Capt. Bounds shares record tautog story

  Angler Kenneth Westerfeld of Bayside, NY with his 28.8 pound tautog.

 Capt. Bounds (far right) and Ken Westerfeld with tautog and his five fishing buddies

Matt Kryszczynski from Stamford, CT with cod fish he caught on the Seven B’s Saturday.

Capt. Bounds shares record tautog story

 
Last Friday Kenneth Westerfeld of Bayside Queens, New York landed a 28.8 pound, 35” tautog which if verified will be the new all-tackle International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) world record. The current world record of 25 pounds was set in 1998 by Anthony Monica fishing out of Ocean City, New Jersey.

Westerfeld said on his facebook page, “Well I can only thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for bringing me this bite, and Capt. Kane Bounds for putting me on this wreck.” 

Capt. Kane Bounds of Fish Bound Charters, Ocean City, Maryland said, “Ken did it, he managed to land a very impressive 28.8 pound tautog.  We were fishing a small wreck about 20 miles southeast of Ocean City, MD in 75 feet of water.  The water was 47 degrees.  Ken was using 50 pound test braid line and a Snafu rig with a white (Jonah) crab about the size of a large whole green crab (the type of crab we commonly use here in RI and MA).” 

The Snafu rig, often used when targeting large tautog is a double hook rig where two hooks on either end of an eighteen inch line are placed in one crab with the sinker and leader to the main line tied into a loop in the middle so the crab sits on the bottom when fishing.  Visit YouTube and search for Snafu rig to learn how this rig is tied and used.

 Capt. Bounds said, “The fish started to fight about half way up and it took Ken about five minutes to bring it in. What was unusual is that this fish was a male, we have caught a number of large tautog in the 15 to 20 pound range in the past and they have all been female. The second largest fish of the day was 12.8 pounds. ”

It is no longer legal to fish for tautog in Rhode Island as the recreational season ended December 15, 2014, with the spring season scheduled to start sometime in April, 2015.

Narragansett Surfcasters to hold surf day and used tackle sale

The Narragansett Surfcasters is having their 2nd Annual Surf Day and Used Tackle Sale Saturday, January 24, 2015, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Narragansett Community Center, 53 Mumford Road, Narragansett, RI. “This is a great opportunity to pick up quality tackle at a reasonable cost, attend three great seminars and have some food and refreshments.” said Cliff Richer, club vice president.   

 Local plug and lure builders will have items on display as well as rod builders, reel repair technicians, antique/collectible plugs and a lot of new and used quality tackle displays.  Seminars will include Reel

Maintenance by Dave Morton of Beavertail Reel Repair at 11:30 a.m.; Kayak Fishing  by Capt. Howard Reed of Narrow River Custom Rods/Galilee Bait & Tackle at 12:30 p.m. and Fishing the Block and Cuttyhunk by Tommy McGuire at 1:30 p.m. 

Food will include Rocky Point famous chowder & clam cakes, chili, meatball sandwiches, hot dogs, etc.

$3.00 admission donation for adults for the club’s "Take a Kid Fishing Day". For information visit www.narragansettsurfcasters.com .

 DEM stocks ponds with trout

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) plans to stock eight ponds with 3,000 trout this week for the winter fishing season.   Carbuncle Pond, Coventry; Olney Pond, Lincoln; Barber Pond, South Kingstown; Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown; Upper Melville Pond, Portsmouth; and Round Top Ponds, Burrillville will be stocked with trout.

“Even though there is no ice currently, we have had many beautiful days for fishing this winter. Getting out in the fresh air is a great way to start the New Year and generate excitement for Opening Day in April.” says Catherine Sparks, assistant director for Natural Resources.

A current fishing license and a Trout Conservation Stamp are required to keep or possess a trout. The daily creel and possession limit for trout Dec 1, 2014-February 28, 2015 currently stands at two per day.

How do you know if ice is safe?

Ice must have a uniform thickness of at least six inches before it is considered safe by DEM.  It generally takes at least five to seven consecutive days of temperatures in the low 20’s for safe ice to form.  In addition to the requisite cold temperatures, ice thickness is also determined by factors such as the size and depth of a pond, presence of springs or currents, and local temperature fluctuations. For ice conditions in your city or town check with local police and at Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park, call DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation at 667-6200.  Visit www.riparks.com for an ice safety guide.

Where’s the bite

Cod fishing remains strong with the Seven B’s, Francis Fleet and Island Current party boats reporting good fishing.   Capt. Russ Benn of the Seven Bs said, “Cod fishing was very good Saturday. There were a number of cod in the 8-12 pound range… High hook had 8 keepers and the largest cod was just shy of 19 lbs. High-low bait rigs, with fresh clams, outperformed the anglers using jigs. The Seven B’s will be sailing Friday thru Sunday leaving at 5:00 a.m. Captain Andrew Dangelo will be at the helm for the Cod fishing season. Call him at (401) 788-6012 for reservations.”    Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said Saturday they had “a nice turnout and a very good catch of fish. Well over 100 nice green cod on board with the pool fish just over 20 lbs and a dozen other fish right behind in the mid to upper teens.  Hi hook took home eight fish and both bait and jigs did well with the fish spread evenly around the Lady Frances. Fishing in general is very good.”

Party boats sailing for cod fish at this time include the Seven B’s at www.sevenbs.com, the Frances Fleet at www.francesfleet.com and Island Current at www.islandcurrent.com.