A Terrific March Outing

It was cold, windy and rainy here in RI today. It was my kind of carp fishing weather. I went to one of my favorite early season spots, a shallow water pond that has a tendency to produce within the first two weeks of ice out. I ended up having one of the very best early spring outings that I ever had!

Within a half hour of baiting up the spot and baiting my hooks, I had my first runner. The fish turned out to be a big (by RI standards) common of 20 lbs. I set up my tripod and camera to take a timed shot, and as the camera was clicking, the second alarm went off.....22 lber.! This continued pretty much the whole time I was there, and I ended up landing 12 carp with 4 of them going over 20 lbs! All the years I had been fishing this spot I have only taken a grand total of 3 twenty pound fish. It was a phenomenal day.

Early spring techniques were in play, and I think that made a big difference. I was using Big Bob's Strawberry Maize sandwiched between two kernels of sweet corn on the hair rig (see photo at right) with small hooks (size #8). I was also using Ace Hooklink, terrific stuff when it comes to hooking capabilities. I was also using a small oatmeal method ball flavored with molasses that was packed around a half ounce egg sinker. It was all delicate presentation stuff and that makes a big difference in early spring!