NO FLUKE

Tautog bite is coming on strong

By Captain Dave Monti
Posted 10/19/16

It's fall and the tautog fishing is strong. Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, Tautog fishing in southern shore near Westerly has been outstanding with most anglers catching keepers. Green crabs are the bait of choice as Asian crabs are"

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NO FLUKE

Tautog bite is coming on strong

Posted

It’s fall and the tautog fishing is strong. Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, “Tautog fishing in southern shore near Westerly has been outstanding with most anglers catching keepers. Green crabs are the bait of choice as Asian crabs are not as prevalent in this area.” Nick Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, North Kingstown, said, “Anglers are focusing on tautog. They are buying green crabs and the bite seems to be good just about everywhere… off Jamestown and Newport and in the Bay.”

Capt. B.J. Silvia of Flippin Out Charters said, “Vicktor Tang of New York caught an 11.5 pound tautog Sunday on his boat fishing in the Bay.”

Tautog (or Blackfish) is a great eating fish with a white delicate meat. So whether you fish the shore, from a boat in the Bay or along the Newport and southern coastal shore, now is the time to tautog fish. This weekend the limit was enhance to six fish/person/day with a 10 fish per boat limit (does not apply to charter boats).

Here are some tautog tips to enhance your bite...

Fishing in the fall is cold,

so dress warm. If you dress in layers you can take them off as the sun warms things up. Do not forget the gloves, I usually have at least four pairs with me … water proof neoprene gloves, light cotton gloves, heavy winter gloves… whatever the condition brings I am ready.

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, mussel beds, holes and humps along the coast, etc.).

Fish where the fish are.

This is particularly true with tautog because they are a territorial species, you have to find the tautog, and 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.

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, Warwick, suggests casting a bit to cover as much area as you can. If there are still no bites, let some anchor line out or in to change your position. If there are still no bites after that, it is time to move the vessel.

Green crabs and Asian crabs are the bait of choice

in the fall. When using 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. I often break the shell to enhance the scent and to make it more appetizing.

Losing rigs is common

when tautog fishing due to bottom hang ups on rocks and structure. To save tautog rigs, I have used elastics to attach my sinkers. If the sinker gets hung up on a rock the elastics breaks, you lose the sinker but save the tautog rig. Another rig that has cut my lost rigs in half is using an egg sinker rig with one hook below. They take a little time to learn how to fish them but they catch more fish because you are in the water for a longer time and can place the bait between rocks in heavy structure with ease.

Fish lodged in structure.

Here is a tip from George Poveromo. 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.

Feel the bite… and then get ready for a tug of war.

I believe with the first tap the tautog is positioning the bait for consumption. So if I miss the first tap I am ready for the second bite to set the hook quickly. Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and reel up quickly.

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. 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.

Where to fish for Tautog.

From shore, look for rocky coastline like Beavertail Point on Jamestown, locations off Newport and off breakwater rock walls along the southern coastal shore. 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 and any other place there is structure, debris, rock clusters, mussels beds, wrecks, etc.

Fly fishing in Alaska and British Columbia

Want to learn how to fly fish Alaska and British Columbia? Now is your chance at the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU225) meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m., at the Coventry/West Greenwich Elks Lodge, 42 Nooseneck Hill Road (Rte. 3, Exit 6 off of Rte. 95), West Greenwich, R.I. 02817.

Charter Captain Bob Hines of Fly Fish RI will present on fly fishing on the Alagnak River in the Katmai region of Alaska (see http://flyfishri.com/photos/the-alagnak-river-alaska/ and the Skeena River, B.C.

Contact Chapter president Ron Marafioti at (401) 463-6162 for information.

Emergency shellfishing closure lifted

Effective this weekend, all waters impacted by the precautionary shellfish harvesting closure in Rhode Island are open to shellfishing with the exception of conditional areas. Conditional areas were closed due to rainfall but reopened this Monday, Oct. 17. The emergency closure was due to a confirmed harmful algae bloom caused by the presence of toxic phytoplankton, Pseudo-nitzschia spp.

Where’s the bite?

Bluefish

in the Bay and off coastal shores have been good this fall. Angler Steven Sears landed several bluefish at the mouth of the Warren River Sunday and I fished there Monday with Georgianna Andre-Silva and three friends from the Leon Mathieu Senior and landed bluefish to 32 inches. Sheila Gustafson reports Monday on the RISAA blog, “Saw blues in a feeding frenzy this morning in the upper Mt. Hope Bay. Robert Lee caught a 30-inch blue. We hooked up a few more that got away. I had one and started reeling it in only to have the handle break off my reel!”

Striped bass

fishing remains strong along the southern coastal shore,” said Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters. Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown, said, “Bass and monster blues are all along the southern coastal shore with surf anglers doing well with surface lures. Block Island is hit or miss as migrating fish come through with eels being the bait that’s working. Fish are still coming as Martha’s Vineyard and the Cape Cod Channel still have fish so they will be coming our way in waves.”

Black sea bass

fishing in the Bay and off Newport has slowed. Angler Jack Leyden of North Kingstown said, “I managed to hook a keeper near the Newport Bridge Sunday but the buck of the fish were very small black sea bass.” Matt Conti said, “Many anglers are holding off fishing for cod at Cox’s Ledge because they were catching good sized black sea bass and had to throw them back. However, black sea bass in federal waters will open up next week so anglers will be targeting black sea bass and cod.”

Tautog

fishing is hot. Anglers landed keeper tautog in the Bay and off coastal shores. See above article. Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Some are being caught off Pt. Judith, Scarborough and Narragansett but the larger keeper fish are getting fished out. The tautog are not yet in deeper water around here.”

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. He is a RISAA board member, a member of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and a member of the RI Marine Fisheries Council. Contact or forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit his website at www.noflukefishing.com.

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