Recapping 2024

 

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.

National CAG Fall Big 4 Tournament- 7th Place

 I competed again this year in the national CAG Fall Big 4 Tournament.  This tournament features over 60 of the very best carp fishermen from all over the country. The idea is to enter your 4 biggest carp (measured in pounds) from Oct. to the end of November. You could fish anywhere in the country!  I know a guy from RI who fishes RI  has no chance of winning, but my goal every year is to finish in the top ten, the "prize places".

Once again I was able to finish in the top ten, making it to 7th place with a total of 121 lbs.  That's an average of over 30 lbs. a fish.  It was my highest total in this fall event that I've ever gotten. My four fish that I entered were 33 lbs., 12 oz., 30 lbs., 8 oz., 30 lbs., 4 oz. and 26 lbs., 8 oz. That 33 lb., 12 oz. carp, my biggest in this event, was a potential state record that I released. All my fish were caught in RI waters.

For my 7th place finish, I will receive a $35 gift certificate from Big Carp Tackle.

My biggest carp of the tournament was this
33 lb., 12 oz. common.

This was another 30 that I landed in the tournament.
It tipped the scale at 30 lbs., 4 oz.

Winners in the RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament

New member Evan had the biggest mirror
at 32 inches. He won the gold medal!

Our 2024 Fall Combo Tournament has ended.  It was super close and the bonus fish (catfish, horned pout or white sucker) made the difference between first, second and third place. All the fish below (common, mirror, and bonus fish) are measured in inches.  New member Evan scored the highest point total with 87 points.  He also had the biggest mirror at 32 inches. Dave had the biggest common at 37 inches. A shout out to Scott, another new member who scored some very fish for his first combo tournament.

First, second and third place finishers will receive engraved medal donated by the national CAG.

Thanks to all who participated

Here are the final results:

1st place- Evan- 35 + 32 + 20 = 87 points

2nd place- Dave- 37 + 31 + 16 1/2= 84 1/2 points

3rd place- Tom- 34 1/2 + 31 + 15 =  80 1/2 points

Scott- 29 1/2 +30 + 0 = 59 1/2 points

Brian- 0 + 32 + 21 = 53 points

Biggest carp entered in the tournament was this
37 inch, 33 lb. common.

Tom Perron was our
third place finisher with
three good sized fish.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Loyal Readers!

A rainbow forms right above me on this fall day.
I'm thankful for a great year of carp fishing here
in RI. For a small state we are fortunate to have
some of the best carp fishing in New England!

 

500

This mirror was carp number 500 on the year!

 I landed my 500th carp of the year today on this beautiful late fall day. It was a mirror that weighed about 10 to 12 lbs. I keep extensive logs on my fishing so I knew I needed just one fish to reach number 500.  I ended up getting 10!  If you asked me back in July if I'd get to 500, I'd say no way. This year I was committed to chasing down big fish, and it's often difficult to catch good numbers of big ones as well as big numbers. But, the second half of 2024 proved to be very good with good numbers as well as many big ones.  In fact, this has been the best second half of the year (from August to now) that I've had in a long time.

I attribute the good carp fishing in the second half of the year to low water.  Carp are always easier to catch when the water is low rather than when it's high and flooded.  In high water the carp have just too many places to hide.  Many places are inaccessible in high water.  River currents are also hard to fish when the water is high and really moving.

The window on carp fishing is slowly closing as the ice is coming soon (maybe next week), and that will put an end to pond fishing. Even today I found skim ice along the shoreline this morning. While carp can still be caught in river currents in the dead of winter, they are often lethargic and unwilling to hit.

Mirror Madness

 I have targeted mirrors in the last two days, and I came away with a bunch of them. Hot fishing for me with over 20 mirrors landed up to 15 lbs.  I was using maize and a white, pop-up artificial corn (white color) on a hair rig.  I had lightly prebaited before fishing.

All of this happened with NOTHING showing- no jumps, no bulbble trails, no fish moving around in close. I suspect this beautiful 60 degree weather had something to do with my success. 

As I said before, I plan to keep fishing until the ice arrives (if it does?).  In past years I have caught in open water right through the winter.

I've landed over 20 mirrors in the last two days
in this beautiful weather.  The carp are on a pre-
winter feed right now. I landed this beauty today.

Still Going

 

Here, in the weigh sling, is a big
common that I landed in the past week.

We've got this beautiful weather, and it has extended our carp fishing. In most years the cold weather is here by now and the fishing is headed downhill.  But, not this year. In the past week I have gotten out just about every day.  Last week I landed a good number of hefty commons. In the last couple of days I have targeted mirrors and I landed good numbers.

I will continue fishing for carp until the ice arrives.

Here are some suggestions to anyone fishing for carp in late November here in RI:

*Small bodies of water are far easier to fish since the fish have no where to go.  In larger bodies of water, the carp are heading out into deep water for the winter and they can be hard to find.

*Fish the warmest parts of the day.  Late afternoon until dark is the best time.  After dark can sometimes produce on a warm night.

* Go light on the bait.  I tend to fish just my bait on the hair rig without a method ball. I will prebait if I can but even that will be lighter amounts.

* Hits may not be screamers.  The carp's metabolism is slowing in the cold water and sometimes the hits will come as just bangs on the rod tip. Pick up the rod and pull if that happens.

*I tend to catch smaller fish overall in the cold weather. I've never landed a 30 lber. after Nov. 15. Not complaining, though, about 20's which I have caught.

*Dress warmly and good luck if you get out!

Here is a good size mirror coming to the net.
I landed this fish and others this afternoon.