Falling leaves outside our windows are a clear signal that another season is winding down. Some boats have already headed south for the winter, others are preparing to begin the southern leg of a year-round fishing cycle, and a portion of anglers are squeezing in one or two final trips before the inevitable curtain drops.
The signs of seasonal change are everywhere. Capt. Greg Mercurio of Yankee Captains recently called from his voyage to Key West, Florida, after a challenging tuna season in New England marked by strong winds and low tuna numbers—fish that seemed to move off after Hurricane Earl. Meanwhile, Andy Gagarin of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, has relocated to Islamorada, Florida, leaving his 26-foot Regulator under wraps in a northern yard while he plans to use a 23-foot Contender as his Florida boat.
My friend Al Golinski is preparing a long trailer run—about 1,600 miles—from Massachusetts to the Keys and planning a few last outings for striped bass and blackfish. In many Northeastern coastal areas it’s still possible to chase stripers in the morning and then drop bait on a wreck or rocky bottom for tautog later in the day.
Close to home
Along southern Rhode Island, anglers often patrol the beaches at first light, bundled against the chill and casting for bass and large bluefish. After the bite, many will switch to tautog tactics—dropping a half green crab on structure such as the Stone Pile off Weekapaug, where a small, familiar fleet often fishes.
In New Jersey, early-morning anglers target bass and bluefish up and down the coast, then run out to one of the region’s more than 5,000 artificial reef sites from Cape May to Sandy Hook to try for trophy-size blackfish. Some tautog taken from these reefs exceed 12 pounds—prized catches for any angler.
Long Island Sound also produces big blackfish, from underfished wrecks off Norwalk to rocky bottoms near Latimer Light, where 15-pound tautog have been reported in recent seasons. The trick is finding wrecks or bottoms that haven’t been hammered since the season opened. Some former dump sites around Norwalk contain so many wrecks that charts simply note “numerous wrecks” rather than mark each one—locate one of those spots and you may find a standout fish.
Montauk anglers can find bass into November, whether casting along the south side or trolling through famed rips from Shagwong to the Elbow. Other productive tautog areas include Inner Cartwright, Cerebrus Shoal, and waters over toward Fishers Island, a spot that often receives less pressure during weekdays.
In years past, anglers jigged large bass and bluefish—sometimes over 12 pounds—after Thanksgiving on the North Rip of Block Island. That pattern can still work, especially from boats with cabins or protection from the wind. After the bite, heading to the rock piles on Block Island’s east or southeast sides to drop baits for blackfish can be very productive; those rocks often see lighter pressure than mainland structure.
Around The Block
Captain Jimmy Koutalakis routinely trailers his 31-foot Sea Vee from Massachusetts to focus on late-season bass around Block Island, drifting eels near Southwest Ledge or targeting sea bass on Shark’s Ledge in roughly 90 feet of water off the island’s south side. With fresh clams aboard, anglers might venture farther offshore to areas such as the Gateway, 30 Line, or Dodge Grounds in search of cod or pollock.
Once a reliable before-Christmas fishery, the cod grounds have been scaled back by decades of mismanagement. There are signs of gradual recovery—more cod in summer and a stronger showing in January and February in some areas—but regulations have tightened to protect stocks damaged by past overfishing.
Boat parties once advertised the chance to catch a “Block Island turkey,” the affectionate name for a large cod. That tradition may yet return if fish abundance continues to improve. Likewise, inshore cod runs that were common along Rhode Island’s southern shore into Westport, Massachusetts—around Matunuck breakers, Nebraska Shoals, and Scarborough—have diminished but remain a fond memory among long-time anglers. Southeast of Point Judith Light, mid-1970s trips produced large cod close to shore; those stories reflect how productive local waters once were.
In Massachusetts, where cod stocks are still more viable, anglers often take a final trip before winter closures, targeting haddock or pollock if cod seasons are closed. These closures and management measures are the result of necessary rebuilding after decades of inadequate oversight in the 1980s and 1990s.
Tim Coleman has fished New England waters most of his life. Formerly managing editor of The Fisherman magazine’s New England edition, he now freelances from Rhode Island. This article originally appeared in the Home Waters section of the December 2010 issue.