Pending State-Record Tautog Caught in Rhode Island

Vinny Simms Jr. (proper) and the brand new 22.33-pound state-record tautog caught with Captain Rob Taylor on October 21, 2024.

Vinny Simms Jr.’s largest ever blackfish sat at a wholesome 6 kilos when Captain Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters positioned the Reel E-Z over a chunk of construction that Rob had discovered on his Humminbird Aspect-Imaging sonar whereas cast-netting menhaden again within the spring. As he crammed the livewell with the energetic striper sweet, he marked the spot on his electronics, and added it to his rotation for the approaching tautog season.

October 21 was his first day tog fishing the piece. The primary couple fish hooked have been uninspiring. Small sea bass. However the subsequent was significantly bigger. Simms, who’d by no means tangled with a tog greater than 1 / 4 the scale of this one, adopted the directions of Captain Taylor, preventing the fish on spinning sort out with a locked-down drag. Regardless of the heavy stress, the huge tog nonetheless bolted from the floor all the way in which again to the underside nicely into the battle.

Ultimately, the fish drained sufficient for Rob to safe the catch. On board, it measured 34 inches lengthy (two inches longer than the earlier state report caught with Captain Connor MacLeod in 2021), and an unofficial weight on a Boga Grip marked the fish at nicely over 20 kilos.

The official weigh-in occurred within the early afternoon at Quaker Lane Bait and Deal with, the place the licensed scale there registered 22 kilos, 5.28 ounces, beating the earlier report by about 12 ounces.

Captain Taylor credit the willingness of Simms to react rapidly in the course of the battle and the durability and abrasion-resistance of Seaguar fluorocarbon for making the catch attainable.

Congrats to each Vinny and Captain Rob on a exceptional catch.