Posted on February 10th, 2020
The Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA is in the books now and it was a great 9 days of talking with folks about fishing in Ocean City and doing all of the other great things that the town has to offer. I sold a few rigs and the our charters booked a few trips so it was a great week. On the drive home last night I got a great fishing report from Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star with some pics of some reely nice tog. I got home so late I wanted to save it for today so it gets the justice it deserves.
What a gorgeous start to a day. Bright & nearly full, 4:30 am moonlight lit the ocean almost as if daylight. Far off the beach come sunrise, we dropped a fantastic reef unit, (materials Capt Kane had picked up in Lewes all lashed together with a pyramid.)
Kept paddling.
Ocean calm as a mill pond, two anchors tight, lines in – some OK fish coming in a decent pick – a tag return, three more, then eight. Put back 20-some fresh tags too, up to 22.5 inches. (Many clients today realize the best way to catch a 15 pound tog is to put a lot of ten pounders back.)
A few tog in the bleed-bucket, others going back, now thirteen tag returns up to 21.5 inches
..then Mike Sadowski of Queens NY caught my largest tautog tag return ever, a 28.5 inch – fourteen and a half pound dandy. Took measurements and put her back.
I thought that an awesome way to win the pool – with a giant tag re-release, but Joe Mole’ from Long Island wasn’t having it.
He’d walked forward and dropped by the anchor winch – man what a fight. Will get a good weight dockside. I considered the fish too exhausted for a release candidate. At sea the 29.75 inch tog bounced the scale from 18 to 20lb 8oz.
Nice.
Few men fish harder. Glad to see Joe land such an awesome fish.
Among other pics (any yellow dorsal tags are ALS recaptures) ..here are Steve Mattino and Bill DaCosta of Long Island – Jabarie Walker from Mount Vernon NY – Tre Elliot from ManDance DE – & Mark Sun of Bethesda MD..
Also included in today’s group snap are Tommy Lee from Queens – OJ Kwan from NJ – & John Mattu of West Chester NY.
Official Weight:
