Winner- Essence of Carping Photo Contest

 The Carp Anglers Group runs many tournaments and contests a year for its members.  Every month they run a photo contest called "Essence of Carping". I try to submit and entry every month.  The winners generally have a photo of something other than a person holding a fish.  Sunsets, scenic shots and even live fish photos have the best chance of winning.

For April, my photo was voted the winner.  It was a photo of a big carp (thirty pounds) just after release.  It was just sitting in the water with its back out in some beautiful light (see photo below). For my winning entry, I received a $100 gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle!  Membership does have its privileges. 

Consider joining CAG if you are a carp fisherman or interested in becoming one.

April Winner- Essence of Carp Fishing Photo Contest

Love These

 

These have been super hot for me
this year.  You can get them at Big
Carp Tackle

As many of you know, I use a lot of plastic corn, usually in combination with real maize on my hair rigs. For the most part, I have been using imitation sweet corn made by Enterprise Tackle which I buy online from Big Carp Tackle.  Enterprise has now come up with a new product called "Large Pop Up Imitation Sweet Corn".  These are larger versions of their original sweet corn.  I bought a couple of packages of these in a white color and have been using them all spring.

I think they offer a slightly bigger profile and they tend to have a bit more buoyancy.  They have been my go-to bait all spring so far.  I am using one of these on the hair rig along with a kernel of real maize.  This is the first spring that I have not used a method ball around my sinker. That has eliminated a lot of catfish and turtle bites.  To date, I have not landed a single catfish or horned pout.

I have had super success this spring using these large pop-ups catching the most large carp, over 20 lbs., that I have ever caught in the early going.  Maybe it's the pop up, maybe just luck!

Here's a 20 + lb. carp that was landed this week
on a combo bait of a large pop-up along with a
kernel of maize on the hair rig.

April Results- RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament

 

Biggest fish entered- 31 lbs., 8 oz.

We have the April results for our RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament. The tournament runs for three months.  The idea is to enter your biggest fish in April, your biggest for May and your biggest for June. I add up the weights for the three months and that's the total points.  All fish must be caught in RI waters and released. The tournament is open to any CAG member.

Here are the April results (pounds/ounces) for our spring big 3 tournament. Some impressive fish were entered.  We have quite a talented group of carp fishermen here in RI!

1. Dave- 31/8

2. Tony- 23/4

3. Evan- 23

4. Brian- 20/8

5. Scott- 20

6. Daphne- 20

7. Tom- 19/7

Biggest mirror entered- 20 lbs., 8 oz.

A personal best for Scott and his first 20 lber.!

Cold Weather Shuts it Down

 The last three mornings I headed out to go carp fishing the temperatures were in the 30's after a nighttime below freezing. I got nothing for those three straight days as the cold has shut down the fishing. There were no fish, no hits and no jumps.

These cold streaks can really put a damper on the carp fishing here in southern New England.  Carp just don't like these dropping temperatures in the spring after some warm days.  They'll feed very little and they are not active in the dropping water temperatures.

The best pattern so far this spring has been a warm day coming after a warm night (temperatures 50 or above). That will bring a carp lake to life.

Interestingly, so far March has fished far better for me than April. It was those warm streaks in March that really got the fish hitting. The beginning of April has brought some brutal weather. I'm hoping we get into a warmer weather pattern soon.  Only that will improve the fishing.

Catch of the Week!

 

Here's a spectacular wild koi that I landed
in the last week. These are rare but to get one
like this with all its colors is a once in a 
lifetime catch!

Success Measured by the PB

 

It's his first 20 lber. and a PB. Huge congrats!

I got out yesterday with two of our new members, Scott and Evan. We went to a spot that had been kind to me in the past, and which has some good size carp. Both Scott and Evan were looking for a place where they might score a big fish or two. This was the place based on my past catches here.

The place didn't disappoint as the four of us landed 4 carp in a few hours of fishing. All of them were decent size. But, the big story of the evening was that Scott landed a PB (Personal Best) carp of 20 lbs.  This was his first 20 lber. 

Success in carp fishing can be measured in different ways like number of fish one catches or by the biggest fish.  Big ones are not easy to come by.  It took me ten years of carp fishing to get my first 20.  It took another 5 years to get my first 30.  But, after that the 30's and even a few 40's came quickly.  I figured it out, and stuck with it.

Scott made a big leap tonight, and I am happy for him.  He landed  his first 20, and it's now onto beating that fish with an even bigger PB.  That's the way carp fishing works and often the way success is measured for many.

RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament Underway

 Our annual Spring Big 3 Tournament is underway, and it should be a very competitive event.  Any RI CAG member can enter this free tournament that runs for 3 months. The idea is to enter your biggest carp for April, the biggest for May and the biggest for June.  In the end we add up the weight totals and that is your score. All fish must be released, and all fish must be caught in RI waters. In the past we have had fish that were entered that would have qualified as state records so there are some monster fish that could be caught.

We have 10 active RI CAG members and all of them are top notch carp fishermen. Any one of these guys or gals could win this tournament.  Engraved medals (photo below) donated by the national group are awarded for the top three finishers.

I will post the results every month and update the standings.  Good luck to all who enter.