Final Results- RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament

 

Brian Savage holds a 30 lb., 15 oz. mirror.
This was the biggest fish entered in June.
It was also a PB mirror for Brian. Brian won
the silver medal.

Our spring tournament ended in dramatic fashion as several remarkable fish were added in June.  This shuffled the leader board and ended up making the tournament results very close.

Two of our most experienced carpers, Tom Perron and Brian Savage, entered two magnificent mirrors in the June segment. Tom's mirror, a PB (Personal Best) for him, was 29 lbs., 1 oz. Brian's mirror, a PB for him also, was 30 lbs., 15 oz.  Those monster fish moved both guys up in the standings.  Brian finished 2nd overall to win the sliver medal while Tom took the bronze.

Two of our newcomers, Scott Burns and Evan Aziz also recorded PB's in this tournament with Scott entering a 25 lb. , 8 oz. common and Evan catching a 23 lb., 4 oz. common.  Both guys ended up  entering 3 fish over 20 lbs., a great feat for guys who have been carping for a little over a year.

For me, June was a disappointment, and I was only able

Tom Perron holds
a 29 lb., 1 oz. mirror 
that he landed in June.
It was a PB mirror for
him. Tom won the bronze
medal overall.

to enter a 15 lb., 2 oz. mirror, my biggest fish of June. However, my big early lead with two 30's including a potential state record carp of 35 lbs., 4 oz. barely got me the gold medal.

Thanks to all who competed.  This was one of our best tournaments in years. 

Below are the final results: 

1. Dave- 31/8 + 35/4 + 15/2 = 81/14

2. Brian- 20/8 + 24/12 + 30/15 = 76/3  

3. Tom- 19/7+ 24/10 + 29/1 = 73/2

4. Scott- 20 + 25/8 + 23/10 = 69/4

5. Evan- 23+20/8 + 20/8 = 64/1

6. Daphne- 20+15/3= 35/3

7. Tony- 23/4

Some Like it HOT

Carp fishing has been very good for me in this
heat.  This mirror was landed yesterday evening.

 I'm on a real good streak of carp fishing right now.  I've been getting very good numbers of fish, and they seem to be quite active (jumping, bubble trails, grubbing in the shallows).  It all seems to coincide with this hot streak we are experiencing with the weather.  It's been so hot I've limited my fishing to a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours before dark in the evening.  The before dark fishing has been the best. My best bait continues to be a kernel of maize with a kernel of white artificial corn on the hair rig with no method ball.

While the carp have been active in this heat, other undesirables have also been super active.  The turtles have been a big menace, often stealing the real maize on my hair rig.  These smart son-of-a-guns will not touch the plastic but have a way of picking off the maize without being detected on the alarm.  I'm talking sun turtles as well as snapping turtles.  When this happens, I will throw out a longer cast into deeper water which the turtles tend to avoid.  By the way, avoid using a method ball since the turtles REALLY are attracted to that. 

3rd Place Finish in National CAG Big 4 Spring Tournament

 

This was my biggest carp landed in the 
tournament.  It weighed 35 lbs., 4 oz.
It was a potential state record and was released.

The CAG Big 4 Spring Tournament has concluded.  This is one of CAG's signature events and it featured about 60 of the best carp fishermen in the county competing to see who could accumulate the most poundage with their four biggest fish.  You could fish anywhere in the US, and we had entries from many different states. The tournament started on March 15 and ran till June 15.

I had one of my better years in this year's event. Yes, little Rhode Island has some great carp fishing and some real big fish to boot.  My four biggest fish for the event were 35 lbs., 4 oz.,  32 lbs., 10 oz., 31 lbs., 8  oz. and 31 lbs., 4 oz. That gave me a grand total of 130 lbs., 10 oz. and earned me THIRD place. All my fish came from RI waters.  Note that my two biggest fish were potential state records which were released.

The top ten finishers were awarded gift certificates to Big Carp Tackle.  My prize for third place was a $100 gift certificate.

This year's event was not easy here in New England.  The weather was ever changing- cold, hot, rainy, sunny, windy with no consistency. For the most part, my fishing was inconsistent, but I did manage to bank a lot of great fish between 25 and 35 lbs., just what I was looking for.

Here are the final results of the Spring Big 4.

Change in Strategy Delivers BIG Day

 

I had a big day in some crappy weather yesterday
as the carp were on the feed.

I had been having a very poor June.  I spent a lot of time targeting big carp in my big carp spots.  When you go after the big girls, expect a lot of blanks, and I was getting them.  So, I decided to make a change yesterday and head to some of the productive spots I used to fish.  It paid off in a big way. Once again, the rods were bent and the alarms were singing.

I ended the day with 11 carp on the bank.  While I had no real large fish, these were all good looking 8 to 13 lb. carp that were very aggressive.  This was all done cold turkey with no prebaiting ahead of time.  

Yesterday was one of those ideal carp fishing days.  It was overcast and cool with light rain and drizzle. Maybe because of the weather, the carp were charged up.  I saw a lot of jumps, mud clouds and bubble trails. I also saw many carp prowling around the shallows, so close that I could have touched them with my rod. I landed all my fish on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn fished on the hair rig.

It was great to get in on the action again. These were not 25 or 30 lb. fish, but I'll take it.

May Results for RI CAG Big 3 Tournament

 

Brian Savage logged in this 24 lb.,
12 oz. mirror. A beauty!

The second leg of our RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament is in the books, and once again, our members logged in some impressive fish.  We have one more month, June, to go, and it looks like the tournament will go down to the wire! The results listed below list the April and May fish along with the totals thus far.

1. Dave- 31/8 + 35/4= 66/12

2. Scott- 20 + 25/8= 45/12

3. Brian- 20/8 + 24/12= 45/4

4. Tom- 19/7+ 24/10=44/1

5. Evan- 23+20/8= 43/8

6. Daphne- 20+15/3= 35/3

7. Tony- 23/4

Evan Aziz logged in this 20 lb., 8 oz. common.
Nice going.

Cold Weather Cools off May Carp Fishing

So far it's been a tough month for carp
fishing here in RI. Cold weather and dropping
water temperatures are to blame.

 It's been a very tough May for me thus far.  I blame the unusually cold and rainy weather that seems to have shut the fishing down in many of the places where I am fishing. The water temperatures have dropped, not a good thing in the spring.  In fact, in the last ten outings, I've landed exactly two carp.  Both those fish were in the twenties.

All spring I have been targeting big fish and it has paid off with many 20's and even good numbers of 30's.  When you target bigger fish, you are going to catch less- just a fact. Most of those fish were caught from mid March to late April.

Normally May is THE month for big carp here in RI.  However, April fishing proved to be far better for me than May. I'm guessing other carp fishermen here in RI are experiencing the same poor fishing since I have received, so far, only a few entries for the May leg of our RI CAG Big 3 Tournament. The only bright spot for me in May is that I did land a 35+ lb. carp here in the beginning of the month.  That is my biggest carp so far this year.

For May fishing to improve we will need a return to warm, or at least normal weather, that will drive up the water temperatures and get the carp feeding again.

Winner- Essence of Carping Photo Contest

 The Carp Anglers Group runs many tournaments and contests a year for its members.  Every month they run a photo contest called "Essence of Carping". I try to submit and entry every month.  The winners generally have a photo of something other than a person holding a fish.  Sunsets, scenic shots and even live fish photos have the best chance of winning.

For April, my photo was voted the winner.  It was a photo of a big carp (thirty pounds) just after release.  It was just sitting in the water with its back out in some beautiful light (see photo below). For my winning entry, I received a $100 gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle!  Membership does have its privileges. 

Consider joining CAG if you are a carp fisherman or interested in becoming one.

April Winner- Essence of Carp Fishing Photo Contest