With this cold weather upon us and ice forming everywhere in RI, it looks like the carp fishing is over for me for 2024. But, this has been a real good year for me in terms of numbers and sizes. I managed to get over 500 carp for the year, and I had more fish over 20 lbs. than any year that I can remember. I had 8 carp over 30 lbs. and over 100 fish over 20 lbs. in 2024. I credit a lot of this good fishing to low water as we were in drought conditions for much of 2024. It is so much easier to fish low water than high water.
Here are some of the facts that I put together from my logs for 2024:
* Total number of carp landed- 511 (91 mirrors and 420 commons)
* Best month in terms of numbers- August (106 carp landed)
*Best big fish month- May ( three 30's and 17 fish over 20 lbs.)
* Number of carp over 30 lbs. landed- 8
*Biggest carp of the year- 33 lbs., 12 oz. landed on November 11 (potential state record released)
*Top bait this year- combo bait- kernel of maize and a plastic, white artificial corn on a hair rig
I will take all this info that I have in my logs and use that to plan next year's strategy and places to fish. Carp tend to follow a predictable pattern year after year in many big lakes and rivers.
This winter I will be running carp fishing seminars in some of the biggest outdoor shows in New England. More info coming on that in January, 2025.