Saturday, I tested three tautog locations for charters I have lined up this week. Happy to report that the fish are here and getting stronger every day. So, this is the time to fish for tautog, when the fish are here and weather is not freezing cold.

The fall tautog season is in full swing in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The regulations up until and including October 14 are a three fish/person/day limit with a 16” minimum size, only one fish may be greater than 21. On Oct.15, the limit changes to five fish/person/day. A ten fish per boat limit applies in all periods, however, it does not apply to charter boats. 

Some of my favorite tautog fishing tips learned from the experts that I use to this day, include:

Keep rig simple to reduce tie ups, I prefer an egg sinker rig with one hook extended below the sinker on a swivel, or a one hook conventional rig with a dropper loop and sinker. Today the most popular rig for anglers are jigs of all sizes and colors. Most tautog expert prefer jigs when fishing in low current conditions.

Anchor over or near structure, and fish the entire boat or area if on land, even casting a bit as tautog are territorial, a few feet make a difference, also let anchor line in and out to change position unless you have and electric motor. Remember structure can be a ledge, a mussel bed as well as bridge abutment, a jetty, a wreck, a rock cluster, etc.

Be prepared to chum as needed, I use a mixture of cut-up sea clams and crushed crabs.

I use 30-to-40-pound braid line with a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader of equal value to enhance a direct connection to the fish and the line does not stretch when the fish tries to run back into structure, my fishing rod is a medium action rod. The leader adds a bit of abrasion protection.

Your rig should be on the bottom, be patient and stay ready to set the hook.

Be prepared to fish different types of rigs and bait presentations depending on conditions and what fish want i.e., conventional rigs, jigs, and various baits (green crabs, Asian crabs, clam bellies).

2024 fisheries data 

now available

The Data Warehouse is an online database populated with Atlantic coast fishery-dependent data supplied by the twenty-three program partners of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP).

The Warehouse harmonizes all of the data received into a single, unified set of standards for variables such as species, gear, and fishing area, making it possible to combine multiple datasets from different sources for use in larger scale analyses.

Last week the ACCSP announced that the Fall Data Load to update the 2024 data is complete. Commercial landings data and recreational final catch estimates are available in the Data Warehouse.

To sign up to access ACCSP data and their online warehouse and view helpful online videos that explain how to use the data base visit https://safis.accsp.org/ .

If you have questions the ACCSP data team at support@accsp.org.

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater fishing for largemouth hast been good. Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, Warwick, said, “The freshwater largemouth bass bite has been outstanding. Gorton’s Pond in Warwick has consistently been producing for anglers.”  

Stephen Oresiee of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, “They are starting to stock ponds in Connecticut and Rhode Island (Massachusetts too), so anglers are getting ready to fish for trout. For the first time they are stocking Jewitt Pond in North Stonington, CT.”

Striped bass, bluefish, bonito, and false albacore. East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “This correspondent fought an 18-inch fat black sea bass to fruition at mid-week that had attacked my 3 once Hopkins with a hungry furry. If it had been 2 weeks earlier, he would have landed on my grill instead of back in the water! ‘Bull’ MacKinnon had a good week, as usual, landing 6 stripers, 4 bluefish and 5 bonito on an assortment of lures during early morning tides.” 

Ryan Collins of My Fishing Cape Cod, said, “Johan Frenje landed a monster 31-inch Albie on the fly rod, while Tom Simpson hauled in a beautiful 40-inch bass from the surf—and that’s just the start, with reports flooding in from boat anglers, shore fishermen, and fly casters alike.”   

Declan O’Donell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “The shore bite has been consistently good. Fish are starting to hold on the beaches, with some impressive blitzes happening in Westerly and East Beach. Breachways are producing fish on both tides. The mullet run is still active, with plenty of rain bait and shad in the water. Please note that a significant amount of weed has been pushed in from the offshore storm.”

“We have had a strong bluefish bite in the Bay. They pop up here and there fairly consistently. And a reel treat for anglers the false albacore are in the Bay. In the Warwick and Cranston area too,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box. 

“False albacore, bonito, and striped bass fishing is very good. The bass are out in front with 40-pound fish being caught at night, the Pawcatuck River and in the salt ponds have a good bite too. The albacore and bonito are good size, said,” Stephen Oresiee of Watch Hill Outfitters.

Tautog fishing remains fairly strong for anglers in our Bays and along the coastal shore. “Anglers have been catching keeper tautog in the Bay for three weeks now. Fishing is good in the mid and upper Bay too. Rocky Point Pier has been excellent,” said Giddings of the Tackle Box. 

O’Donnell of Breachway Bait said, “The tautog bite has been solid, with reports of larger fish starting to come in. The bigger fish have been caught in 35-40 feet of water.”  

On Saturday I tested tautog locations and found fish to twenty inches at two Narragansett Bay locations, so the fishing was good. Larger fish were caught in 20 feet of water on a mussel bed. 

David Danis of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown, said, “The tautog bite is good with fish still in shallower water to 20 feet.”

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master 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. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net, visit www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com or www.noflukefishing.com