The tautog bite has been outstanding this year

Fishing for tautog (also called black fish) has been outstanding for the past four to five years. The fish have been abundant and quite large.

This year in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, from Aug. 1 to Oct. 14, the limit is three fish/person/day. On Oct. 15, the limit jumps to five fish/person/day until Dec. 31. Anglers are allowed just one trophy fish, 21” or larger; the minimum size is 16”. And there is a 10-fish-per-boat limit for private recreational vessels.

Favorite tautog tips

Tautog rigs should have as little hardware as possible to avoid bottom tie-ups. I make single hook rigs with about seven or eight feet of monofilament leader and attach it to the main braid line directly with a dropper loop for a pre-snelled ‘Lazar Sharp’ brand hook (you need sharp hooks to get through tough tautog lips). The loop is about five inches above the sinker.

More and more anglers are using tautog jigs tipped with crab with good success as their go-to bait. The jigs are made in a variety of colors, mimicking the food tautog love to eat, such as Asian crabs, baby lobsters and green crabs (whole or cut in half).

Find the structure to find tautog

Tautog can be fished from shore or boat and in both cases they like structure (rocks, wrecks, bridge piers, dock pilings, mussel beds, ledges holes and humps along the coast).  So, no structure, no tautog.

Boat placement is important

Find structure, estimate wind/drift direction and anchor up current from where you want to fish and drift back to the spot as the anchor is setting. Once in position, fish on all sides of the boat.  Cast a bit to cover as much area as you can.

If still no bites, let some anchor line out to change your position. If still no bites, move the vessel. You cannot catch fish where there are no fish. 

Tautog baits

Green crabs or Asian crabs are the baits of choice in the fall. When using green crabs, make it easy for the tautog to bite and take the bait. I like to break off most of the legs and claws, leaving one per side on the end, cut the crab in half and hook it through one leg socket and out another. Often, I will even take the shell off to make things easy for the tautog. 

Where to fish for tautog

From shore, look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport and off jetties along our coastal shore. From a boat I have had good luck at Plum Point light house next to the Jamestown Bridge, the rock jetty at Coddington Cove in Portsmouth, off Hope Island, General Rock in North Kingstown, around Brenton Reef and Seal Ledge off Newport, off Narragansett at rock clusters or the bolder field off Scarborough, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage and any other place there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc. It is good to find your own spots, as popular ones often get overfished.

New plan for Massachusetts Marine Fisheries

The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game announced today the release of a five-year strategic plan, “Connections: Working Together for Nature,” to guide the agency’s work from 2025 to 2030. The plan covers the work of its four divisions, including the Division of Marine Fisheries.

The plan establishes a unifying vision for the department, focusing on solutions at the intersection of biodiversity, climate change, and environmental justice, while advancing the priorities of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

To explore the Department of Fish & Game’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2030 and see the timeline for implementation, visit mass.gov/DFG-strategicplan.

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater fishing has slowed with all this warm weather. However, anglers are catching largemouth using topwater frogs as bait, as the lily pads and vegetation on the surf is at its peak,” said Nick Krajewski of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, Noth Kingstown.

Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, Warwick, said, “Many anglers are bait fishing and fishing low in the deeper water, many with Wackey Rigs. Ponds producing local are Goran’s Pond, Sandy Pond and Little Pond in Warwick.”

Striped bass, bluefish, bonito

“While striped bass fishing is hot at the Cape Cod Canal, it is also good at Block Island. However, anglers have and are experiencing shark predation,” said Nick Krajewski of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown. As anglers bring their catch to the boat, often when it arrives at the boat and it is slowed, sharks take their catch. Anglers are advised to be careful about putting their hands in the water when boating or releasing fish.

Fluke (summer flounder),
black sea bass and scup

Kevin Fetzer of East Greenwich and his fishing partner, Joe Klinger of South Kingstown, hooked up with a 21”, a 22”, a big fluke that got away at the boat, and five nice sized scup in the West Passage near Austin Hollow last week.

Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “Fluke reports picked up last week. The quantity of fish was high, with constant action. Still a lot of smaller fish, but constant action. We had multiple fish come in over 5 pounds. The best bite seems to be in front of Point Judith, Matunuck, and East Beach.

Nick Krajewski of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle said, “The fluke bite at Block Island is very good. But it is spotty along the southern coastal shore and off Newport, but anglers are still catching some nice fish. And the black sea bass bite at Block Island is outstanding.” “Wednesday we had a 19” and a 22” fluke caught right off the Rocky Point Warwick Fishing Pier  Anglers are also catching large scup, sea robins and Northern Kingfish from the Pier, too,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box.

Tautog

Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “Reports of a good tautog bite with a mix of healthy sea bass happily taking a half crab on a jig. Shallow water tends to be producing better bites for tog.”

Bluefin tuna

“Tuna reports last week were good. The bite is coming from jig and troll. With the weather window this week looking promising, we hope the bite holds up so more boats can get out to try their luck,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle. “The bite story this week is the bluefin tuna bite. School tuna, many of them below 45”, are being caught with some larger keeper fish mixed in. And there are plenty of giants out there too. Some anglers are hooking up while jigging. So, we have small tuna and giant bluefin, but the mid-sized fish are far and few between.”

Dave Monti holds a head captain’s license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.