RECORD Blackfish Caught In Connecticut!

by OTW Staff

Around noon on October 14, while out on the first blackfish of trip of the season aboard the Sunbeam 5 piloted by Captain Bob Wadsworth of the Sunbeam Fleet out of Waterford CT, angler Thien (Tim) Nguyen hooked into a monster.

Dropping a crab to the rocky bottom near Two Tree Island in Niantic Bay in eastern Long Island Sound, Nguyen hooked into a fish that ran him into the rocks.

After putting his reel into freespool, the big fish swam out from the snag, and he was eventually able to work it away from the treacherous bottom.

Captain Bob said that he is used to hearing excited fishermen on his boat, but when he heard the commotion, he knew that one of his customers had hooked into something special.

He said he expected to see a jack, or some other strange catch rarely found in the local waters. But when he came around to Tim’s side of the boat, he was stunned by the sight of the monstrous tautog on deck.

happy-Thien

Tim’s 34-inch tautog was weighed in Hillyer’s Tackle, where it tipped the scales at a whopping 26.6 pounds. It was later certified at J&B Tackle.5-gallon-bucket

tautog-teeth

His catch beats the standing Connecticut state record of 23 pounds 9 ounces, caught by Kendall Owens in 2011. It falls short, however, of the 28-pound, 8-ounce world record, which was caught in Maryland on  January 2, 2015 by Kenneth Westerfeld of Bayside, New York.

62 on “RECORD Blackfish Caught In Connecticut!”

  1. coachjsimm

    OUTSTANDING !! Can’t wait to get out there !!
    Congrats !!

  2. Ed

    Way to go to kill the future of huge tautog by removing those genes out of the breeding pool, could have weighed and released but to be a big shot at the dock was more important. Your probably one of the first ones who butch when the stocks are depleted….way to go

    1. Bill

      A fish this large has been around for years and has spread its genes far and wide, season, after season, after season. There are probably a million fish or more with this specific fish’s genetics. And that doesn’t even count the essentially identical genetics of it’s brothers and cousins. Not every fish has to be caught and released. While I personally don’t care about State/World records, a quick weigh-in and release on a non-certified scale would not qualify you for a record.

      1. Bob Knemoller

        are you saying blackfish breed in their own family. INCEST FISH. Also, Ive spread my genes far and wide too, too bad its usually in a napkin or tissue so if I should be fortunate enough to inpregnate a female should I to release it?

      2. Redsky

        Shame on you for polluting the posts with your man-nonsense. Really ! your mother & grandmother & children would be ashamed to call you son/grandson/dad. A waste of your father’s seed that’s what you are.

    2. Rick

      The man did nothing wrong. .. it’s his right to keep it or release it… don’t be jealous because he caught a bigger fish than you… very childish.

      1. Willhack

        Agreed. Nice catch! No point shaming folks for catching fish of the year it’ll of a lifetime when the comms are dredging up the undersized ones as bycatch and tossing them overboard dead

    3. Chris Adams

      Fish that big are very old.. Far past prime breeding years. (Think about an 80 year old woman or man).. From what I’ve read..the 16-18 inch fish that are most commonly caught and kept are the prime breeding stock.. Maybe a “slot” fish system should be used in all fisheries..

    7. Pat

      Wow what a effin kill joy its guys like you that wanted the stripped bass limit dropped to one per person and guys like me that kill em every year don’t see a depletion just need to be in the right places at the right time

      1. JIm B

        This comment isn’t the most insightful or intelligent. But heck…this is a fishing blog

      2. JIm B

        BTW genius…Its stripper limits that give everyone a chance to catch fish in the future. Try to apply your theory to the infamous codfish crash of the 90s. That fishery is done

    9. Todd Dineen

      Don’t be a hater .. Ed!!! Congrats on fish of a lifetime.

    10. mather zog

      Give us break. That fish has bigger brothers and sisters still swimming.

    11. Chris charzuk

      Its his choice. I would release if i had all measurements. However if u think he’s killing the “population” hes making a choice. Our fathers and grand fathers did the same thing. Tight lines

    13. Justin

      Wow, what a clown. Why on earth would you comment that? Shows how much you really know. The prime breeding size for Togs is FAR smaller than this. That’s a once in a lifetime fish, and absolutely should be kept. Nice catch!!

    14. RBD

      Oh my god Ed, there are no more Tog out there because a state record was caught. You would make a perfect candidate for NMFS or NOAA. People who don’t have a clue. Take up needle point Ed. CONGRATS Tim and Capt. Bob

    15. Captnflapjack

      Really Ed? F-ing really? People fish to feed themselves, not torture a fish by bringing it to the surface taking a picture and throwing it back. Catch and release should be outlawed, all it is, is fish terrorism plain and simple. It’s people like you that should give up fishing and take up another hobby like backgammon or jogging. You’re a disgrace to all fisherman worldwide.

    16. John Yuschak

      Awesome Tog of a Lifetime Congratulations. I hunt for the big ones & can only hit half that weight. I did lose a Huge heart breaker in Stonington a few years ago, it really keeps you dreaming. I’m sure there’s even bigger ones out there. Congrats again, I will be shooting for your record. Maybe this year ?? JOHN

    18. Greg

      I’m so sick of so many of you bleeding hearts, you know, that fish will not go to waste and I’m sure his whole family will enjoy it. If you want to go catch and release, do it when the season is closed. The reason the season closes is so they can breed.
      Great catch, I think I’ll go out and kill a bunch myself.

    19. Ray

      Dude quit hating.. unlike most white people asian people actually eat what they catch. Where were you when that dude pulled a 68 or whatever pound striper from Connecticut. So please stfu

    20. Joe DiMau

      As a marine biologist and avid fisherman, it would have been better to take a pic and measurement, eating a fish that size will only give you a mercury dose of a lifetime. It has zero benefit on the dinner table.!

  4. Fisherooni

    This was a pretty good one to keep. He had to if he wanted the record, which is a fair goal. He could still eat it, get a real mount, or eat it and get a fiberglass mount. The man is getting a lot out of the fish, and it’s a reminder that a healthy population can produce big fish. Hopefully he feels ok keeping few or none after taking this monster. All things in moderation.

  5. paul

    way to go tim. can’t wait to get out there. don’t let ed bother you.

  6. David. R.

    Keep as many as you want , the guys behind a desk make up the regs anyway . Rec fishermen put a small dent in any waters.

  7. Burrillville Brian

    Ed needs to brush up on his biological theory Chris Adams knows what he is taking about anyways good job Tim nice fish good job capt Bob

  8. MaryLillyTim

    with someone been fishing along time…I think everyone be exciting the same when you caught the fish…and the most exciting in your life if you caught the fish in Record….that is the Memory in your life,family and your child if they love fishing …everyone they have their own think…if you are the fisher man DON’T be jealous …

  10. hudsonman

    Congrats on an outstanding catch. Truly the fish of a lifetime! WOW!!!

  11. Diverjim

    Ed is just one of those whining babies. Jealous of someone else’s good luck.
    Congrats on your catch, enjoy it. I know I would!

  12. Melo

    Agree some people are just jealous.
    Records are meant to be broken. Even
    In the world of fishing.

  13. daniel marchese

    Congrats on a great fish. Don’t be caught up with negative things written by jealousy. Hope it ate well! Congrats!!

  15. Joe

    Ed is precisely what’s wrong with internet forum postings – do that on the boat and u might end up swimming home. way to go Ed 🙁 Congrats Tim go get a bigger one!

  17. Patti b

    Way to go Tim another great record for us hook n line fisherman A catch like that will hopefully keep some of the very good hard working mates n captains in business It is getting very tuff today with the price of fuel bait insurance and salary to keep going today and to keep people interested in our great sport of ours I grew up fishing in Sheapshead Bay and to think that there would only be a handful of party oats left today is crazy So if you fish for a record or to feed your family thank your captain and mates for doing a job that doesn’t have a promising future with all the regs of today and costs Again way to go Tim a catch like that keeps fisherman new and old coming back

    1. Jim B

      I like the fact that he caught that record fish, and I also realize that that fish is likley past breeding prime anyway. In reply to your comment on the reduction in fishing fleet and jobs, though Patti b, its not likley an overabundance of fish and tight regulations that have hit the party boat fleet. I also remember (when I was a kid) boat after boat in sheepshead, and along other piers in Great South Bay that would go out full capacity and everyone would come back with bags of fish. I think the hardest thing hitting the fishing fleet and the livelyhoods associated with it, is the fact that many boats go out nowadays and fisherman come back light or empty-handed. this is the result of fishing pressure on fisheries locally and remote. It is also the result of an ever-growing population that takes more and more fish annually. If there is no regulation the fisheries will collapse like the Cod fishery of The Grand Banks. Alas…there are so many of us that like to fish and catch fish. I myself am one. We need to think of the fisheries as a beautiful natural resource that needs management and protection. The fishing guides off the west coast of florida who have seen recovery of the Gag Grouper and Golliath Grouper population would tell you limits and regulation saved their lively hoods. Keep casting.

      1. Mike

        How many world records lost in the trawlers nets c’mon

  18. Jay Benson

    It’s a shame that Ed is getting more attention than Thien Nguyen.
    Congrats on a great catch of a lifetime.
    I know Captain Bob Wadsworth very well ,and congrats to him for putting Tim over the piece of real estate that allowed this beautiful catch and record fish.

  19. Dan

    Nice fish Tim, we got the striper record , now we got the Tog record what are they puttin in the Sound !! c’mon lol

  20. Dan

    Sorry, the Tog record is a state record , but, we are getting closer right? great fish Tim!!

  21. cp

    This is not the WORLD record however. The world record is a 27 lb fish caught in the late 60’s

  23. Justin

    A fish that big must be up in age it’s too bad he just couldn’t catch and release it but he did pay the $10 for the Marine fishing license

  24. Big Sean

    You guys are being to stupid about this caught . Come on man this man put in work and when out on a boat. Legally caught this fish and made it a record. Let him do his thing the negative feedback come on a real fisherman would know this is the caught of a lifetime. If it aint taxiderm it would be a great as meal. It ain’t science just Fishing. Either you’re lucky or just plain suck at. Congrats to Tim and the captain for the hot spot.

  25. Kaiser Sosay

    Pathetic…to see some of these responses…Some of you just made the fish verifiably smarter than yourselves….lol…

  26. Ryan

    So what if he kept it…I heard his cat loves blackfish and that’s why he kept it…the rest will serve the tomato garden well. Nice fish.

  27. mci

    i would taxiderm that monster with a picture of me holding the fish and a rod so i could look at it everyday.way to go bro.

  28. Mike t

    It is critical that fish are taken. I catch and release 99% of my catch. I like the managememt efforts from DEEP too, but harvesting fish is critical. Think of it as similar to the strategically cutting of trees in wooded areas to support growth and wild life. Losing some treese to prevent disease and over crowding is critical. It happens similarly to fish populations as well. Keep it up fishermen weather you are Catch and release or harvesters. Yes that is a beautiful fish. DEEP keep it up.

  29. art claspell

    A slot limit is the way to manage blackfish,ct./r.i. marine biologists are the future of this fishery.

  30. Big

    Ed also thinks you can satisfy a woman in bed with a little pee pee

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