Photo of the Day.....Another Big Boy Comes Ashore

Action for bigger fish continues to be excellent.  This 18 lber. is about
to be netted.

Photo of the Day....20 lber. on a Stormy Day

This 20 lber. was one of six good fish landed in some miserable weather
today. Once again, the fish were on the prowl in stormy weather.

Poundage

This is one of 16 good size carp
landed in the last two days.
The action has been hot in this
cold and lousy weather!

I was in a slump last week.  So, I did what I often do when in a slump.....make some adjustments.  I decided to really switch venues and try a spot that I have only had marginal success with in the past.  I also changed baits.  And, I decided to target larger fish.  Heck, if I was going to only get one or two fish, it might as well be big ones.
Maybe it was this crappy weather, maybe it was the adjustments or maybe I just got a little lucky, but I hit it BIG these last two days.  I landed a total of 16 carp that ran from 8 to 20 lbs. in two short sessions.  I would say the average fish went 14-15 lbs. So, the poundage for the two days amounted to over 220 lbs. of carp.
Now, that's breaking out of a slump in a big way!

Cold Weather Cools Off Fishing

This good looking mirror was landed
right before dark. It's been slow going
in this cold and lousy weather.

The last few days have not been good. This current cold spell has put a shiver into the fishing and has really slowed the spring express that had been rolling along for me. I was out carp fishing all day today and hit a bunch of spots.  I was staring at the ole skunk until right before dark.  Luckily, I landed a pair of good looking mirrors at sunset on sweet corn on the hair. That was about it....six hours of fishing and just ten minutes of any activity.
The other other troubling aspect to today was the fact that I hooked and landed two large snapping turtles.  I also had the bait taken off several times by sun turtles.  Yes, these armored beasts are starting their rein of terror on my carp fishing.  Oh well, another sure sign of spring!

Photo of the Day....Number 300

This good size common is number 300 on the year.  It was one of 8 carp landed today.
The hot spring fishing just continues rolling along!

RI CAG Big 3 Tournament Off and Running

Tom Perron has grabbed the early lead in our RI CAG Big 3
with this large common carp.  Tom was last year's winner
and one of the favorite's for this year's event.

Our annual RI CAG Big 3 Tournament is off and running. This popular event runs for the months of April, May and June.  Our members enter their biggest carp for each month, we add up those weights and the total poundage is their point total. The top three scorers are given engraved medals that are provided by the national Carp Anglers Group. All fish entered in the tournament must be caught in RI and released in good shape.  We also strictly adhere to all the RI fishing regulations.
We have just begun the tournament and already many good size carp up over 20 lbs. have been landed. Last year's winner and one of our most consistent big fish fishermen, Tom Perron, has grabbed the early lead with a big common in the 20's.
This should be a very competitive event since we have some of the best carp fishermen in the northeast right here in RI.
Anyone interested in joining our group here in RI must join the national Carp Anglers Group.  Info for joining is on their website at www.carpanglersgoup.com. Membership includes state events, national events, full access to the Forum, a magazine, and a wonderful network of carp fishermen all over the US. Most of our carp fishermen learned how to catch carp through this club.

Activity Levels Surge in Warm Weather

The carp's activity level has surged in the last two days
with the warming weather.  This brute, landed today,
is putting up a great fight!

The seventy degree temperatures of the last couple of days has things hopping in freshwater.  The turtles have emerged, the bluegills have invaded the shorelines and the carp have become much more active in the warming water.
Just last week carp activity was sluggish at best.  In the last two days, the alarms have screamed on the take, and the fish are fighting so much better. They are also on the spring feed as my numbers have increased big time in the recent warm days.
Spring has finally arrived!

Photo of the Day.....One of THREE Doubles

Seventy degree weather today just lit up the carp fishing. It was big numbers of fish.
Here is one of three doubles landed today. All the fish fell for sweet corn fished on the hair rig.

On a Hot Streak; 200th Carp of the Year Landed!

This good size mirror is number 200 for the year. Fishing
has been hot in this cold and miserable weather.

It took me three months to get my first hundred carp for the year.  It's taken just 8 days to get the next hundred.  Man, I am on a real hot streak.  The weather has been lousy, but the fishing has been very good, even on those rainy, crappy days.
Right now, I feel like a baseball pitcher who is in a groove.  Every thing is going just right. I seem to be in the right spots at the right times and using the right baits. That's what happens in carp fishing when you get on a roll.  Oh, it will all unravel eventually, but right now, everything is right.  In the last two days, for instance, I have landed a whopping 34 carp that ranged from small ones all the way up to fish in the teens. I have been concentrating on shallow ponds and lakes since the rivers are unfishable due to high water.
All of my fish have been caught on sweet corn or a combo bait of sweet corn and artificial corn fished on the hair rig. I'm also using a method ball.  Another key to my success is that I have been prebaiting the locations I have been fishing, and that has made a major difference.  If I am fishing a place in the evening, I try to prebait in the morning or early afternoon.
So, fishing is as good as it gets right now.  I have seen very few fishermen venturing out in this cold and miserable weather, but it is working for me in a big way.

Extreme Weather Brings out Big Fish

First fish....18 lbs.

Second fish....20 lbs.

Yes, I did fish today.  My kind of weather! As many of you have read over the years, extreme and nasty weather really turn on the carp, especially the big ones. I've fished in hurricanes, tropical storms, northeasters and driving snowstorms, so today was just another day at the office.
When I got to my location, the water was very high, more like flooded.  Debris from the shoreline was floating all over the place.  And, it was really cold and snowing. But, I was ready for the extreme weather as I wore my 5mm neoprene waders made for icy waters along with many layers and a waterproof ski jacket.  I also wore ski gloves.
Today's nasty weather did not disappoint. The fish were active and on the prowl.  I landed three commons all on a combo bait of sweet corn and a white artificial corn fished on the hair rig.  I was also using a small method ball ahead of the bait. I had three runners and landed all of them.  The first was a hefty fish of 18 lbs.  The second was a 20 lber. that pulled the scale just past the 20 lb. mark. Finally, the third runner was a strong 15 lber. which seemed to put up the best fight of the day. These fish were all caught in a short 3 hour session.
So, the big fish spring fishing is in full swing even though it feels like the dead of winter. Fishing should continue to run hot in the coming weeks as April is one of the prime months for carp fishing here in RI.

Third fish....15 lbs. Note the combo bait in its lip. Sweet corn and a white artificial
corn fished on the hair rig has been the hot producer all week.