Inshore · 60 ft · beaches, bays, inlets and rips

Tautog

Tautoga onitis. Out of season in every region we cover this month.

Tautog identification illustration
LaneInshore · 10 fa (60 ft)
Depth it holds13–82 ft
Prime water45–64°F (workable 45–72°F)
Holds in the column13–82 ft down (on the bottom)
Judged onseabed temperature (RTOFS at depth)
Structurerequires

How it's fished

Green crabs tight to rocks, mussel beds and wreck rubble; light tide.

Region by region — right now

RegionSeasonPrime waterTempFish it atMonths
New England off-season reaches Penobscot Bay 53°F 13–71 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
Mid-Atlantic off-season reaches Montauk 60°F ~60 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 10-fathom lane whose seabed temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 10-fathom lane