Spring Tautog Season Closes June 1 In Massachusetts & Rhode Island - The Fisherman

Spring Tautog Season Closes June 1 In Massachusetts & Rhode Island

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After what has been a very good spring season for blackfish in Massachusetts and, particularly, Rhode Island; the fish are getting a scheduled break as of June 1. Blackfish have become one of the premiere recreational species in New England waters over the last five to ten years, the introduction of the ‘blackfish jig’ paved the way for obsessive fishermen to “see the light” with ‘tog. With colors and sizes of jigs to stock up on and the fact that most anglers fish the jigs on lighter spinning tackle, the recreational fishery has exploded.

Readers might remember that Rhode Island implemented a voluntary conservative measure for blackfish ahead of the 2022 season in recognition of their burgeoning popularity and their value as an inshore target species by recreational anglers and for-hire captains. The “trophy slot” was met with a mostly warm welcome across the state and recreational anglers seemed happy to release most of their largest fish. For those that don’t remember the details the basics of the law are that there is a 16-inch minimum size for blackfish, but only one of the fish in your limit may measure 21 inches or greater. This effort was made to keep a higher number of the best spawners in the water. In 2023 Massachusetts adopted the same laws, the only difference between the two states is that Rhode Island also has a daily 10 fish per vessel additional limitation.

So you’ll have to hang up the tog rods and stow those tog jigs until at least July 1 in Massachusetts when the summer season will open with a one fish bag limit. In Rhode Island, fishing for tautog won’t reopen until August 1 when a three fish bag limit will be allowed.

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