100

This hefty common is number 100
on the year. Fishing remains
inconsistent, a trademark of March.

I hit a milestone today in this new year of fishing.  I landed my 100th carp for 2016. It was a good looking hefty common carp. This is one of the earliest dates that I have ever hit 100.  No surprise here as the weather has been unusually warm allowing me to get out early and often this year.
March continues to fish inconsistently, a trademark of this month.  I got out today and landed nine carp, one of my best outings for the month.  Yet, when I look back over the month in my logs, I see a lot of days with zero or one fish.  There has also been a good number of days with 5-9 fish. That is typical of on and off March carping as the fishing seems to mirror the weather.
One common thread here is that nearly all my fish in March thus far have fallen for sweet corn. Pests are pretty much non existent so the sweet corn stays on the hair. It is interesting to note, though, that I landed my first horned pout, a good looking yellow bullhead, several evenings ago.

Pic of the Day.....First "Double" of Spring

Sixty degrees just lit up the fishing today.  It was lots of hits, lots of fish,
and my first "double" of spring!

In the Snow, Cold and Wind

Here's a common that was caught
in this week's snow. The fish are
around but it will take a lot of
effort to get one or two in this
cold weather.

I am all done with my skiing and I am now concentrating totally on carp fishing along with bike riding.  So, I am out fishing EVERY day, even on those days in which the weather is not so ideal.
That being said, the last three days have been brutal.  And, it has really affected the fishing. I fished a lot  in different locations and came away with a grand total of 3 fish. It was not productive, but still goes to show that carp can be caught in any weather with a little persistence.
With the absence of any pests, the top bait continues to be sweet corn on the hair rig. At times, I am using a method ball, at times I am not. It is not so critical in this cold water, and I usually use one on one outfit and the other has none.  From there I see which one get the hit.
With somewhat warmer weather on the way, look for the fishing to improve a bit. More consistent fishing will come in April.

Fishing Cools Off with the Temperature Drop

Last week's warm weather delivered some
good fishing. The cold weather  of the last
few days have really cooled off the fishing.
And, with the threat of snow, it does not
look good.

You may have noticed that we are back to late winter weather.  I got out fishing  this morning, and the temperature was only in the upper 20's and I caught nothing. Yup, the weather has really cooled and as the temperature has dropped off in the last few days, the fishing has also.  That's a March pattern.
Carp are very attuned to weather changes.  In the spring, when the water is cold, they especially become active and go on the feed in a warming pattern. We had that last week and the fishing was good.  But, when the air and water temperature drop at this time of year, the fishing slows to a crawl.
So, sit tight for a few days, or get out and hopefully get a fish or two.  More consistent and warming weather is coming but you might have to wait for April to see 60 degrees again.

First "20" of the Year

My first 20 lber of the year was landed on this
cold and nasty day.

I am off to a good start in 2016 and creeping toward the one hundred fish total.  However, that big one had eluded me.  I had gotten good numbers of fish in the 6-15 lb. range but no twenties until today.  I got this big common in some nasty, cold, drizzly weather.  Yup, my kind of fishing day. The fish took a combo bait of maize and an orange artificial fished on the hair.  It was all fished ahead of a method ball.
Last week's good fishing in some warm weather has been replaced by fair to poor fishing in the cold and raw weather.  Still, big ones tend to fall in this bad weather, especially if you are targeting them in the daytime as I do.
Spring has come early this year, but spring's best carp fishing is yet to come.  It has to get a lot warmer with more consistent weather to get things hopping.

Consistent

This was one of several fish
landed this evening.  It came right
at dark, a productive time this week.

Consistency is a usually a tough thing to find in March carp fishing.  But, with this steady stream of warm weather it has brought steady fishing in this early going.  I got out the last 4 days in a row and landed a decent number of fish with a combination of mirrors and commons.  There were no blanks.  The best day brought 5 fish to the bank while the worst day brought 2.  That's about as consistent as it gets.  And, I am getting my fish in multiple spots so the action is fairly widespread.
Here are a couple of other facts that you might find useful if you hit the water this weekend.  All of my fish except for one has been caught on sweetcorn only. I am fishing this on a hair rig.  One fish was landed on a combo of an artificial plus sweetcorn.  The most productive time to fish has been late afternoon into darkness. I landed several fish in the dark. Shallow water that warms up fast is producing the best.  While I have gotten no big ones yet over twenty pounds, I have heard of fish of 23, 25 and 29 lbs. caught by RI CAG anglers. Those are some very big fish for this early time of the year.
So, it's early March and things are hopping in the carp world here in RI. Beats last year when we were up to our ears in snow along with ice that was measured by the foot. What a difference a year makes!

Warm Weather Perks Up the Fishing

This good size common was landed tonight right at dark.  The
warm weather of the last few days has perked up the fishing.

I knew this would happen.  Suddenly we get a shot of warm weather, and it perks up the carp fishing.  That's the spring pattern. I got out last evening and again today and got good numbers of fish.  While I haven't gotten anything large, I am getting lots of fish upwards to ten pounds.  The hot bait has been sweet corn fished on the hair rig.  With pests still in the dormant stage, sweet corn is the hot bait of early spring.
March has always been a difficult month for me. Most of my bigger fish (20-35 lbs.) have come in April and May in past years. My problem in March is that I am not totally committed to carp fishing since I am still skiing and doing more of that than fishing. And, this is the type of fishing that you have to be totally committed to be successful. A guy who is committed is RI's Dark Carper, Kev Wasliewski.  Already he is reporting some big catches of fish in the twenties from his blog. So, the larger fish are available, but you have to put in considerable time and energy in the right spots to get them in March.

Pic of the Day

A good size mirror comes to the net on this blustery day. The fish are hitting!