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topicnews · October 26, 2024

A New Jersey man reels in a powerful tautog that breaks the RI record

A New Jersey man reels in a powerful tautog that breaks the RI record

Dave Monti
| Special to the Providence Journal

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Last Monday, Vinney Simms Jr.’s huge tautog got a total of four runs back downfield. He managed to keep the fish off the bottom and get it into the boat; It was a record-breaking 31-inch tautog weighing 22 pounds, 5.28 ounces. By Wednesday morning, the state of Rhode Island had reviewed it and published it as the state’s top tautog.

Simms, a resident of Hamilton, New Jersey, landed the giant tautog while fishing with Capt. Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters, one of the state’s leading tautog and bluefin tuna charter captains.

“Vinny did a good job, but you need a lot of luck to land a big fish like that,” Taylor said. “When there are big fish, I tell anglers to just keep fishing; Even if the fish experiences resistance, slow it down [Simms’ drag was set at a very heavy 18 pounds].

“The goal is to prevent the fish from returning to where it came from, which is the rock group where it lives. “We had a lot of current and strong tides on Monday, so luckily this fish may have lost its orientation a bit when going up and down at four o’clock.”

More: Warming oceans are bringing undesirable changes to fish and their habitat here at home

The fish was landed aboard the Reel EZ, Taylor’s charter fishing boat, on a piece of structure he discovered in about 60 feet of water earlier this year while catching Atlantic menhaden as bait for striped bass fishing. It was the first time he had brought charter clients to the spot to fish.

The tautog world record is a 35-inch, 28-pound, 13-ounce fish caught in 2015 by Ken Westerfeld of Queens, New York. This record fish was caught with Captain Kane Bounds off Ocean City, Maryland from an offshore wreck.

Narragansett Bay Cable Installation Project Online Workshop

Learn about the Revolution Wind cable construction project in and around Narragansett Bay, running November through January. The workshop will take place online on Wednesday, October 30th from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The presentation will be conducted by Ørsted Marine Affairs and will focus on the installation of the Revolution Wind cable. It also briefly covers general construction and how to obtain information about water activities and programs available to fishermen.

To register, visit Virtual Narragansett Bay Community Series Tickets, Wed Oct 30, 2024 at 6:00 pm | Eventbrite.

Learn about surf and wetsuit fishing from the experts

Learn surf casting strategies and tactics from surf casting experts Jeff Sullivan and Paul Chapman at a Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association seminar on Monday, October 28, at 7 p.m. at the West Warwick Elks Lodge on 60th Street Clyde St in West Warwick.

Food can be purchased from Five-0-Five Fusion Catering starting at 5:30 p.m. Active RISAA members are admitted free; Non-members are asked to make a $10 donation to the RISAA scholarship fund. For more information, contact RISAA Executive Director Scott Travers at (401) 826-2121 or travers@risaa.org.

More: Can artificial reefs protect our coasts from erosion? Two URI professors believe so

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass, bluefish, bonito. “Fish are coming off the beach, off the rocks and back into the ponds,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown. “We had a full moon last week, which greatly accelerated the movement of the water. Large amounts of peanut bunkers have begun to move out of the pond. Fishing in the pond was great this week with big fish caught on large soft plastics and topwater jigs. Mullet still swarm in schools in the most remote bays. Reports of large fish coming off the beach at night as an alternative. We ate some anchovies on the beach this week; Both bluefish and shad were on it.” Vincent Castaldi, an employee at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown, reported, “I’ve never seen so many birds at work, especially off Newport. Customers are catching striped bass, bluefish and there are still some bonito being caught in the area.” Striped bass fishing on the Cape Cod Canal is still very good. “Grab a fishing rod before more fish head south,” said “East End” Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author. “Best wishes go to veteran Canal Sportsman’s Club member Larry Silvestri, who celebrated his 85th birthday by wetting a line during an easterly tide with his good friend and clubmate Bob Dyer at one of their favorite spots. The timing couldn’t have been better for a nice birthday present as Larry’s Green Mack Savage has found its place with a 36” striped bass.”

Tautog Fishing is hot and the limit was increased Oct. 15 from three fish per person to five fish per person, with one fish larger than 21 inches allowed; all others must be between 16 inches and less than 21 inches tall; There is a limit of 10 fish per boat. “Tautog fishing is very good off Newport and in the bay,” Castaldi said. “We weighed this 22-pound record fish on Monday. It was an amazing fish.” O’Donnell reported, “Blackfishing is hot. Most boats reach their limits with a good short-to-keeper ratio. Make sure your leaders are securely attached and your line is strong enough to handle a large fish driving you into the rocks. You don’t want to lose your biggest blackfish of the season.

freshwater fishing. The largemouth bass bite has been good as the fish start to move into the fall areas. Massachusetts trout stock locations are updated daily. Visit the Trout Stocking Report | Mass.gov for an interactive map. Visit dem.ri.gov/fishing for ponds in Rhode Island.

Dave Monti holds a captain’s license and a charter fishing license. He serves on various boards and commissions and runs a consulting firm focused on clean oceans, habitat conservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net or visit us noflukefishing.com.

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