No Kids but Lots of Carp

We held our Take a Kid Carp Fishing Day yesterday at Brickyard Pd. in Barrington. Well, no kids showed up to fish so my friend and fellow RI CAGer Nick and I decided to fish. The carp were hitting and very active as we landed 6 small commons in about 2 1/2 hours and had a few more hits and misses. We also landed 6 snapping turtles as this place is loaded with these pests. The plentiful carp here really go for freelined doughballs. The fish in this pond are generally small commons with 4-6 lbs. being average.

One highlight for me was that I landed my 300th carp for 2011 (see pic).

New RI CAG Mirror Record....25 lbs.!

Last week I landed the pending RI CAG mirror record of 24 lbs., 4 oz. Tonight I broke that same record with a 25 lb. mirror. It was taken on a pineapple pop up boilie (told you they were hot) along with a single kernel of tutti-fruitti sweet corn hair rigged ahead of an oatmeal based method ball. This is the third PB mirror that I have taken from RI waters in the last three weeks. Hot fishing for big mirrors right now.

Take A Kid Carp Fishing Day...Sat., June 25

The Carp Anglers Group (CAG) has designated the weekend of June 25, 26 as Take A Kid Carp Fishing Days. To celebrate this event the RI CAG will hold a carp fishing morning fish-in at Brickyard Pond in Barrington, RI on Sat., June 25, from 9-noontime. We will be running our own kid's carp fishing day along the eastern shore that runs along the Bike Path (access off side streets off Maple Ave. in Barrington). So, if there are any kids along with parents who would like to attend and learn about carp fishing, please come and join us. You can bring along your own equipment or even use some of our fancy stuff. We'll set you up with rigs and bait, and hopefully you will catch your first carp.

Pop-ups....Hot Bait Tip

I am on a roll this week banging one big mirror after another up over 20 lbs. while fishing the Blackstone River. My key to success is a new tactic for me using 10 mm pop-up boilies. I got these from World Classic Baits, http://www.worldclassicbaits.com/ If you never fished these before, they are small boilies that basically float. I have been putting one of these on the hair along with a kernel of flavored sweet corn. The pop-up floats alluringly just above the sinker. The carp seem to pounce right on it. I have been fishing two rods, one with the pop-up boilie and one with just maize and sweet corn, and the pop up has far outfished regular maize and sweet corn. I am using pineapple flavored pop ups. Terrific bait!

RI Mirror PB

I got a RI mirror PB (personal best) today. I've taken many large mirrors from MA waters up to 36 lbs. but my PB from RI was 21 1/2 lbs. Today I bested that by a pound and a half as I landed a 23 lber. Got it on a mix of wild whiskey maize with kernels of pineapple sweet corn on the hair rig. It was a good looking fish and a personal accomplishment though I am still searching for a RI 30 lb. mirror. I think I have I good idea where I might find it!

Turtles, Carp and Doughballs

I went out today with fellow RI CAGer Paul, and we hit a hot pond on the east side of the Bay. More than just carp were real active today. We landed 6 commons and 3 snapping turtles, two of which were the size of man hole covers. The key to fishing this place where the fish can be finicky was using freelined doughballs.

Freelining is fishing with just the bait on the hook......no sinker. In this case we were using #8 hooks and we packed the white part of a slice of bread around the hook forming a small ball about the size of a marble. It is cast out and I like to fish the reel with an open bail. It is amazing how effective this can be. Today we each fished two outfits....one freelined and the other with a sinker and hair rigged hook. Without question, the freelined set ups got most of the attention from both the turtles and the carp. Realize the disadvantage to freelining is that you miss a high percentage of hits.

32 Lb. Carp Captures Big Mirror Award in Big 4

My big mirror carp of 32 lbs. 10 oz. captured the "Biggest Mirror" Award in the recent North American Big 4 contest sponsored by the Carp Anglers Group. The Big 4 is one of the biggest and most popular carp fishing contests sponsored by this group. This is a contest for CAG members, and some of the top carp fishermen in the US, Canada and Mexico compete. The event ran the entire month of May. It was set up as a contest in which the angler enters his four biggest carp for the month. In addition there are awards for the largest common and the largest mirror carp. Last year I entered the same contest and logged in the second biggest mirror at 29 lb. 8 oz. Though I was hoping for a high 30 or even a 40, I am pleased with this year's catch, my second biggest carp I have ever caught. For my prize I won a gift certificate to World Classic Baits.

The Right Hook

I've taken out a number of our new CAG guys and if there is one theme I am seeing it has to do with hooks. They need to hook up with better hooks. The hook is probably the most important part of your terminal set up. It is critical that you use a strong, sharp hook that is of high quality. You also need to use the right size. Either a size #6 for average to large fish or a size #8 for small fish.

So, what are the best hooks out there to purchase. If you are looking for a good buy and quality, try the Umpqua Tiemco hooks (no. 2457). These are actually nymph fly tying hooks but work real well for carp when hair rigged. You can get these at a company called Fishwest. Shipping is free. If you are looking for some top of the line stuff, try Kamassan Carp Maxx hooks sold at Wacker Baits. These are super hooks intended for real large fish. They are also quite expensive. I've tried other name brand hooks (Fox, Wacker brand, etc.) but I have found them to be pricey and of questionable quality. Without the right hook, you may as well stay home because you will not catch much on large or poor quality hooks.

From a Good Day to a Bad

Jeff Allard and I went out a few days ago to explore a new spot. It was as hot as it could get as we landed 12 big mirrors that went from 12-22 lbs. The hits were fast and furious, and the fish were super aggressive.
Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. My outfit was sitting on a bankstick with an alarm. Of course, the reel was in freespool. Without warning I had a violent hit, and the reel started spinning at a high rate of speed. In the blink of an eye the rod lifted off the bankstick and flew into the water. Just like that....GONE. Jeff and I tried for about an hour to snag it, but no luck. I suspect the freespool failed or the line came off the reel at such a high speed that it tangled within the spool. So, I join the club of many who have lost an outfit to an aggressive carp.

In a Summer Pattern

Two weeks ago when the temperatures were in the 50's the carp could be seen sunning themselves in the sunlit water, trying to get warm. Now that we are seeing summer temperatures in the 80's you see them in those same spots hiding in the shade trying to cool off. Welcome to summer.
We are now in a summer pattern of fishing. Best times to fish are in low light.... early morning, evening/nighttime and lousy, rainy days. Daytime action, good just two weeks ago, is nearly dead on a sunny day. So, if you want to catch, you will need to adjust your times of fishing to those peak times. Take a look at this 16 lber. I took just a few nights ago while fishing after dark.