By Capt. Dave Monti
T autog 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 from April 15 to May 31 and then August 1 to October 18 is three fish/person/day, the limit jumps to six fish/person/day from October 18 to December 15. There is a ten fish per boat limit in all periods. The boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats.
You learn to fish two ways, by personal experience, and by what you learn from others. Over the past two years I have asked noted Rhode Island anglers, fishing guides, charter captains and bait & tackle shop owners for tautog fishing tips. I have accumulated these tips. Here is what they had to say.
Positioning over structure and boat placement. Find structure with your 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. Ken Ferrara and his son Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, RI suggest 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.
Because you have to be over or near structure (rocks, piers, wrecks, ledge, humps or holes, etc.) to catch tautog anglers use a number of strategies to ensure their vessel stays in position. The trick is positioning the vessel without getting your anchor stuck in rock. Two years ago I lost an anchor on the northern side of Hope Island that got stuck in rock… ouch!!! It cost over $300 for a new anchor and line.
Now I often use a $1.49 cinder block as an anchor when fishing areas that require anchoring over rocky bottoms. The cinder block holds if current is moderate, and of course this does not work with large vessels.
Capt. Robb Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters, Jamestown, said, “I use two anchors to get proper positioning over structure.” Robb said that he stays away from crowds anyway and it gives him plenty of room to make sure he is properly positioned.
Capt. John Sheriff of Sheriff’s Fishing Charters suggests using a grappling hook anchor make of rebar. The soft rods allow the anchor to bend if it should get caught in structure. Captain Sherriff continued, “Many anglers tie a line to the end of their Danforth or grappling hook anchor (opposite the chain end) and attach a float to the other end of the line”. When ready to leave they pick up the float and line which pulls the anchor out of the structure the same way it went in.
Capt. Rick Bellavance of Priority Too Charters, Galilee, RI said if it takes several times to position yourself properly over structure then so be it. Remember no structure, no tautog.
Rod and rigs. I use a rod with a flexible tip so I can feel the tautog’s first bite, but yet a rod with a lot of background to muscle the fish away from structure. My personal choice is a one piece Penn medium action spinning rod with 30 lb. test braid line. The braid line does not stretch like monofilament line which could allow the tautog to move more easily back to structure. The tautog experts I spoke with all seem to agree. The simpler the tautog rig the better, less hardware means less chance of getting caught in structure. My favorite rig was suggested by John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown. It is a very simple rig consisting of an egg sinker, a two-way swivel and a single hook. The egg sinker slides on the main braid line or a small piece of monofilament which has a two-way swivel attached to it, the hook with 8” to 12″ of line is attached to the other end of the swivel. Bottom snags seldom occur, I have fished numerous times with this type of rig without losing any rigs.
Capt. John Rainone of L’il Toot Charters, Narragansett has developed a special tautog rig with a sinker line that breaks if the singer gets caught in structure. You can retrieve the hook (and/or the fish) if the sinker gets stuck. Capt. Rainone said, “One hook saves rigs and fish… waiting for a second fish to jump on that second hook makes no sense.” Angler/Captain Kevin Bettencourt likes to use a three-way swivel rig. The main like is attached to the swivel and then a sinker is attached to the second swivel loop and the third swivel loop has a 24” fluorocarbon (30 to 40 lbs) line attached with either a 3/0 to 4/0 Gamakatus Octopus Hook.
Water movement and dirty water. “Water movement is important for tautog fishing. Not ripping current that carries your bait away, but a strong tide that still allows you to feel a connection with the bait when a tautog bites.” said Capt. John Sheriff of Sheriff Fishing Charters. “Our best fishing last year, landing six to ten pound tautog, was on the outgoing tide… three hours after high tide… when the current is at its strongest.” said Sheriff. In addition to water movement the bite is usually best when fishing in clean water conditions. Fishing in dirty or turbid water after a storm is not good for tautog fishing, they can’t see your bait and some believe the sand in the water irritates their gills and they are not in a feeding mode.
Fish lodged in structure. Here is a tip from George Poveromo’s “Rock’em Sock’em” article that appeared in Saltwater Sportsman 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, hold the rod vertically to the water, tighten the line and pull or pluck the fishing line like a banjo 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 reeling in the fish. I used this technique last year and it worked. If this does not work try letting the line just go limp for a couple of minutes. With no pressure on the fish, it may dislodge itself. To my surprise, the rig often frees itself, the fish may get unhooked.
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 after the first tap I get ready to set the hook quickly. Once the fish is hooked, keep the rod up and pressure on so the fish is not able to run for cover. Capt. Rich Hittinger, a long time angler from Point Judith and vice president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association said, “If you get two bites with no hook-up your bait is gone. Reel in and re-bait.”
Favorite baits for tautog in the spring include clam worms as some say in the spring the tautog want something soft. However, green crabs cut in half (with legs cut off) or Asian crabs seem to work in both the spring and fall.
Chumming for tautog will enhance your catch dramatically. Kevin Bettencourt from the East Providence, RI and his father Albert have been fishing for tautog in Narragansett Bay and along southern coastal waters 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!” 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 to fish for tautog. Here are some of my favorite tautog fishing spots in my region. Check with local bait shop owners in your area for productive tautog fishing spots near you. 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, and the boulder field off Scarborough Beach, Ohio Ledge in the East Passage, General Rock in North Kingstown and any other places where there is structure, debris, rock clusters, wrecks, etc.
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. Contact or forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net.
