Tips for Early Season Success

It is really happening right now.  For the action I am experiencing, this is more like April than late February!
Here are some tips for early season success:

Check out the bait used to catch this carp
recently. It's a white, artificial plastic corn
along with a kernel of sweet corn threaded
onto a hair rig.  This combo bait is super
effective in the first month of the season.

1. Fish Shallow Water- Shallow water heats up faster than deep water.  I especially like to hit small, shallow ponds with dark bottoms in the early going. If you know some that lost their ice a week ago, all the better.
2.  Use Two Outfits and Target Different Spots- My strategy in the early going is to find pods of fish.  Sometimes they are in close, sometimes way out. Put one rig in close and one way out.  If no hits after an hour, move them to different locations.
3. River Waters can be too Fast and Dirty-  I tend to avoid rivers in the early going because of the high, fast water.  Right now the Blackstone River is a raging torrent. The CT River yesterday was super high and filled with ice flows and mud.
4.  Sweet Corn is that Bait of Choice- For the next month I will be using only sweet corn on the hair rig or sweet corn with a pop-up (artificial corn). I might use a method ball, I might not.
5. Artificial Corn is SO Effective- My best bait by far in the early going been a combo bait of a small, white artificial corn along with a kernel of sweet corn on the hair.
6. Go Small- I have only used a #8 hook so far with a small hair, and that has really done the trick.  Use a sinker big enough to get where you want to cast.
7. Warm, Sunny Days are Best- The warmer the weather, the more active the fish will be in the early going. The sun helps warm the water.
8. Prebait if you can.  If not, toss in bait when you arrive at your location to fish.  If you are catching keep baiting to keep the fish around and active.