Carp Fishing Shut Down, But Other Opportunities Exist!

 

Here's a nice size largemouth bass that I jigged
up today on a small Kastmeaster tipped with
a fake, plastic meal worm

With carp fishing in a deep freeze, I have turned my attention to ice fishing, specifically ice jigging for multi- species.

With all these cold temperatures we've been having lately the ice is thickening all across southern New England.  I got out in the last couple of days and found safe ice in northern RI and nearby MA. The ice seems to be running a solid 3 to 6 inches thick with higher amounts the further north you explore.

Today I got out with my two youngest sons, Ben and Jon.  Jon is an avid ice fisherman and fishes extensively in the three state area of RI, MA and NH. He's already been steadily hitting the ice for the last couple of weeks, mostly in NH. Ben is on "maturnity" leave and has some time on his hands. He also lives on lakeside property along a very productive shoreline so that makes things easy.

We mostly jig when we ice fish and that usually leads to a lot of fish and a lot of variety.  Today we landed perch, pickerel, largemouth bass and yellow perch in good numbers.  Ben and I were jigging small, 1/12 oz. Kastmasters tipped with fake, plastic meal worms.  Jon, who landed the most fish, was using a 1/12 oz. grub jig. We cut a lot of holes looking for fish using my power auger, a real valuable tool when ice jigging. It's a trial and error game and we hit the jackpot after about a half hour of fishing.

Jon landed this good size pickerel on a grub jig.

If you are looking for some wintertime action, think about jigging freshwater ponds in southern New England.  If you are fishing in RI, CT, or NH, you will need a new 2026 freshwater fishing license.  In RI, your old 2025 license is good until the end of Feb.

Review of 2025 Season

My biggest carp of the year was this 35 lb., 4 oz.
common.

In short, it was and up and down year.  A lot of the carp season was dominated by nasty weather.  In 2025 we had a lot of wind, storms and cold and hot weather.  That inconsistent weather often brings inconsistent carp fishing, and that's what happened in 2025.  For me the year delivered a lot of streaky fishing. I had some hot streaks and some ice cold streaks of weeks at a time. I try to get to 500 fish every season, but fell a bit short this year though I had some real quality fish here in RI. It was a year of a lot of 20 lb. fish and even good numbers of 30's, real big fish by RI standards.  I ended up placing in the Top 10 in both the CAG Spring Big 4 (third place) and the CAG Fall Big 4 (seventh place) tournaments. These are national events and very difficult to get into that top 10.  All those big fish came from RI waters. 

So, here are a few highlights:

*Number of carp landed - 433 (135 mirrors and 298 commons)

*First carp of the year- Jan. 1- 15 lb. common

*Biggest carp landed- 35 lb., 4 oz. common on May 4

*Number of 30 lb. carp landed- 5

*Best day, numbers-wise- 17 carp on Nov. 25

*Best month of the year- June- 69 carp landed

*Slowest non winter month- May- 21 carp landed (14 days without a fish!)

*Best month for big fish- April- 3 carp over 30 lbs., 12 over 20 lbs.

*Top Bait- Combo bait of a kernel of maize and a kernel of white artificial corn on the hair rig

In all, I landed 433 carp this year, mostly from RI waters.

Two RI CAGers Score Top Ten Fishing in National Big 4 Tournament

 

Tom Perron- 5th place

Two RI CAG members scored a 5th and 7th place finish in the Fall CAG Big 4 Tournament. The fall Big 4 is a national event and draws some of the best carp fishermen from all over the US. The event runs for two months and fishermen enter their 4 biggest fish by weight. You can fish anywhere in the US.  This is a tough event to crack the top ten (Big Carp Tackle gift certificate prizes) since about 60 experienced carp fishermen enter this CAG signature event.

Tom Perron, one of our most experienced carp fishermen here in RI, placed 5th in the tournament.  His top four entries were 36/9, 34/3, 29/3 and 24/8 for a total of 124 lbs., 7 oz.

I came in 7th place.  My top four entries were 29/2, 28/8, 28/8 and 28/0 for a total of 114 lbs, 2 ounces.

Dave Pickering- 7th place.

I should add that two other RI CAG members, Scott Burns and Evan Aziz, had very respectable showings and placed in the top 20. They landed multiple 20 lb. carp.

We are a small state in the US, but we have some really good carp fishermen here in RI who can easily compete with the Big Boys around the country in these national events!

Final Results for RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament

 The final results are posted below for our 2025 RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament.  This event ran from Sept. 1 to the end of November. Anglers entered their biggest common (c), their biggest mirror (m) and their biggest bonus fish ((b), sucker or catfish). They were all measured to the nearest inch. All fish entered were caught in RI waters. First three finishers all receive engraved medals donated by the national CAG group.

Here are the results:

1. Gold Medal- Brian- 33 1/2 (c), 33 1/2 (m) and 19 1/2 (b) = 86 1/2 points

2. Silver Medal- Dave- 36 (c), 30 1/2 (m) and 14 (b)= 80 1/2 points

3. Bronze Medal- Evan- 35 (c) and 21 1/2(m)= 56 1/2 points

4. Tom- 33 (m) and 19 (b) = 52 points

5. Scott- 34 (c) and 12 (b)= 46 points

The biggest common entered in this tournament
was this 36 inch, 29 lb. common.

The biggest mirror carp entered in the tournament
was this 33 1/2 inch mirror.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Loyal Readers

 

We live in a small state but we have a lot to be thankful for
when it comes to carp fishing.
Enjoy this day with family and friends.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Windows of Opportunity

I landed this beautiful mirror today, a sunny day
in the forties.  Carp can still be caught between 
now and when the ice arrives.

 It seems like winter has arrived early this year. And, while this sudden November chill has really cooled off the carp fishing, there is still opportunity out there to catch a decent fish or two before the ice comes along. Once the ice envelops a pond or lake, it's over until spring.

Today I went out this morning to check out a carp spot and potentially fish there. To my surprise, it was completely frozen with a skim coat of ice.  But, by mid day and late afternoon, the temperatures had risen to a comfortable level and the ice departed. Lesson here is that late afternoon provides the best opportunity to fish for carp at this time of year. That warmest part of the day will bring the best opportunity to catch. And, today was a good example as I did catch a few.

Another tip at this cold time of year is to focus on small spots like small ponds and small rivers.  There's just no place for the carp to go in these places, and these places (if they are shallow) can warm up nicely when the sun is out even on a cold day. That will up the activity level of the carp there.  Big bodies of water are so much harder to find the carp in winter, and they are slow to warm.

Finally, go small with your bait offerings.  Today I just fished a hair rig with a kernel of maize and a white artificial corn on the hair. I used no method ball. They just don't feed as heavily at this time and going small is often better.

So long as there is no ice the carp will continue to hit though not at the same pace as the warmer months. Still, there is something special about catching a carp in late November and even December when most fishermen have given up thinking that carp can no longer be caught.

Update: 2025 RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament

 

Brian Savage has taken the lead in our
fall combo tournament.  Here he holds
a 33 1/2 inch common.

Here are the latest results after the second month for our RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament.  Remember, in this event we measure the carp by inches.  Members can enter their biggest common, their biggest mirror and a bonus fish (catfish, horned pout or sucker). The tournament runs till the end of November. Below are the results through the end of October: (c= common, m= mirror and b= bonus)

1. Brian- 33 1/2 (c), 33 1/2 (m) and 19 1/2 (b) = 86 1/2 points

2. Dave- 34 (c), 30 (m) and 14 (b)= 78 points

3. Tom- 33(m) and 19 (b)= 52 points

4. Evan- 30 (c) and 21 1/2(m)= 50 1/2 points

5. Scott- 33 (c) and 12 (b)= 45 points

Still a month to go, good luck to everyone!