Angler Rick Sustello (left photo)caught this bruiser tautog off Narragansett once water started to settle down this past Sunday. He and angler Larry Norin caught thirty tautog between 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Several weeks of storms and gale force winds created turbid and dirty water that decreased tautog fishing and the quality of the fishing. Anglers hoped fishing would pick up this past week as weather cleared, things seem to get better at the beginning of the week after the water settled down.
I fished Saturday and the weather was outstanding. There was little wind and seas were flat and calm seas. However, the tautog fishing was not good. I caught eight tautog and the largest was 15”. Reports of poor tautog fishing came in all week through Saturday. On the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association’s blog, Bart Wagner of Little Rhody Tackle said he caught “Two small keepers (tautog) and three shorts. Good conditions and company but terrible bite”. Art Marshall fished Castle Hill to Buzzards Bay Tower and said, “The tog were not cooperating on any drop I made … from 30' depth to 95'. I should have listened to words of wisdom from an old timer "4-5 days after a gale". If you were in Newport today you saw everybody moving from spot to spot,
Captain Rich Hittinger said, “We got out for a half day on Saturday morning and the tautog were not biting off Newport or Narragansett. We marked fish, but they were not biting because of the dirty water. In 3 hours we caught 0 tautog even though we stopped at five spots. We did catch a 39" 25 pound striper that we tagged and released. That was on a green crab. Other guys went out to Block Island and the water was cleaner out there. They did well on tautog on rock piles off Clay Head.” Captain Rick Bellavance of Priority Too Charters said, “We fished on Saturday and Sunday for tautog. The fishing was very good on both days. We fished on several wrecks and rock piles along the south shore of Block Island and found 40 fish up to 10 pounds each day. Most of the Charter Fleet has been staying away from Newport and the South Shore due to the poor water quality, getting further offshore has been the ticket…”
Tautog are very sensitive to dirty water. Sand in the water kicked up by storms irritates their gills and reduces visibility so waiting until the water calms down after storms is a good idea. Last Sunday, things did seem to settle down a bit, the water cleared and anglers started to catch fish. Rick Sustello of North Kingston fished off Narragansett Beach Sunday and said, “Well, after not getting a bite on Saturday, Sunday afternoon came out OK. Larry Norin and I caught about 30 tog off Narragansett from 1 to 3:30 p.m.”
Fisheries Commission rejects striped bass expansion
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission rejected a proposal to increase the coastal commercial quota of striped bass. Only two state, Rhode Island and New York voted yes to the increase The final vote was six in favor and nine opposed. The recreational angler community testified against the increase saying that the striped bass fishery was not healthy enough to increases commercial limits.
Tautog tournament winners
RISAA’s tautog tournament was held October 29 to November 7, 2010. Winner in the adult boat division was Arthur Marshall with a 10.55 pound tautog, the Junior boat division winner was Raymond Vincent, III with a 6.51 pound fish. Winner of the adult shore division was Thomas McGuire with a 5.6 pound fish. Congratulations to all.
Herrings on Massachusetts saltwater fishing permit program
Last year (2009) the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill approving a State saltwater fishing permit in order to stay in compliance with national requirements for licensing. To meet deadlines for the upcoming permitting and fishing year, the regulations have been enacted under the Director’s emergency authority. Through the public hearing process, the public can review and make comments on adjustments to the rules. The law requires a state saltwater license for all those fishing recreationally with the exception of those fishing on party and charter boat, persons under 16 and several other exceptions. The annual fee for the permit is $10. Public hearings are scheduled for December 8, 2010 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Gloucester Public High School Auditorium, 32 Leslie O Johnson Road, Gloucester, MA and December 15, 2010 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Plymouth South High School Auditorium, 490 Long Pond Road, Plymouth, MA. Copies of proposed regulations and information may be obtained at http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf , by contacting Jared Silva by e-mail (jared.silva@state.ma.us) or phone (617.626.1534),
New England Saltwater Fishing Show
The RISAA sponsored New England Saltwater Fishing Show will be held March 10 through 13, 2010 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Exhibitors are encouraged to visit the RISA web site at www.risaa.org or call 401.826.2121 for information.
Power Surge at DEM North Kingstown hatchery kills 30,000 trout
An early-morning power surge at the Department of Environmental Management’s Lafayette Trout Hatchery in North Kingstown on Saturday resulted in the loss of about 30,000 rainbow, brook and brown trout. The fish ranged from six months to two years old.
It is believed that an electrical surge caused two of the three pumps at the hatchery to fail. The pumps circulate cold water throughout the outdoor raceways at the fish hatchery, bringing oxygen and the appropriate level of water flow needed for the fish to survive. The pumps are fitted with surge protectors and feed into a central alarm panel that is monitored by a local alarm company. The alarm did not sound when the pumps failed, and it was later determined that the power surge burned out the alarm panel and the surge protectors. The pump alarms are tested on a weekly basis, and the most recent test found no indication of a problem.
DEM is assuring anglers that this loss will not impact the number or quality of trout that are stocked for opening day of the freshwater fishing season in April.
Where’s the bite
Tautog fishing not good during storming weather but improved when water cleared. Tautog expected to be in normal good spots as water settles down as was the case Sunday afternoon. Good places to fish include rock piles off Narragansett, humps and structure off Newport, Kettle Bottom Rock of Jamestown, Beavertail Point, Coddington Cove jetty and other spots with structure.
Striped bass bite still on at Block Island and in select waters at select times around Newport, Jamestown, and off coastal southern beaches. Few fish reported in the upper and middle portion of the Bay.
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