Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    re: .0
    
    	How large will cunners get? I've never seen any bigger than 8
    inches long. If they are as big and as scrappy as tautog, be prepared
    to use some fairly stout tackle! A decent size tautog can snap 10 lb.
    test mono like sewing thread.
    
    			Robert.

    re: .1
    
    Well, I haven't ever seen a cunner without the benefit of 15%-20%
    magnification, but some of the ones I saw this morning were a little
    over a foot long. BIG by cunner standards. They came out in droves
    when I cut open an urchin to  entertain a guest dive buddy from
    Chicago.
    
    John H-C

    I'll second the stout tackle for tautog. when i've fished for them,
    i use a beefy rod, 50-60 lb line, and a wire leader.
    
    They have teeth, and love rocky areas...
    
    You'll have your hands full with anything over 5 lbs. For some 
    reason they can cling to the bottom, and will refuse to come
    up. Several times i swore i was snagged on the bottom, when
    i actually had one on. One other thing, take some pliers,
    their lips are rubbery, and without them its hard to get the
    hook out.
    
    JIm

    
    Saltwater sunfish.  They're fiesty buggers... we catch'm by the
    bushell off the jetties on the Cape.  
    
    I use my 10' surf rod and a bluefish set up.  They love the little
    green crabs, but they'll hit just about anything.
    
    Tim 

    I caught a 8.5# tautog on 8# test and my med action 6'6" ugly stick.
    I have caught every species of fish I have ever caught on this rod. 
    Including codfish (well, Bruce actually caught a codfish on this rod).
    
    The tautog sucked down a crab, who was innocently sucking down my
    seaworm.  It hid in the rocks and after about 1/2 hour alternately
    coming out, running around and going back into the rocks, I landed it.
    
    Mighty fine eating fish.
    
    Tim
    

You say you're going to catch Tautog on Cape Ann? I 
didn't think they came that far north. Never seen any 
further north than the south shore of the cape. 

leo

 I've caught tautog off the jetty at Hampton Beach. (Not many.)

    
    When I said "tautog by the bushell" in my previous reply I wasn't
    exagerating.  We fish off the jetty in front of the Kennedy Compound
    down in Hyannis (the east end of Craigville beach).  Of late they're
    still pretty thin, but they're plentiful from mid-September through
    October.
    
    We got blown out of our Bluefish/Striper trip on September 4th (50MPH
    gusts).  We're planning on mid October for another shot at it... if
    the weather is foul, we'll fish for tautog in the forementioned locale.  
    
    Tim

    Tim---
    
    Tautogs are indeed rare around Cape Ann. In fact, I've only seen two of
    them in the last two years. I put the two together because they are so
    closely related, have the same diets, and share habitat preferences.
    
    John H-C

    
    John,
    
    Are you talking to ME "Tim" or the other one...?   The Cape I was
    refering to was Cod.
    
    Tim_T

    Oh, well, Tim, Leo, whatever... <grin>
    
    I've always been bad at names....

    Hi Guys,
    
    	I will be in Cape Cod fishing the weekend of the 27th, 28, 29th can
    anyone give locations of any hot spots for Tautog, Porgy's, etc all the
    good bottom eating fish. Also maybe who the best charter out there
    might be for cod, or what not. I've been down there many times on
    vacation and did very little fishing this trip is strictly for fishing.
    
    Thanks
    Frank

    I went on a nice bottom fishing party boat from Bourne.  Caught plenty
    of sea bass and scup (porgy).  I can't remember the boat's name, but if
    you mentioned it, I might remember... Capt was extremely pleasant.
    
    Tim
    

    RE: .13
    	Sea King maybe? The word in The Fisherman is that the tatuag are
    	starting to their fall run... I may head down that way and give is
    	a shot.
    
    	By the way, are the scup worth eating? I only caught them once and
    	released or gave them all to other fishermen.
    
    				Robert.

    
    The larger scup are good eating (or so I'm told).  I think anything
    under 3lbs. would probably be better served on a bluefish hook as 
    bait.  
    
    Tim (the other one 8))

    re: .14
    
    	wow! I'm amazed at how badly I screwed up the spelling of 'tautog'.
    
    		:*)
    			Robert.

    Sea King may well be the boat.  I believe you'll find that a record
    scup is like 3# 7oz, but I may be wrong.  A good scup is 1.5 # or
    better.  I've only caught them once.  I made chowder out of the smaller
    ones and fish parmesean out of the bigger ones.  They are not ideal
    fish for filleting.
    
    Tim
    

 They are ideal live bait for white marlin, though. :-)

    
    Hey Tim!
    
    My point about scup was that they make for better bait, than eating.
    I prefer a "steak sized" fish fillet.  I've caught scup on numerous
    occasions and they rarely run larger than 7 or 8 inches.
    
    Regards,
    
    Tim

    Scup are very tasty eating. You have to cut off their heads, clean
    them out and pan fry them (like those fresh water things). Then you
    have to pick your way through the bones (also like them freshwater
    things). But, they are tastey little devils. They've come in handy more
    than once to feed me when there seemed to be a scarcity of blues,
    bonito, etc.
    
    leo

    OK. I went out last weekend and picked up a bunch of scup and
    a few tautog. I gave everything away except for two of the scup -
    The scup were REALLY tasty however - I'm sure there must be a better
    way to clean these things! I scaled them, cut off their heads and
    gutted them - scaling these critters was tough work - is there a way
    to skin them? Also, does anyone know if scup freeze well?
    
    		Robert.
    
    P.S. - once cooked, the backbone and ribs pull right out leaving only
    	some small bones near the back - is there a way of cleaning out
    	these small bones?

    Here is a technique I've seen used to fillet Scup which I thought was
    quite effective.  You need a flat board, an electric knife and a mess
    of Scup.  I'm not sure how much of this is skill and how much of this 
    is technique but this person went through a bucket of the things in a
    matter of minutes.

    Lay the whole Scup flat.  Start with the electric knife behind the gill 
    cutting toward the bones.  Before you hit bone move the angle of the
    knife so that the blade is horizontal and proceed towards the tail.
    Don't cut all the way through.  With a quarter inch of flesh left to
    go flip the fillet over so it hinges before the tail and lies flat
    on the board.  Now the trick it to continue cutting in a smooth motion 
    right under the skin all the way through.  Turn the fish over and repeat.

    The prototypes might look a little hacked up but after a couple dozen
    you'll be a master.

    

    Was down the cape this past weekend and fishing on the south side of
    the cape we were taking Scup by the buckets, there were also some
    decent size Tautog being caght in the 8 to 10 pb range. I only saw a
    couple of sea bass. I did ahalf day charter but you could do just as
    well offshore.
    
    Scup are delicious little critters and I could not believe the fight
    they give you on light tackle. In order to filet them RE: .21 have a
    small pair of pliers ready also to help pull off some of the skin and
    bones.
    
    Frank