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00:00On this week's World of Saltwater Fishing, I'll be out of Cape May, New Jersey,
00:03targeting what many mid-Atlantic to Northeast anglers consider a cold fish.
00:08If you know, you know.
00:10And if you don't, stay tuned.
00:12We're going to tell you all about the Taw Tawg.
00:14The Taw Tawg or Blackfish,
00:44the exact nomenclature really depends on what part of the geography that you're fishing out of,
00:50is what I like to refer to as a cold fish.
00:53Being a South Florida angler, I do a lot of grouper fishing,
00:57and I'm listening to these anglers get all excited about dropping down
01:01and trying to horse out this fish that looks ironically similar to our parrot fish.
01:07And I'm thinking they really don't know the mechanics of getting down and dirty
01:12until one day I decided to try that.
01:14And I have to tell you, I left with a newfound respect for this fish.
01:20Yes, they're extremely hard to get a bait to based on their rocky structure.
01:25They're very difficult to hook.
01:27And once you hook a good size one, like our grouper fishing,
01:30you have to give it everything you're worth to keep them out of the rocks.
01:34I'm Captain Tom Daffin of Fish and Fever Charters.
01:38I've been in business since 2003,
01:42and we do a whole bunch of different types of fisheries,
01:46anything that Jersey has to offer.
01:47So fast forward to now, Cape May, New Jersey.
01:51In one of the noted guides in this area, Captain Tom Daffin
01:54specializes in catching big tot-tog,
01:58and he and I set forth to go ahead and challenge blackfish or tot-tog off of New Jersey.
02:17We boarded Tom Daffin's boat, Fish and Fever, out of Cape May,
02:21and it was a really foggy kind of a day.
02:26The winds were down, which happened to be very, very good
02:28because a lot of precision anchoring has to take place to stay right on top of these spots.
02:35So I guess the big challenge initially was just working our way through the fog to get to spots.
02:41Now, Tom explained that he has a series of spots
02:44that we would start on what he liked to call the inshore spots first,
02:47which were basically the Cape May reef system.
02:51We would progress to some of Tom's deeper spots
02:54where he has gotten very, very lucky with monster blackfish,
02:58double-digit blackfish, and some actually breaking 20 pounds.
03:02People feel as though, like, oh, well, you know, 6, 8, 10, 12-pound fish,
03:06how hard can they really fight?
03:08That's why we use super heavy tackles, 60 and 80-pound type tackle for these fish.
03:13And Tom was just dialing to his electronics and running to our first spot.
03:18We were now in prime position looking back at the Simran machine
03:22where we saw this structure right underneath us.
03:25It was time to go to work catching Taw Tawg, the cold fish.
03:28A little crunch, get the goo going a little bit, you're set.
03:43So we would drop down, get our crabs baited up,
03:48and then you would wait, and then you would feel,
03:51depending on how they were feeding, a tap-tap,
03:53and you'd give it a little slack, tap-tap.
03:57And basically what you were waiting for was the Taw Tawg
04:01to pull that rod tip down,
04:04then you would come up and set the hook.
04:06There you go.
04:15Yeah, keep them coming.
04:16I think I got into your fish there.
04:17Oh, I got you?
04:18Yeah, that's all right.
04:19I think you probably got a fish there, too.
04:20There you go.
04:22There you go.
04:23Who got better?
04:25You got him.
04:27There you go.
04:28All right.
04:29A little nicer-sized fish there.
04:38And then initially, again,
04:40I'm referring back to our grouper fishing down south,
04:43you had to give it everything that you had
04:45just in case you had a big fish on
04:47that might try to run you down into rocks.
04:49And once you got that fish out of that danger zone,
04:52then it was just a matter of taking it easy with the fish,
04:54relaxing, enjoying the fight,
04:56until you would see a beautiful black fish.
04:58Well, I say beautiful.
04:59I guess it's a relative term.
05:01Like I said, it looks like a pair of fish.
05:03But there is the cold fish coming up through the water,
05:05and either Tom or myself lifting it into the boat
05:08or with the big ones, slipping the net under it.
05:10It's really a remarkably cool fishery.
05:13George Poveromo's world of saltwater fishing
05:16is proudly brought to you by
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05:20Mako, you'll find them where the fish are.
05:23Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's,
05:24your adventure starts here.
05:26Mercury Marine, go boldly.
05:28George, we'll be right back.
05:31With the tog bike beginning to heat up,
05:34Tom Daffin's subtle tactics pay off in a big way.
05:37I'm fishing in federal waters off Cape May, New Jersey,
05:39with the king of tog himself, Captain Tom Daffin.
05:43When you're fishing alongside the king of tog,
05:48which is what I like to refer Tom Daffin as,
05:52you pick up fast.
05:54You know the subtleties that are involved,
05:57but even subtleties have subtleties.
06:00And initially, he just started going to town.
06:03Any messing with you?
06:05That one didn't mess around.
06:07He tried to rip the rod out of your hand.
06:10A little better fish here.
06:12There you do.
06:14Hey, I'm going to snap my social media pic for that one.
06:25There you go.
06:27Look at that.
06:27As soon as you throw the bow in the line,
06:38they start beating it up real hard.
06:46But that split setup's working.
06:48This thing is getting a lot of action.
06:49Yep, absolutely.
06:50Ah, probably a small keeper-ish sauce.
07:00No, there's two.
07:01A double header.
07:02Seabass.
07:02What are you, both?
07:03Seabass and a top.
07:04Oh, there you go.
07:05You got one of each.
07:07And that was on one bait.
07:08And he was converting those taps and bites into release fish.
07:17It took a while for me to really get in the groove,
07:20but I would watch Tom,
07:22and I'd watch how he'd hold his rod,
07:24and he had some pretty neat tricks.
07:27He said, when you feel them pecking at that crab,
07:30but they're not aggressively feeding,
07:32he says, put the rod out there,
07:34give it a little bit of slack,
07:35and start slapping the back of the rod.
07:39Sometimes, he said,
07:40it telegraphs like a vibration
07:42like that crab might be trying to get away.
07:45And he said, sometimes,
07:46it pushes the fish over the edge
07:47and draws a more aggressive strike.
07:50Or if you need help.
07:54Man, it should be all right here.
07:57I want to watch the action.
08:04Sort of like grouper fishing back home for me.
08:10I always say that these things
08:11are like Jersey's version of a grouper.
08:13They're even built the same.
08:16There you go.
08:17You made them or you put them?
08:18Oh, I'll lift them right.
08:18All right.
08:20A decent fish.
08:22Yes, it is.
08:23That's a beauty.
08:25I've got to get a couple of social media pictures of this, too.
08:27Absolutely, man.
08:28You just can't fish anymore
08:30and do TV shows.
08:31You've got to do 5,000 different things.
08:32If you're into releasing these fish,
08:35the best thing to do is,
08:36once you hit them,
08:37you get them 5, 6, 7 turns off the bottom
08:40just to get them away from the wreck,
08:41slow down.
08:43Just do a slow, moderate crank
08:45and bring the fish up.
08:47And that has to do with any type of bottom fish.
08:49You're not going to hurt the fish
08:51due to barotrauma.
08:52When bottom fish are reeled up
08:54from significant depths,
08:55they may experience barotrauma.
08:57This is when a quick change in pressure
08:59causes a fish's swim bladder to expand.
09:01When released,
09:02a fish with barotrauma will flounder about at the surface
09:05and ultimately die.
09:06Descending devices are necessary to counter barotrauma.
09:10I used a sequelizer
09:11to help a fish with barotrauma
09:13decompress on its descent back to bottom.
09:16A desired release depth
09:17can be set on a sequelizer
09:18where its clip opens
09:19and allows the fish to swim away, decompress.
09:23Fortunately, on this trip with Tom Daffin,
09:25we were fishing over shallower wrecks
09:27where a togs swam straight to bottom
09:29minus the aid of a descending device.
09:32So Tom, at this point in time,
09:33was definitely covering me with the numbers
09:36and now he had that seven-pounder early in the game
09:40which was putting him
09:42as far as the heavy tog of the trip.
09:44But Tom's a knockout order.
09:45He goes for a big tog
09:47and I knew I still had
09:49at least three quarters of a day left
09:50to try to give him a rundown.
09:52I figured seven-pounder
09:53should be pretty easy to beat,
09:55especially with a guy like Tom
09:56and especially on the numbers
09:58that he's taken us to.
10:01Atlantic City's a short drive from Cape May.
10:03We stayed at Resorts Casino Hotel
10:05which is right on the boardwalk.
10:07A favorite place of mine,
10:08we bring the New Jersey leg
10:10of our Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series here.
10:13Resorts' well-appointed accommodations
10:14range from Premier Queen's Single Rooms
10:17to Coral Junior Suites
10:18with two queen rooms,
10:20twin bathrooms, and living area.
10:22Spread out over 80,000 square feet
10:24of casino space or board games
10:26and 1,300 slot machines.
10:29There are numerous shops,
10:31entertainment options,
10:32meeting spaces,
10:33and dining establishments.
10:35Speaking of dining,
10:36we were hosted by Resorts' famous
10:38Capriccio's Italian Restaurant.
10:41The old-world-inspired dining room
10:43overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and Boardwalk.
10:45We enjoyed seafood pasta
10:46and filet mignon entrees.
10:48The surprise dessert
10:49was a homemade souffle.
10:52Another favorite stop of ours
10:54is the Bass Pro Shops in Atlantic City.
10:57One could get immersed
10:58within the themed decor
10:59of this major attraction.
11:01I've been here numerous times
11:02and still stroll the aisles
11:03in sheer amazement.
11:05The store boasts
11:05one of the largest selection
11:06of outdoors clothing
11:07and related goods
11:08and, of course,
11:10fresh and saltwater fishing tackle.
11:12What's more,
11:13Bass Pro Shops Atlantic City
11:14is a tracker boat center
11:15where everything from pontoon boats
11:17to nitro bass boats
11:19and, yes,
11:20Mako boats are sold.
11:21It's well worth a visit
11:22if you're in or near Atlantic City.
11:25Make no mistake,
11:26Atlantic City is a magical
11:27and fun place to visit.
11:29George Poveromo's world
11:31of saltwater fishing
11:32is proudly brought to you by
11:33Simrad.
11:35Never settle.
11:38Rapala.
11:38Holds the world record
11:40for world records.
11:42Suffix.
11:43Always use the best line.
11:45Starbright.
11:46Clean and protect
11:47with Starbright.
11:49George.
11:51With Tom Daffin
11:52dialed in on the tog,
11:53I soon mastered the touch
11:55and got in on the action myself.
11:56We're fishing in federal waters
11:58offshore Cape May, New Jersey.
12:04And after watching him,
12:06how his rod placement was,
12:08how he was finessing
12:09the strikes
12:10and then hooking up,
12:12then I followed suit,
12:14made some slight adjustments
12:15and guess what?
12:17I was now catching tog
12:19almost as good as Tom Daffin
12:21and it was getting to be
12:23quite the enjoyable day.
12:24Seems a little better.
12:27Yeah, nothing big,
12:28but not a dink.
12:33And we've got a hold of a...
12:37Well, there he is.
12:38Little little guy.
12:43Let this guy hook both ways
12:44and make him look...
12:45Ah, got him suitcased!
12:47Okay.
12:48We're picking away
12:49quite the bite.
12:50There are a lot of them
12:51and how long you give each
12:52either a rock pile
12:53that we're on right now
12:54or a wreck before moving on?
12:56Usually give them anywhere
12:57from, you know,
12:5925 to 45 minutes
13:00according to how much life
13:01is on there.
13:02If you think it feels
13:03as though you can get
13:04a few better fish out of it
13:05or, you know,
13:06I mean, if they all seem small,
13:08all right, give it,
13:09you know, 30, 40 minutes
13:10and then move on
13:11to the next one.
13:14All right.
13:14And he just, what,
13:15broke one off over there
13:16and we got this guy here.
13:17Yeah, and it broke off
13:18a nice one over there
13:19on the jig.
13:20Just kept digging me
13:21right down to the structure.
13:22Yeah.
13:24All right.
13:24And the little release guy,
13:25he's in and boom,
13:27back off to the bottom.
13:35Yep.
13:36Let's grab the leader
13:37and lift him right in.
13:38You can stuff that in.
13:42All right.
13:43Let me help you out
13:44with this one.
13:44All right.
13:45Get that guy out of there.
13:46That's nice, Tom.
13:47Perfect.
13:48That is good, too.
13:51So, I'm going to check those teeth.
13:52You just want to get
13:53a real tie to the dentition,
13:55the teeth on those things.
13:57And you look at those teeth
13:58and you wonder,
13:59how could they get
14:00a big crab in there?
14:02But somehow they do.
14:03And, you know,
14:05and sometimes they just
14:06work around it
14:07like the skill of a surgeon
14:09and get that crab
14:11off the hooks.
14:12They're masters at that, too.
14:13So it just goes
14:15to the overall skill set
14:16of actually fishing
14:16for these species.
14:19There you go.
14:38It's a fun species.
14:40It really is.
14:41And it does take
14:42a lot of skill.
14:43And you need to be
14:44really honed
14:45to be successful.
14:48Taw-tawg,
14:48also known as flackfish,
14:49are highly sought after
14:50by mid-Atlantic
14:51and New England
14:51wreck-and-bottom
14:52fishing anglers.
14:53Off New Jersey,
14:54in particular,
14:55they have a colt-like following.
14:57A member of the Rast family,
14:58Taw-tawg forage on crabs,
15:00oysters, mussels,
15:01and other shellfish,
15:02which they catch and crush
15:03with their large
15:04canine-like teeth.
15:05Best bet?
15:06Acquire to feel
15:07to roll your bait
15:08over rocks
15:08and drop it
15:09in nooks and fissures
15:10where these fish lurk.
15:11If you're not
15:11occasionally hanging bottom,
15:13your bait isn't
15:13where it should be.
15:15And ArtByPasta.com
15:17from Catch the Canvas
15:18rendering.
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15:21George,
15:21we'll be right back.
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15:49So here we go.
15:51I'm getting the hang of this
15:52and doing pretty good.
15:53Yeah, I'm holding my own
15:54against Tom,
15:56you know,
15:56the Tog King over here.
15:59And he still has me
16:00on numbers
16:00and he still has me
16:03with the heavier fish,
16:04like a seven-pounder,
16:05I think,
16:06was what we determined
16:07to be the heaviest
16:08at this point in time.
16:10So we both drop back again.
16:12So we're fishing
16:13on this one spot here.
16:14I hadn't fished it before.
16:16All right, let's give it a shot.
16:18It's structure.
16:19There ought to be
16:19some fish there.
16:20And the baits hit bottom.
16:22And they're there
16:23no longer than,
16:24I don't know,
16:24I don't know
16:25if we kept them down there
16:26for two minutes,
16:28but he hooks up
16:29and I see that rod bend.
16:31I hooked a good fish,
16:33doubled it up,
16:34got a few cracks
16:35on the fish,
16:36fish turned,
16:37burned me back down
16:38over top of the structure,
16:39pow, break it off.
16:41When we're so disappointed
16:42about what happened,
16:43bam,
16:43I get slammed on my rod
16:45and I whined
16:46and now I got this fish
16:48charging down
16:49to the bottom.
16:50I've got a big one on.
16:52Oh, I've got a good one here.
16:53Yeah, that's a real one.
16:56Oh, you're going to get me in.
16:58Well, he's not.
16:58He's coming nice and easy.
17:01This thing almost
17:01had me in the rocks.
17:03Grouper style.
17:04Have a look.
17:11Oh, beautiful tog.
17:12Look at this thing.
17:14That's a real one.
17:17Tom!
17:18Nice job, buddy.
17:22Whoa.
17:23Here's your double digit, buddy.
17:24Yes, it is.
17:26And I'm telling you,
17:28you got the spots.
17:29I've got to give you credit.
17:30Keep it as busy.
17:31That thing had me
17:32when I was worried about him.
17:34I'm going to be totally
17:35brutally honest with you.
17:37I'm going to say
17:38that's a solid 12.
17:42Beautiful fish.
17:48All right, Tom, let's go.
17:49You're going to wait.
17:50You're good at that, right?
17:51I'm going to say that's 12.
17:53All right.
17:54That's going to be my guess.
17:56Got her.
17:56Oh, you.
17:58What you waiting in at?
18:00I am wrong.
18:02I am wrong.
18:0413 and a half.
18:05I'll take it.
18:0713 and a half.
18:08You got your teenager, man.
18:09Yes, I did.
18:11Wow.
18:12Nice.
18:13George got bit hard by a fish,
18:15was able to turn the fish,
18:16and got a beauty out of it.
18:18So I guess out of my two talk trips I've done before in my life, my new personal best.
18:28What do you know?
18:29And we got that fish, a couple social media pictures, got the fish down, released it.
18:35That gave a big, hard kick of the tail, and I watched that 13-pound, 8-ounce tall go right
18:40to the bottom.
18:41I felt so good because we got our trophy fish on this occasion.
18:46And you know what?
18:49I'm leading Tom now with big fish.
18:52I don't know many people that could do that on his boat.
18:54The fishing opportunities off of New Jersey, it rarely disappoints.
19:09I've had a number of incredible fishing trips up in here.
19:12I enjoy coming here.
19:14And to be with Tom Daffin again, to go after Tata, again, or blackfish,
19:20depending on how you want to call it, was really a treat because it's something so totally
19:24different than what we do down south.
19:27Yes, we bottom fish, but to come up here and fish for what I refer to as the colt fish is
19:34pretty amazing.
19:34And to end up the day that we had with over 30 releases and that beautiful 13.8-pounder,
19:41it was exceptional for me.
19:44We really look forward to having more people come down to Cape May to come try out this
19:48hog fishery, try all of our fisheries out down here.
19:52There's pretty much everything that you ever want to get on a plane and go fishing for out
19:57down in South America, Central America, Florida, North Carolina.
20:02We have a myriad of fisheries here, anywhere from offshore to inshore, and we just like
20:09to see more people come down and give us a try.
20:12If you're a fan of our show, keep up with our adventures by following us on social media.
20:17I'm on Instagram at George Poveromo.
20:20And on Facebook, go to facebook.com forward slash George.Poveromo.
20:26You can also watch your episodes at any time on YouTube at George Poveromo TV.
20:31We'll see you on the water.
20:33We'll see you on the water.
20:48Bye.
20:48We'll see you next time.
20:48Bye.
20:48Bye.
20:52Bye.
20:52Bye.
20:53Bye.
20:53Bye.
20:55Bye.
20:57Bye.
20:58Bye.
20:59Bye.
20:59Bye.
21:00Bye.
21:01Bye.
21:01Bye.
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