NJ Saltwater Fisherman Forums

NJ Saltwater Fishing Reports and Information => Helping Each Other Out => Topic started by: gymrat987654321 on January 04, 2011, 11:56:58 AM

Title: Tommy Cod?
Post by: gymrat987654321 on January 04, 2011, 11:56:58 AM

I heard reports of tommy cod caught in the waters around me but I have no idea how to catch these guys. I've never seen one and heard just as little about them. How do you fish for them? What to kind of rig do you use and what kind of bait? Thanks guys.

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: bassnblues on January 04, 2011, 01:22:52 PM

I've caught them when clamming and worming for stripers in the hudson. They are small so I'd use a small piece of clam on a slip sinker rig with a 1/0 or smaller hooks. Good luck.

If anyone knows, I'd be interested to know if they are baby codfish or thire own species?

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: SurfJockey on January 04, 2011, 01:26:33 PM

http://www.gma.org/fogm/Microgadus_tomcod.htm

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: bassnblues on January 04, 2011, 01:38:02 PM

 t^

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: Capt. Carl on January 04, 2011, 02:03:44 PM

Yup...Tommy Cod are in the Cod Family but are not the Mighty CodFish caught offshore...they used to be caught with abundance with the inshore Whiting and Ling back in the day around Raritan Bay and the Hudson River. They are more of a brackish water fish caught in rivers and estuaries.

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: gjb1969 on March 27, 2012, 02:16:15 PM

tommys from march got them on small chunks of shrimp used chum to them biteing smalls hooks was the way to get them

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: gymrat987654321 on March 27, 2012, 07:40:27 PM

Nice! I've never caught one. Figured they would be a good fish to target in January and February when cabin fever strikes.

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: BigAl13 on March 27, 2012, 07:54:41 PM

I use to catch them when i was a kid in weehawken on snapper zappers

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: Duffman on March 27, 2012, 08:55:39 PM

Fished them in the Hudson from the VZ north just past the GW for years as a kid, then again after I bought my first skiff launching under the GW.

Basically anything for bait works...bloods,sands,squid,clam,ham, cheese (no NOT kidding!) bunker pieces, etc.  They are bottom scavengers, so whatever smells good they will try and swallow.

Small hooks, basic tandem bottom hook does the job.

Would bring em home as kid and try to acclimate them to a cold water aquarium...never worked, they stunk up the tank bad, discharging all kinds of nasty....stuff/scum/slime  into the tank water!

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: Hunter 2 on March 27, 2012, 09:45:06 PM

Not very handsome fish :-\

Title: Re: Tommy Cod?
Post by: bayonne on April 10, 2012, 12:11:21 PM

they do good with them down at bradys dock gymrat and get hake mixed in aswell worms on a small hook