Connecticut angler Aiden Cole reeled in the tautog of a lifetime last week, catching and releasing a 36-inch 25.78-pound “blackfish” caught out of the Thames River, a tributary of Block Island Sound.
Cole was fishing aboard the Melissa Ann with Captain Luke Wiggins, using a green crab for bait according to Connecticut Fish and Wildlife.
The fish was kept alive in the boat’s well and measured and weighed at A&W Marina/Tackleshop in New London, photographed and then released back into the river.
Interestingly enough … Captain Luke had the previous state record catch & release tautog, which he caught back in 2020. This gigantic tautog was 32.5 inches long and nearly 24 pounds. (ct.gov)
Tautog range from Nova Scotia to Georgia but are most common between Cape Cod and the Chesapeake Bay. They make inshore/offshore migrations triggered by water temperature. In spring, as the water temperature approaches 48°F, adult tautog migrate closer to shore to spawn, where they remain through the summer until water temperatures drop below 52°F in the fall. Fall is well known as the best time to fish for these bottom dwelling creatures. They are tough fighters and a ton of fun on light tackle.
Tautog prefer to aggregate around structure. As juveniles, they use shallow estuaries with vegetation such as eelgrass as nurseries, moving into deeper waters to join the adults as they grow. Adults utilize rocky outcrops, boulders, jetties, and other similarly complex habitats for shelter. They select a home site, from which they may stray during the day to feed, returning at night to become dormant and possibly sleep. Tautog are slow growing and can live to 35–40 years old.
Coveted among marine anglers, tautog are hard fighting, tough on tackle, and excellent on the table. They are one of the first species available to anglers in the spring and one of the last still available in the fall. April is a particularly rewarding month, along with fall months when tautog are concentrated in greatest number along the shorelines.
Tautog fishing is open until November 28. Anglers can harvest 3 fish per day at a minimum length of 16 inches. Learn more at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/Saltwater/Saltwater-Fishing.
