Tautog experts share tips, fishing good

 Get ready for a tug of war: Capt. Dave Monti with a 23” tautog he caught at General Rock in North Kingstown, RI last year.

 Tautog fishing is great family fun: Gisele Golembeski with a tautog she and her husband Rich caught off Narragansett, RI near Whale Rock.

Carp bite good:  Paul Marino caught this 10 pound carp on a bread ball in the Blackstone River this weekend.

Tautog experts share tips

Tautog fishing is fun.  I like to relax with friends and family, shoot the breeze and enjoy a great Rhode Island fishery all at the same time.  Tautog (or Blackfish) is a great eating fish with a dense whitish meat. 

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) regulates tautog fishing.  Tautog has a split season.  The spring season ends May 31 so now is the time to fish for them as they are illegal to fish June 1 to July 31 during spawning season. Fish have to be sixteen inches. The catch limit for private recreational anglers on and before April 15 to May 31 and then August 1 to October 18 is three fish/person/day, which jumps to six fish/person/day on October 19 to December 15.  However, there is a ten fish per boat limit.  The boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats.

Over the past couple of years, I have asked noted Rhode Island anglers, fishing guides, charter captains and bait & tackle shop owners in Rhode Island for tautog fishing tips.  Here is what some of them had to say about tautog fishing tips.

Boat placement is important.  Find structure with electronics, 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 all sides of the boat.  Fish all sides of the boat casting a bit to cover as much area as you can.  If still no bites, let some anchor line out a couple of times to change your position, if still no bites it is time to move the vessel.

Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war.  Captain George Cioe said, “I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption.”  So at the second tap I raise the rod up firmly feeling for the weight of the fish.  Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish is not able to run for cover. Captain Rich Hittinger, RISAA vice president and a long time angler out of Point Judith said, “If you get two bites with no hook-up your bait is gone. Reel in and re-bait.”

Where to fish for tautog.  From shore, look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport and off jetties at South County beaches.  From a boat, I have had good luck at Plum Point light house next to the Jamestown Bridge, the rock wall north of Coddington Cove in Portsmouth, off Hope Island, around Brenton Reef in Newport, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage, General Rock in North Kingstown and any other places there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc.

Chumming for tautog will enhance your catch dramatically.  Kevin Bettencourt from the East Bay Anglers and his Dad Albert have been fishing for tautog in Narragansett Bay and southern coastal water off Newport, Jamestown and Narragansett for many years.  Kevin said, “Chumming is a critical part of tautog fishing. If you want to land numerous tautog you must establish an effective chum line. This can be accomplished with grass shrimp or crushed Asian/green crabs. Don't be afraid to feed them! If you don't, they won't stick around long!”  Captain Robb Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters from Jamestown said chumming is very important… “I chum with crushed mussels or crushed periwinkles.”

Fishing in the early spring or fall can be cold.  Dress appropriately.  If you dress in layers, you can take them off as the sun warms you..  Do not forget the gloves, I usually have at least four pair with me … water proof neoprene gloves, light cotton gloves, heavy winter gloves… whatever the conditions, be ready, and of course the gloves get wet.

Where’s the bite

Fishing exploded this week on the Bay and along coastal shores as the water was warmed to the mid to upper fifty’s range by nice weather.

Fresh water. “Fishing for trout continues to be good with DEM restocking some ponds and rivers.” said John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown. “The Hunt River in North Kingstown has been particularly good.”  Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “Carp fishing has been good and Paul Marino caught a 10 pound carp on a bread ball in the Blackstone River. A 24 pound carp was landed in Spectacle Lake in Cranston this week.  Dough baits, bread balls and chick peas have all been effective.”

Tautog.  Keeper size fish over 16” are being caught all over the Bay.  Frank Mello of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “Customers are catching keeper tautog along Barrington, Warren and Bristol off the bridges.” Fish are being caught using worms and crabs.  Angler Mike Swain of Coventry caught  tautog to five pounds at Conimicut Light Saturday.  John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, said, “A father and son team fished for tautog in the Wickford area and landed two nice keepers Sunday.”

Striped bass fishing for exploded last week and this week with fish being caught all over the East and West passages of the Bay, off Newport and along southern coastal shores.  Fish being caught at Narrow River and Wickford Harbor, in and off Allen’s Harbor, up Green River and in Greenwich Bay (where I caught some late Sunday). The East Bay action has been good too at Rocky Point Beach and at Conimicut Light and north up the Providence River. Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “We fished three days last week and caught 20 to 25 school bass one day with keeper bass to 10 ½ pounds.  Customers are catching fish too with some 28” and 29” keepers being caught in Greenwich Bay.”  Angler Mike Swain said, “I found some pogies north of Conimicut Light Saturday and up the Providence River.  The first one snagged was hit by a large bass before getting it to the boat and the second one I put out landed a 19 pound striped bass.  We caught school bass too trolling tube and worm.”  Angler Mike Sheppard reports catching bass from shore off Newport for the past two weeks.  John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle said, “Anglers fishing from shore off the Conimicut Point sandbar were catching school bass and those that could cast beyond the sandbar were hooking up with keeper size bass.”

Summer flounder (fluke) fishing has not received much attention when it opened May 1.  Anglers have targeted striped bass and tautog, however, some encouraging news was reported by John Wunner with a fisherman at the Wickford boat ramp coming in with two keeper fluke, one of them was 25”.

Tautog fishing improving, here are nine tips

Captain Dave Monti with the eight pound tautog he caught near General Rock, North Kingstown, RI this Sunday using green crabs.

Tautog fishing improving, here are nine tips
The tautog fishing is improving with larger fish being caught as the water cools. Tautog (or Blackfish) is a great eating fish with nice tasting white meat. Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management regulates recreational tautog fishing. The catch limit this time of year is six fish/person/day with a ten fish boat limit (the ten fish boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats). The season ends December 15.
Here are nine tips to help you have a great fall tautog season. Some have appeared in previous columns but are worth repeating.
1. Find 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, holes along the coast, etc.). So, no structure, no tautog.
2. Fish where the fish are. This is particularly true with tautog because they are a territorial species, you have to find the tautog. They are not going to find you. So if you get no bites move to another spot. When you find them, you find them and the bite is on.
3. 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 all sides of the boat. Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle suggests casting 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 it is time to move the vessel.
4. 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. Break off claws and legs, cut the crab in half and hook it through one leg socket and out another. Tautog rigs are simple many anglers prefer rigs with one hook.
5. Losing rigs is common when tautog fishing due to bottom hang ups on rocks and structure. To save tautog rigs, I use elastics to attach my sinkers so the elastic breaks when caught in structure and you same the rig. I also use egg sinkers depending on the conditions.
6. Fish lodged in structure. Here is a tip from George Poveromo’s “Rock’em Sock’em” article that appeared in this month’s issue of Saltwater magazine. When a fish is hooked and it has muscled its way back to structure, apply pressure forcing a respectable amount of bend in the rod. If the fish is not moving, pull or pluck the fishing line like a banjo or gaiter string. The sharp vibrations emitted work their way back down to the fish through the line and irritate it. The fish in a state of confusion may back out of the hole to free itself from the irritation. Once you sense this has happened start pumping and reeling in the fish so it does not muscle its way back into the structure.
7. Feel the bite… tap, tap and then get ready for a tug of war. I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption. So at the second or third tap I raise the rod up firmly feeling the weight of the fish (no need to jerk the rod up hard). Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish in not able to run for cover.
8. Use braid line with little drag. Braid line allows you to feel the fish tap. Monofilament line will stretch allowing the fish to run for cover, braid line does not stretch. It is important to put little drag on the reel and apply continuous pressure so the tautog comes up and does not go back down to hide in structure once you have it hooked.
9. Where to fish for Tautog. From shore look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport and off breakwater rock walls at South County beaches. From a boat I have had good luck at Plum Point light house next to the Jamestown Bridge, the rock jetty north of Coddington Cove in Portsmouth, off Hope Island, around Brenton Reef in Newport, Whale Rock, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage and any other place there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc.
Fly tying meeting/workshop
The monthly meeting of the United Fly Tyers of Rhode Island (UFTRI) will be held Wednesday, November 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 475 Sandy Lane, Warwick, RI. President Michael Maddalena said, “We instruct people on how to tie flies of all types, fresh and saltwater as many as five to six per month. This month the popular Peanut Bunker (or baby menhaden) fly will be one of six featured.” Association vice president Peter Burgess said, “The public is welcome to attend, we instruct at the beginner and intermediated levels… if you like participating our hope is that you will join the non-profit club for $30 per year. This includes all the supplies needed to tie at all monthly meetings.”
Banner year for young striped bass
Preliminary results from a 2011 survey conducted by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIM’S) suggest the production of a strong class of young-of-year striped bass in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay. The 2011 year class represents the group of fish hatched this spring. The results are good news for anglers who fish for this prized species. This year’s class is expected to grow to fishable size in three to four years.
Anglers have expressed concern over the health of the striped bass biomass with fewer fish being caught over the past three years, particularly those fishing in Narragansett Bay and along coastal shores. So the news is good as these fish migrate to Rhode Island and the Northeast. The 2011 study recorded more than 27 fish per seine haul, significantly higher than the historic average of 7.5 fish per seine haul. This is a significant increase from recent years, during which catches of young fish were average.
Although survey results show that numbers of young-of-year striped bass in Virginia have been average to above-average since 2003, results from a similar survey in Maryland indicate that numbers of juvenile striped bass there were below average in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Where’s the bite
Striped bass bite is slow along southern coastal beaches this week. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “The striped bass and blues have followed the menhaden all the way up Apponaug Cove to my bait shop and all the way up to Post Road.” This weekend anglers enjoyed snagging the menhaden and then putting them right back into the school in hopes of catching a bass or bluefish. Some anglers were cutting them into chunks and weighting the line to send it down to the bottom. Bass fishing on the Southwest side of Block Island remains hot with many fish in the 30 and 40 pound range being caught.
Tautog fishing continues to improve. I caught four keepers at Hope Island and General Rock this Sunday. The largest fish was eight pounds. The eight pound fish took a green crab half in about fourteen feet of water. Francis Fleet reports a good tautog bite this weekend. This Sunday Connie Tu from West Warwick, RI caught five tautog including the nine pound pool winner.
Cod fishing is improving with anglers catching some fish in the teens with no large fish being caught yet reports the Francis Fleet.