While it might be hard to understand why Connecticut waits so long to open their fall blackfish season, one thing that’s impossible to deny is the hysteria that precedes it as angler’s across the state eagerly await October 10th. We see it our reports every year, two, even three weeks prior to the actual opener, tackle shops begin talking about how many anglers have been in gearing up for tog season. In no way is it outrageous to compare it to the opening day of trout season in the spring. In fact, it might carry more anticipation and bring on more excitement, although the trout opener dwarfs it in overall participation, it’s quite clear that Connecticut anglers love their tog!
Watching and waiting, while neighboring Rhode Island is crushing them can’t be easy, but there is a bigtime positive that comes with this delayed start. Tautog are territorial fish and when the hotspots have had a long break, you get to fish for un-pressured fish which means there are more of them, the spots haven’t been picked clean of keepers (and trophies) and they tend to bite readily. That means that the first week of the season offers some of the best fishing Connecticut anglers will see for the entirety of the fall.
This year, the 10th falls on a Thursday, which might be good placement for a sick day, you can bet that a lot of your fellow anglers will find a way to slither free of responsibility that day. Saturday (the 12th) will probably be the busiest day of blackfishing all year long on the Connecticut side of the Sound. Be smart and utilize the services offered by many local tackle shops, order your crabs ahead of time and pick them up the night before, so you can be on your spot before the guy that didn’t take the initiative to plan ahead. Pre-tie your rigs and touch up the hooks on your jigs too. Being ready will only mean fewer headaches more time fishing, which leads to more fish landed.
Depending on where you fish, it would be wise to take note of the regulations in neighboring waters. For instance, if you fish the extreme eastern Sound and might cross over into Rhode Island waters, the possession limit of three is the same as it is in Connecticut, but it will increase to five on October 15th, additionally, only one fish per limit in Rhode Island may exceed 21 inches and there’s a 10 fish vessel limit as well, make sure your catch complies before crossing the state line. New York’s fall blackfish season doesn’t open until October 15th, so make sure not to cross the line at all until then. Also, don’t get greedy, just because you caught your fish in New York waters does not mean that you can take their limit of four fish back into Connecticut where the limit is three fish per angler.
It’s a momentous time for anglers in Connecticut and we wish you the best of luck this tog season. Don’t forget to take lots of photos and send them in to us, you might just see you and your fish in the pages of this magazine. Go get ‘em!
