Paul Newman of New Milford, NJ caught the fish of a lifetime while on a trip with Capt. Connor MacLeod of Tall Tailz Charters.

Taken from Tall Tailz Charters:

Today was a day that will never be forgotten by me or my crew. We landed the new RI state record tautog at the official weight of 21.57 lbs thanks to the skilled hands of Paul Newman from New Milford, NJ.

We were having a great start to the day with fish gradually getting larger as they came over the rail. While we had the bigger fish chewing, Paul dropped down a silver dollar sized white crab on a snafu rig. The bait went to the bottom and Paul thought he was hung up immediately. Then we saw the rod tip twitch from a BIG head shake. Not bottom… FISH ON.

Paul worked the fish slow like a pro despite the multiple long and heavy runs the fish took. When we finally had the fish back to the surface we were in disbelief. In the net and on the deck and our jaws dropped. Unofficial weight on the hand scale said 21.75 lbs. We knew we had a chance at the record so we packed up and rushed the fish to a state certified scale. 21.57 lbs official. High fives around and back to the boat to continue catching our limit. The fish of a lifetime caught by a 17 year old kid from Jersey. Stoked to be a part of this epic day!

Angler: Paul Newman

Gear & Tackle
Lamiglas 1143F 8′ Crafty One Custom
Accurate 300 reel
30 lb Daiwa J-Braid Grand 8X
50 lb Cortland Fluorocarbon Leader
5/0 VMC Live Bait Hook
Snafu Rig
White Crab

Tautog Fish Measurements
21.57 lbs
33″ length
23″ girth

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Capt. Connor MacLeod • 401-855-1471