CBBT - Big Tog! 12/22/11, Thurs

[chex]

Awesome!! Congrats!

[kayakkevin]

nice big male, glad you didnt kill a big female

[jsquare]

That is a nice tog anywhere! Congrats!

[tufnik]

Thanks, guys.

I checked the Virginia regs on tautog for 2012. Apparently, tautog overfishing has been occurring since 2005. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) called for a 53% reduction in the coastwide harvest of blackfish effective January 1, 2012.

New regs for recreational tautog fishing:
- Minimum will be 16" (it was previously 14")
- Limit will be three per person (it was previously four)
- Tautog recreational fishing will be closed April 16 to Sept 23

It says nothing about restricting tautog possession to males only.

If you want tautog soon, fish now and until April 16. Although somewhat harder to catch during winter months, it's a good thing tautogs can still be caught. From what I heard, good tautog bites occur about March to June as well as late Fall.

Also, although not illegal to keep big females, it's a good practice to do C&R on them. Females about 12" can produce about 30,000 eggs a season, whereas females over 20" can produce nearly 200,000 eggs per season.