline in the fall in the hopes of getting fattened up in time for the winter months that lie ahead of them. They can be found in waters as shallow as 6 feet during these times, again in shallow rock piles. You’ll likely find them feasting on mussels, crabs and barnacles in these areas and if you’re interested in shoreline fishing, this is a great opportunity to get in some fun fishing for blackfish.

Charts can be very useful in these areas, especially those that provide depth contours and identify rock piles that are along beaches and jetties. These are ideal fishing areas for blackfish and the right charts will help you identify them with ease. Tautogs will also be found hiding in rocky formations that can be identified when the tide starts changing – you can find those formations that extend into the water under breaking waves.

Your gear will have to be up to the task of taking on this feisty fish. You won’t get away with a weak rod or reel with tautogs. Since the goal of the blackfish is to separate themselves from your line by any means necessary and they have the bulky body and broomstick like tail that will allow them to do this, you have to be quick. Remember that these fish want to break your line off and they will immediately head for the nearest rock formation in their quest to do so. Make sure you have a good stout rod, and a reel that you can control well. Whether your reel is a spinner or a conventional one the secret to success with blackfish is having complete control of that reel. You are going to need to be able to stop the line from being released as quickly as possible since this fish is going to hit hard and he’s going to hit fast. Using a 10 or 11 foot rod might serve you better than the normal 8 foot rod that is preferred by most shoreline anglers. Not only will it be stronger, but it’s likely to give you the extra leverage you need to get the right upward pulling power needed for tautogs.

Line is a concern when blackfish are the game you are after. These fish will do their utmost to snap off your line at on every boulder that they encounter. While braided line is quickly becoming a favorite, because it does not stretch and because it is very sensitive to a bite, it’s problematic with tautogs. Braided line does not have the abrasion resistance that is available in monofilament and fluorocarbon line and therefore it’s likely to break if a blackfish drags it across the rocks. You can probably work around this by using a one and a half or two foot fluorocarbon or mono leader with a thirty to fifty pound braided line.

Rocky structures allow the blackfish to not only fight with you, but they are likely to head straight for any rocky hole that is available to them. This exercise will result in your line being dragged over the rocks and therefore, you may find that a monofilament line that is of substantial weight (17-30 lb) might be a better choice of line.

Your bait rig will be your next consideration. An octopus hook (2/0 size) on a fluorocarbon leader will be a good option. Create your own slider rig with a slider sinker in the 2-4 ounce range, and thread that onto your line. Your barrel should be rated for upwards of fifty pounds and a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader around 2 feet long should be the best possible rig you can use.

The northeast waters provide ample opportunity for landing blackfish if you are using the right rig and the right bait. Toss clams, sandworms, mussels or crabs into the rocky area and be prepared to not give into the temptation hang your rod in a sand spike. You’ll be far better off holding on to your rod since the first sign of a hit you’ll want to quickly get a chance to hook the tautog and reel him in.

When you are getting prepared for a saltwater fishing adventure, having the proper equipment is essential. Some of the most popular products on the market include van staal fishing reels, okuma reel, and shimano spinning reel.