Last week Vinney Simms, Jr’s huge tautog made a total of four runs back down to the bottom. He managed to keep the fish off the bottom and got it into the boat, it was a record breaking 22 pound 5.28 ounce, 31-inch tautog. By Wednesday of last week the State of Rhode Island had it verified and posted it as the state’s top tautog.
Simms, a resident of Hamilton, New Jersey, landed the huge tautog while fishing with Capt. Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters, one of the State’s premiere tautog and bluefin tuna charter captains.
“Vinney did a good job, but you also need a lot of luck to land a big fish like this. With big fish I tell anglers to just keep reeling, even if the fish is talking drag you are slowing it down (Simms’s drag was set at a very heavy 18 pounds),” said Capt. Taylor. “The aim is to prevent the fish from returning to where it came from, meaning the rock cluster it lives in. We had a lot of current and strong tides Monday so this fish fortunately may have gotten disoriented a bit coming up and down four times.”
The fish was landed aboard the Reel E-Z, Capt. Taylor’s charter fishing vessel, on a piece of structure he discovered earlier this year in about 60 feet of water when netting Atlantic menhaden for striped bass fishing bait. It was the first time he brought charter customers to the spot to fish.
Simms is a State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection employee.
The world tautog record is a 28-pound 13 ounce, 35 inch fish caught by Ken Westerfeld of Queens, NY in 2015. This record holder fish was caught with Capt. Kane Bounds off Ocean City, Maryland on an offshore wreck. The Massachusetts tautog record is 22 pounds 9 ounces, caught by Michael Horsely, on June 29, 1978.

Aquatic Resource Education
Association conference big success
Thanks to Kim Sullivan of the RI Department of Environmental Management the state of Rhode Island hosted aquatic educators from 35 states in Newport last week. Sullivan is president of the Aquatic Resource Education Association (AREA) and packed the conference with useful training courses, as well as a full social calendar that included fly tying and fishing (with expert guide Ed Lombardo and his team of volunteers), a lobster boil, Newport Habor tours, fishing and mansion side trips and an annual awards banquet where I served as keynote speaker on climate change and its impact on recreation fishing and aquatic education. Hats off to AREA and Kim Sullivan for bringing the conference to Newport.

Where’s the bite?
Striped bass, bluefish, bonito. Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “A few breaking fish coming tight to shore this week on the south shore. Watch hill has seen most of the striper action as to Charlestown has seen some bonito, blues and shad. There have been good reports of healthy schools of bass in the bay we are hoping some bay anchovies and bunker nestle into the beach lip and give the fish a reason to cruise the coast rather than making their way to deeper water and eventually finding Montauk or other areas south. The salt ponds are still warm and loaded with bait. Guys have been doing well in the backwater with swim shads and topwater. I have even found an eel bite going on in some of the skinny water. Big bass can find their way into the ponds this time of year to sun themselves during the day and then put on a feed at night.”
“I have never seen so many birds working, particularly off Newport,” said Vincent Castaldi, an associate at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown. “Customers are catching striped bass, bluefish and still some Bonito are being caught in the area.”
Striped bass fishing at the Cape Cod Canal is still very good. “Grab a rod before more fish head south,” said East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author. “Best wishes to experienced Canal Sportsman’s Club member Larry Silvestri who celebrated his 85th birthday wetting a line with his good friend and fellow club member Bob Dyer at one of their favorite spots during an east flood tide. The timing couldn’t have been better for a nice birthday present as Larry’s green mack Savage found its mark with a 36-inch striped bass! The Keegan brothers have been reeling in so many fish at first light with loaded white Cotton Cordells and the 5-ounce green Striper Gear Shaddy Daddy that they have lost count! George fought a 32 pounder to fruition that measured out to 48 inches, Sean landed a nice fish that was just under 30 pounds and Joe had stripers that were bigger than Sean’s.”
Tautog. The tautog limit increased October 15 from three fish/person to five fish/person with one fish larger than 21 inches allowed, all others must be between 16 and under 21 inches, a ten fish per boat limit is in place. Castaldi of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, said, “Tautog fishing is still outstanding. I caught 20 tautog this weekend from the shore at Beavertail and half were keepers (16 inches or over).”
“It has been another great week for tautog fishing sticky bottom and current flow is getting the job done. Some guys doing so well they end up just playing a game of tug and letting the fish go because their box is full. Shore guys are catching in Narraganset and guys getting them off the point at the Breachway and inside on a slack tide,” said O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle.
Freshwater fishing. The largemouth bass bite has been good as fish are starting to stage in fall areas. Trout stocking locations in Massachusetts are updated daily, visit Trout stocking report | Mass.gov for an interactive map. Visit www.dem.ri.gov/fishing for ponds stocked in RI.
Dave Monti holds a master 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.