Sleeper Spots and Big Carp

A sleeper spot is one of those places that gets very little attention and fishing pressure. Sometimes these places hold enormous fish that grow and grow and are never caught (like the thirty at right that was caught in a MA sleeper lake). Are there sleeper spots in RI that could hold a thirty pound carp? I think it is possible.

For a small state, we have a fair to good knowledge about where carp exist. Back in the 1980's and 1990's credit the Wasliewski brothers (Steve and Kevin) with doing a lot of exploring and discovering what we know about carp fishing today in RI. Those pioneers of carp fishing in RI did a fabulous job of finding out where the fish exist in at least the mid section of the state, and passing that info onto others. For their efforts they are the only two carp fishermen I know in RI who have landed fish over 30 lbs.

Could there be more spots that hold a thirty pounder....sleeper spots we know very little about? Here is my line-up of some places that could be sleeper spots:

1. Turner Reservoir, E.Providence- We know carp are in this spot, but how many and how big is the question. Boaters have told me they have seen enormous fish in the north end of the lake. I saw a small one caught in the south end. Other fish grow to big sizes here.

2. Waterman Lake, Glouster- Bass fishermen have told me they have seen huge ones in this massive lake. I know of no confirmed catches.

3. Georgiaville Pond, Smithfield- No confirmed catches that I know of but lots of rumors of big fish. This place has large bass and pike and is part of the Stillwater system that does support carp.

4. Stillwater/Stump Pond, Smithfield- One of our guys landed an 18 lber. from here at the south end of the pond. I keep hearing rumors about the north end. Can it be true?

5. Slatersville Reservoir, North Smithfield- This is a huge place with no confirmed catches, but people along the lake claim they have seen them there. It is also a place known for big fish.

6. Tidal Section of Blackstone River, Pawtucket- I saw large ones spawning here years ago and occasional ones have been caught, mostly by accident. Much of this area is unknown and unfished. It is loaded with debris and has a strong current, but access is good. Could this place have a thirty pound mirror? It certainly could support one with its abundant food supply.

Will one of these sleeper spots awaken in 2010? Keep all this in mind when planning for next season!

DONE

Hate to say it, but I believe the end has come in RI. In the last five days, I have been out fishing with other RI CAG members Jeff Allard and Nick Newton and we have all blanked. Right now, all the small ponds are ice covered and the big ponds have ice along the shores. Water temps. are in the mid thirties in the big ponds, and I have never caught a carp in water that was lower than 38 degrees. Without any warm water outflows in RI, carp fishing comes to a halt when the ice arrives. So, time to clean up the reels, restock some gear, buy some new stuff and wait until an extended warm spell or spring.
I will continue to post on this blog during the winter months. I will be focusing on equipment, reviewing products and sending along CAG information.
To all my supporters who visit this blog, I wish you all Happy Holidays!

RI CAG Members Catching

Several of us RI CAG members got together this week to take advantage of some beautiful December weather as we hit some hot ponds for carp fishing. On Friday afternoon, I fished with CAG members, Nick Newton and Paul Bazzoni and later got together after dark with John Joseph. At the end of the day, the total for the group was 8 commons, all decent fish of about 10 lbs., very good results for the first week of December. The hot baits were sweet corn as well as doughballs fished ahead of a small method ball.

RI CAG members frequently get together to fish in small and large groups as well as exchange information on a weekly basis. We share information about spots to fish, baits and techniques. If you are into carp fishing or would like to get into it, consider joining our group. If you join the national CAG at http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/, you automatically become a RI CAG member.

Doughballs Very Effective Now

Doughballs are probably your most effective carp bait overall. Yet, you simply can't use them most of the year because everything else (bluegills, horned pout, perch, etc) loves them also. These fish will pick you clean in a matter of minutes in the warm months. With December here, these pests are dormant, but the carp are still on the hunt for food.

In the last two outings, doughballs have been my bait of choice and they are really producing right now. I've caught a good number of mirrors and commons up to 13 lbs. (pic on left of fish caught yesterday) in the last two days using these. A doughball is simply the white section of a slice of bread rolled up tightly and compressed into a ball about the size of a small marble. After forming with my fingers, I like to set it out into the sun to try a bit and harden, making it very durable. I use it on a hair rig up ahead of an oatmeal based method ball (see pic on right).

This bait has been very effective in the last month of the year and the first month of the year. Yes, at times it will outfish corn!

Fishing Perks Up

We were in a lull for the past two weeks, but for whatever the reason, the fishing has picked up considerably in the last couple of days. I landed many decent commons this week from 10-18 lbs. (see pic of 18 lber. caught today). I also saw a lot of activity with fish jumping, moving around and bubble trails in multiple ponds. It all represents an upswing in activity. Water temperatures in several places I tried were right around 50 degrees, far warmer than most years for this time. Until we get an extended cold spell, the fishing should remain productive.

The hot bait continues to be unflavored sweet corn. I'm taking a finesse approach with small method balls, small sinkers and smaller hooks. This seems to be the ticket to success at this time of year.

Same Fish, Another Record!

The CAG record for mirror carp has been broken again. This is the third time in half a year it has been broken, but it all involves the same fish, the same location, and two fishermen.

In the summer, Corey from MA caught a 22 lb., 6 oz. mirror carp to set a new RI CAG record for that species. Shortly after, Jeff Allard, RI CAG member, landed the exact same fish in the same spot, but this time it weighed 22 lbs. 10 oz., setting a new record. Finally, a week ago, Jeff landed the exact same fish in the exact same spot, but this time it weighed 23 lbs., 15 oz. I have my money on Jeff landing it again next year and the fish weighing 25 lbs.!

Bad Weather, Good Fishing!

I took a break from my striper fishing and got out carp fishing today. The weather was lousy with high winds, cold and showers, my type of fishing weather. It didn't affect the fish as they were very active. I was quite surprised at the screaming runs I was getting. Maybe it was because the water was still 50 degrees.

In a session of three hours, I landed 6 carp, all small ones in the 5-6 lb. range and missed several other runners. I got three of them on unflavored sweet corn and three of them on small doughballs. Unflavored sweet corn and small doughballs made from rolling the white part of a slice of bread are about the best late fall baits to use. I also had a small, oatmeal based method ball up ahead of the bait. I used the finesse strategies described in my posts below. Yes, it is still happening. I plan to keep fishing until the ice comes in.