The changeover from summer to fall brings a lot of things to the table for Northeast saltwater anglers; the fall run begins, albies arrive, blackfishing picks up and those afflicted with the fishing bug suddenly feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. With all that in mind, it’s not surprising that a long list of regulation changes coincide with the unofficial beginning of the fall run.
Connecticut
September begins with a bit of a sore spot for Connecticut anglers as the blackfish season closes August 31 and won’t reopen until October 10, which does set up some serious hysteria when that fall season hits, but also forces anglers in the Nutmeg State to miss some of the best togging of the season. To offset this, the state relaxes two sets of Party/Charter regs, as of September 1 the party and charter porgy limit increases to 40 fish per angler (11-inch minimum size) through October 31 and the party and charter sea bass limit increases to seven fish per angler (16-inch minimum size) through the end of the calendar year.
Rhode Island
Rhody kicks off the fall season with two regulation changes for sea bass, the recreational bag limit increases from two fish to three as of August 27, with a 16.5-inch minimum size and the party/charter bag limit increases to six fish per angler as of September 1, with a 16-inch minimum size. The party/charter scup limit also sees a fall increase in the Ocean State with the party/charter limit bumping up from 30 to 40 fish per angler per trip from September 1 through October 31 with a minimum size of 11 inches.
Massachusetts
Mass has lead the way on regulating bonito and false albacore, but no other New England states have followed, so far. These regs apply year-round, but with the height of ‘funny fish’ season now upon us, we thought it was pertinent to post these regulations as a reminder. In Massachusetts these two exotic visitors are regulated in aggregate, the minimum size for both species is 16 inches and the five fish bag limit is for both species combined, meaning a mixed bag of five bonito and false albacore or five albies or five bonito and not five of each. This brings us to one of the most frustrating regulations in New England, the untimely closure of the Massachusetts sea bass season which takes effect September 1 and it does not reopen until next year. Lastly, don’t forget that fluke fishing closes September 23 in the Bay State, boat anglers will fish under a 17.5-inch minimum size with a five fish bag limit while shore-based anglers enjoy a reduced 16.5-inch minimum size with the same five fish bag limit.
