Big Misery Factor, Big Reward

 

Miserable weather can deliver some impressive 
fish.  This carp from yesterday's awful weather
tipped the scales at 32 lbs. The fish was a spawned
out female.

As many of you know, I have written many times about carp fishing in nasty, stormy weather. Most of those times have led to memorable days.

Well, I did fish yesterday in that awful May weather.  Temperatures were in the 40's with a big wind and driving rain.  The misery factor was off the charts. Yet, the fishing was very good.  The highlight of my day was my second biggest carp of the year at 32 lbs. This was a spawned out female that looked like she was in a bar brawl. Had I caught this fish before she spawned, I'm sure she would have gone mid to upper 30's. In addition to that fish I landed 6 others that ranged from 5 to 13 lbs. The fish were also quite active with loads of fish jumping and whirling. All my fish were caught on hair rigged corn with a white artificial corn added.

Do Carp Hit During Spawning? Yes and No????

Here are a bunch of them that were spawning 
today. While most of the spawning carp will
not hit a bait, occasionally a non-spawner will.

 In the last couple of days I fished an area where carp were spawning. Those warm days earlier in the week got the spawn in full motion in places.  They were all over the place splashing and whirling in groups and tearing through brush and weeds.  They were also lots of them moving along quickly looking for other spawners. In the past, I was never able to catch carp while they were spawning, but today I decided to try.  

I put a small pile of bait right in front of me and observed. Many of the spawners just quickly moved over the bait completely ignoring it.  But, every once in a while, one loner fish came by slowly, picking up stuff on the bottom, and would stop and eat my bait. So, I have to say that while most do not feed while spawning, there are a few that are choosing to feed rather than spawn.

Anyway, I did coax six of them to take my bait today.  These were all smaller fish and all males judging by their rough skin. They were carp in the 5 to 8 lb. range.

Photo of the Day....Fattest Carp Ever

 

I caught this fatty today.  It is the fattest carp I have ever seen/caught.
It tipped the scales at 23 lbs. Assuming it was full of eggs, it was
gently released after a quick photo!

MONSTER Carp Landed

 

Unofficial state record of 38 lbs., 2 oz. released!

Yesterday I landed the second biggest carp I have ever caught in RI.  The beast topped the scales at 38+ pounds. That fish bested the official state record by over 5 lbs.

I wrote in my last post that this has been an epic week for me for catching large carp with many fish in the upper 20's.  But, yesterday's fish far exceeded all expectations I had about catching a large carp. This fish was not only large by RI standards, it was gargantuan!

I landed this fish on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn fished on a hair rig.  I was also using a method ball of oatmeal and bread packed around my sinker.  The fish hit with a screaming run.  Just after I grabbed the rod, the fish went on a blistering run, peeling off 50 to 60 yards of line off my Shimano baitrunner reel.  From then on, it was a back and forth battle.  The fish would take line, I'd gain a bit more. At this point, I knew I had a big fish. Once close to the net, I made several stabs at it as the fish would bolt away as the net came close. I prayed the hook would hold as it was just barely stuck in the fish's lip.  Finally, I had the prize in the net.  From there it was onto the mat, into the weigh sling and finally the weighing with my Reuben Heaton certified scale. Exactly 38 lbs., 2 oz.

This fish marks the 5th time I have broken the official state record of 32 lbs., 5 oz. Here in RI we have an archaic and far outdated means of establishing state fish records. In order to claim the record, you must have the fish officially weighed at a weigh station of which there are very few.  That means killing the fish and bringing it down to be weighed.  I've always refused to do this. In other more progressive states, they either have records for catch-and-release, or they allow a state record if you have a photo, a witness, a length and a certified scale. So, once again, another unofficial record was released to swim off and fight another day. A happy ending for all!

Big Carp on the Feed Here in RI

 The past seven days have seen the best fishing in a long time for big carp for me.  We are definitely in a

Take a look at the sagging, egg filled bottom 
on this 27 lb. female that I landed yesterday.
Big carp are on the feed right now. By the way,
the fish above was released in good shape right
after a quick photo!

pre-spawn mode in many of our lakes and ponds.  Big females have become more numerous in the past week, and they are feeding.  Also, lots of aggressive males are in the mix.

In the past week I have landed 4 carp over 25 lbs. here in RI.  That includes a 26, 27, 27 and 29 lb. fish. All of them have been females as evidenced by their sagging egg filled bottoms. There have also been days with lots of fish like yesterday.  In that miserable rainy, cold and windy weather, the carp were on a tear as I banked 10 carp from 15 to 27 lbs. in  a few hours of fishing.  Once again, the crappy weather delivers.

The hot bait for me continues to be a combo bait of maize and one kernel of white, artificial corn fished on a hair rig.  I'm also packing a method ball around my sinker.  I try to prebait whenever possible, and for the most part, I am prebaiting with maize. Sometimes I mix in cut up boilies.

If your are looking for your biggest carp of the year, no better month to catch her than May.  Fishing for big carp is hot right now.

Results of RI CAG Big 3 for April

 

Brian Savage takes the early lead with 
a massive 31 lb., 10 oz. carp.

The first third of our Spring Big 3 Tournament is in the books.  Once again, our guys and gals caught some decent fish.

The RI CAG Big 3 Tournament runs like this. CAG members who wish to take part enter their biggest fish (by weight) for the month of April, the month of May and the month of June. All fish must be caught in RI waters and all fish must be released.  We add the weights together and that becomes the point total. The national organization provides engraved medals for first, second and third place.

Last fall's combo tournament winner, Brian Savage, is off to a hot start.  He has the biggest fish so far with a whopping 31 lb., 10 oz. common carp.

Here are the fish entered for April:

1. Brian Savage- 31 lbs., 10 oz.

2. Manny Dias- 16 lbs., 8 oz.

3. Laura Mitchell- 15 lbs., 13 oz.

4. Eddie Taylor- 15 lbs.

5. Tom Perron- 13 lbs., 2 oz.