On Monday, angler Vinney Simms Jr. achieved a remarkable feat off the coast of Rhode Island. After several hard-fought attempts, he reeled in a tautog that repeatedly darted back toward the ocean floor before he managed to bring it aboard. The tautog measured 31 inches and weighed an impressive 22 pounds and 5.28 ounces, setting a new state record. By Wednesday, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management officially confirmed it as the largest tautog caught in state waters.
Simms, who hails from Hamilton, New Jersey, caught the record-breaking fish with Captain Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters, a renowned tautog and bluefin tuna guide in Rhode Island. Taylor praised Simms for his skill, though he noted that luck plays a big part in landing such large fish. “When you hook a fish of that size, you just keep reeling,” Taylor said. “Even if the fish is taking line, it’s all about keeping it from diving back to its rocky home.”
The tautog was caught on Taylor’s boat, the Reel E-Z, in about 60 feet of water at a spot Taylor had recently scouted. He discovered the location while netting menhaden, a popular baitfish for striped bass. It was the first time he brought clients to this structure, and it paid off with Simms’ record-breaking catch.
For perspective, the world record for tautog is a 35-inch, 28-pound fish caught in 2015 by Ken Westerfeld off Ocean City, Maryland. Though not reaching the global record, Simms’ tautog is an impressive catch that Rhode Island anglers won’t forget soon.
