Best Tog Jigs: Size, Weight & Color for Blackfish (Tautog Jig Guide)

Why Fish a Jig for Tog?

Tautog, called tog or blackfish, live right on top of rocks, wrecks, jetties, bridge pilings and mussel beds. A traditional tog rig with sinkers, swivels and two hooks has a lot of hardware to snag. A tog jig puts the weight and a single strong hook together, so it slides through the rocks better, you lose fewer rigs, and you feel the bite right through the line. Tog jigs have become a go-to from Virginia to New England.

How to Choose Tog Jig Weight

Depth and current decide your weight. Start light and go heavier only until the jig stays on the bottom and your line stays close to straight up and down. A jig that's too heavy wedges into the rocks and snags more; one that's too light drifts off the structure where the tog are feeding. On a boat, change weight as the tide speeds up and slows down through the day.

Tog Jig Hook Size

Tog have strong jaws and crushing teeth, so the hook needs to be strong and sized to the bait. A 2/0 or 3/0 hook works for half crabs, fiddlers and smaller tog. Step up to a 4/0, 5/0 or 6/0 for whole green crabs and when you're targeting big fish on deep wrecks. Our Tog Taco Jigs come in every size from 2/0 to 6/0 on Mustad 2X hooks.

Best Tog Jig Colors

The crab does most of the work, but color still helps. White and chartreuse are popular because they show up in stained water and low light. Natural crab tones like brown, green and black blend in on clear-water days. Orange and pink add a little extra flash. Keep a few colors in the box and switch when the bite slows.

Best Bait for Tog Jigs

• Green crabs: the classic tog bait. Use a whole small crab or cut a big one in half.
• Asian crabs: a great bait in many areas, often fished whole.
• White-leggers and other rock crabs: work well where tog are eating them.
• Fiddler crabs and clams: good options, especially early in the season.

To rig a crab, remove the legs and claws, then run the hook in through one leg socket and out the top of the shell so the point is exposed.

How to Fish a Tog Jig

1. Position over the structure and drop the jig straight down until it hits bottom.
2. Reel up the slack so you're in direct contact with the jig.
3. Lift and drop it slowly, a few inches at a time, keeping it on or just above the rocks.
4. When you feel the tap-tap of a tog crunching the crab, set the hook hard.
5. Pull the fish up and away from the structure right away, before it can dive back into the rocks.

When and Where to Catch Tog

Tog fishing is best in spring and fall, when water temperatures are cool and the fish move onto inshore rocks, jetties and wrecks. Look for structure with mussels and crabs on it. Seasons, size limits and bag limits change by state and by year, so always check your state's current regulations before you go.

Tog Jig FAQ

What size jig should I use for tog?
Use the lightest jig that holds the bottom: about 1/2oz to 1oz in shallow water, 1oz to 2oz at inlets and bridges, and 2oz to 4oz or more on deep wrecks with strong tide.

What color tog jig is best?
White and chartreuse are good all-around choices, with natural crab colors on clear-water days. Carry a few colors and switch if the bite slows.

Do tog jigs work for sheepshead?
Yes. Tog and sheepshead both eat crabs around structure, so the same jigs work for both. See our sheepshead jigs.

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