Pre Ice Tactics in Next Few Weeks

I take a different approach as the water cools and the carp's metabolism slows down.  With the water temps in the low forties right now, it is time to go to my cold water tactics.  Here are some suggestions that seem to work well at this time of year.
1.  Go with the smallest sinker possible that will hold bottom or get you out to where you want to cast.
2.  Go with a small hook.  I like the Umpua Tiemco 2457 #8.
3.  Go small with the bait.  I like either sweet corn (2 kernels on the hair rig) or small doughballs.
4.  If you use a method ball, make it a small one.
5.  Watch your rod tip.  Carp have a habit of banging the bait and not really going off on a screaming run in cold water.  If the rod keeps tapping, pick it up and pull and hope for the best.
6.  Go easy on the prebaiting.  Use a lot less.

I have found that carp keep hitting well in ponds and lakes until the water temps drop below 38 degrees.  However, in moving water, they will hit throughout the winter months regardless of the water temps if you can find the places where they bunch up.  So, there's lots of carp fishing ahead if you can stand the cold.

As Good As It Gets in November

The weather turned warm and wet this week and the carp turned on. The last two days have featured the best carp fishing I have ever experienced in RI at this late time of year.  I got out yesterday on that warm and drizzly day.  I started catching one fish after another, landing a total of 14 carp in just a few hours of fishing!  They were a sizes with the biggest going a whopping 25 lbs., very large by RI standards (see photo, left).

Today I went back out with my friend Nick (photo, right)and together we landed another 11 fish.  Again, they were all sizes from a few pounds up to the low teens.  It was rare to go fifteen minutes without an alarm sounding or a fish on. It was terrific action for a time of year in which one or two fish would be an accomplishment in past years. 

The hot bait continues to be pineapple flavored Pescaviva (sold by http://www.wackerbaits.com/) fished ahead of an unflavored oatmeal based method ball.  Take a look at the picture below of this bait set up and how it is done on the hair rig.

Equipment Details.....Record Catch

A lot of people ask me what I use to catch many of the carp you see on this site.  The truth is that I use three different pairs of outfits...lightweight, medium, and heavy duty.  The record carp, my 36 pounder, was taken on my favorite outfit, my medium outfit.  This is the outfit I use to catch about 80 percent of the carp I catch in a year.

So, here are the equipment details of that record catch:

Rod- 9 foot Chub Stalker Rod (Euro carp rod)

Reel- Shimano 3500B baitrunner reel

Line- Berkeley Big Game monofilament, 15 lb. test, clear

Sinker- 1 oz pear shaped no roll egg type, homemade, brown color

Hook- Umpqua Tiemco 2457, size #8

Bait- Pescaviva sweet corn, pineapple flavored, hair rigged, two kernels
Method- yes, oatmeal based method ball made with oatmeal, corn meal, bread and corn, no flavor
Alarms- Delkim mounted on bankstick
Net- Fox

RI Record Carp; Biggest Freshwater Fish Ever Landed in State

I landed today what was the biggest freshwater fish ever caught in RI.  It was a common carp that weighed 36 lbs. on the dot.  That fish beat the RI carp record by several pounds.  It also was a pound bigger than a 35 lb. record pike that was the biggest official fish every landed here in RI.
I landed the fish on a Chub Stalker carp rod with a Shimano 3500 Baitrunner reel that was spooled with 15 lb. test Berkley Big Game line.  For bait, I was using Pescaviva pineapple flavored sweet corn on a hair rig (just a tiny #8 hook) that was fished ahead of an oatmeal based method ball.
The fish will not go down as the official record because I released it.  You see, here in RI, you must have an official state record weighed by a tackle shop with a certified scale.  In order to do that, I would have had to have transported the fish many miles in a large cooler.  It is likely that the stress of the travel and length of time would have killed the fish.  So, I weighed it on my very accurate Berkeley digital scale, took some photos and released my prize to fight again. The fish should become the new CAG (Carp Angler Group) record for the state since that group only requires a weighing, a photo and a witness.

A Real Good Day

It's November and carp fishing is supposed to be slowing down here in RI.  However, there was nothing slow about today.  My father and I got out this morning and the fishing was as hot as the weather.  We landed a total of 9 carp from 6 lbs. into the low twenties.  In fact, we had two fish over twenty pounds, terrific sized fish for this time of year.  As has been the case most of this fall, pineapple flavored Pescaviva that I purchase from Wacker Baits was the hot ticket. It was fished with an oatmeal based method ball.

If you can get out and fish on these warm days in November and December, the fishing for carp can be exceptionally good as it was today.

Check out this Rare Catch

No, this is not a computer generated paint job. One of our top carp fishermen from the RI CAG got out today and landed quite a surprise.  It was his first ever giant koi.  These fish do exist in many waters, but they are rare. They can be orange, white, red, black or a combination of colors. This one is particularly striking. Only a few have been caught by our members so this is indeed a rare prize.

Congrats to Jeff on an unusual and terrific catch. 

Change in Wind, Warm Day, and Fishing Lights Up!

For a November day, the carp fishing was very good today.  I got out this morning and in a little over 2 hours, I landed 7 carp from 10-14 lbs.

Realize Novermber fishing is a roller coaster ride.  Up one day, down the next.   The fishing is greatly influenced by the weather in November.  Today offered a change to warmer conditions, just what you want.  Since that freak snowstorm a few days back, the wind had been blowing from the north or northeast and it has been cold.  But today, we had a switch to the southwest and far warmer conditions.  That was just enough to turn the carp on and get them hitting again.  Pineapple Pescaviva was the hot bait again today as it has been most of the fall.
By the way, the water temperature today was a cool 49 degrees, colder than I expected.  In the past, the fish have continued hitting in most places as long as the water temps stayed above 38 degrees.

600th Carp of this Year Landed

I got number 600 for the year yesterday morning. This is a milestone for one year that I have reached only one other time in the past.  The fish was a good looking common of about 10-12 lbs.  While the carp fishing has slowed down considerably, I am still catching some fish.  I am getting one or two an outing with the hot bait being pineapple flavored Pescaviva fished ahead of an oatmeal based method ball.  I am still seeing carp rolling and jumping, though not as many as I saw a month ago.  So, fishing is still worthwhile.  If you can pick your days, fish the warm days of November and try to fish the warmest part of the day.