s. With climate change constantly looming over us, ocean quality continues to plummet, and more and more fish waste occurs each day due to overfishing; sometimes we as anglers take this as a reflection of our own behavior. So let’s talk about how to practice sustainable fishing. As recreational anglers, are we doing everything we can to protect our environment and show our waters how much we care? For most of us, the answer is probably, no. But, that’s okay. Awareness is the key and while it might not seem like there is much we can do, it only takes small changes each day to make a big difference. In this article, I want to focus on sustainability as a...
Tautog, also known as blackfish, usually start to move inshore around the end of April, or when the water temperature hits the mid-40s. When it reaches 50 degrees, it’s game on! It’s no secret that tautog like to hang around structure, including rocks, mussel beds, wrecks and pilings. Isolated rocks and wrecks on an otherwise flat and featureless bottom are always prime spots, serving as oases for crabs, worms and other ‘tog food. For example, mostly sandy Nantucket Sound contains several wrecks that produce excellent spring fishing. A section of green crab rigged on an Octopus hook will do the trick with spring ‘tog. Photo Tom Richardson The waters off Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha’s Vineyard are ‘tog utopia in...
They are formed by current flowing over uneven bottom, which increases the current’s velocity and causes turbulence, both of which make baitfish more vulnerable to a variety of inshore predators, including striped bass, bluefish, bonito, false albacore and fluke. Here in New England, rips can be formed by sandy shoals, reefs, ledges, channel edges and wrecks, but the key factor in rip productivity is the presence of baitfish. No bait, no fish. Simple as that. You can fish a rip many different ways, including trolling and jigging, but one of the most exciting—and challenging—methods is casting lures and flies. To do this effectively and safely you’ll usually need at least 2 crewmembers, one to maneuver the boat while the other fishes....
