Photo of the Day.....Big Fish on the Move in this Lousy Weather

I landed this mid 20 in today's lousy weather.  The rainy and nasty weather of the
last two days had the big fish on the move.

September Nights

This mirror was landed recently
at night.  Note the maize/artificial
corn combo bait.

This big common was landed
tonight after dark in the
rain and storminess.

This is the time of year I start fishing for carp at night.  With darkness setting in earlier and earlier, it is a good time to fish at night after supper.  And, with the weather still nice, the fishing can be quite comfortable in the dark.
I've gone out two of the last three nights and have come away with a decent number of fish, both commons and mirrors, up to 20 lbs. No different tactics than fishing in the daytime. Just make sure you have a good headlight with you.  All my fish landed at night this week were taken on combo baits of maize and white artificial corn fished on the hair rig with a method ball packed around my sinker.  I did prebait with maize the spots in the afternoon prior to getting out.  I think the prebaiting really improves your chances of catching.
I'll also warn you that the horned pout have also been very active.  I landed several this week. They are well known as nighttime feeders. They will continue to be active until the cold sets in.

1,000

This 21 lber. that I landed today was number 1,000 on the year.
The fish were active today in the rainy and foggy weather.

I landed my 1,000 th carp of the year today, and it was a beauty that tipped the scale at 21 lbs.  This is the earliest I have ever hit the thousand mark. The most I have ever caught in one year is 1300.  Could this be the year this gets topped? If the weather stays warm until late December, it just might happen.
Today was one of those days in which the fish were turned on by the nasty weather. The fish were also active and jumping. It had been raining earlier before I got to my spot, and the weather was foggy, real good conditions for carp fishing. I landed 5 decent commons from 10 to 21 lbs.
All my fish today fell for a combo bait of one kernel of maize and a white artificial corn fished on the hair rig. I also packed a method ball around my sinker.

Photo of the Day...A Double at Dark

I was about to leave my spot at dark last night when both alarms went off at the same time!
It turned our to be a double of a chunky mirror and a smaller common.

Video of the Day....Underwater Battle with a Mirror

Tournaments and Events Highlight Fall Fishing for CAG Members

For our RI CAG (Carp Anglers Group) members, a busy event filled fall is on the way. Here is a summary of what is going on on the national and state level in the next few months:
1. RI Fall Combo Tournament- This state event runs from Sept. through the end of Nov. and is open to any CAG member.  The idea here is to enter your biggest mirror, your biggest common, and a bonus fish (either catfish or sucker).  Measure each by length and add all the lengths together. All fish must be taken from RI waters.  Medals for first second and third.  We have a lot of real good carp fishermen in our group and a number of guys could take home the gold medal.
2. CAG CCC Tournament-  This prestigious event will be held in two weeks on the banks of the Hudson River. Some of the best carp fishermen from all over  the US will compete for the "Silver Belt Buckle" awarded to the winning angler.
3. CAG Discovery Month Event- This contest is about discovering a new carp fishing spot and doing a write up with photos or video.  Some nice prizes in a number of categories.
4. CAG Fall Big 4- This national tournament runs from October to November.  The idea is to enter your 4 biggest carp by weight.  Add those totals for the point total. We have had many RI CAG members place in the top ten in this national event in recent years. Some great prizes for the top ten finishers.
For anyone looking to join CAG, or for more info on these events, go to the CAG Forum

Fishing Cools in this Heat

In the last week, the fishing has cooled off for me in this intense heat.  I'm still seeing fish around, but they don't seem to be actively feeding.  I suspect this heat has put a damper on their feeding.

This was today's hot bait
combo.

I've been getting 1 to 4 fish a day in this recent hot
weather. Not hot and heavy but steadily fair.

I have been trying to get out at the cooler times of the day so I have been fishing mostly mornings up until about noontime. I'm getting about 1 to 4 fish an outing, way off from the average of 5 or 6 I had been getting earlier in the month. Still, I am catching so I continue to fish for carp just about every morning.

The hot baits seem to change almost daily.  Earlier in the week, a single white, artificial corn fishing on the hair rig did the trick.  Today, they wouldn't touch it.  The hot bait today that got me 4 fish was a combo bait of a small, pink, artificial corn with a single, small kernel of maize on the hair rig.  I haven't been going with a method ball due to the presence of turtles.

I've tried to bait up specific, small areas when I get to the location I fish. If I see a snapping turtle near me, I tend to move. Ah, I will be glad when they leave!

So, they fish are still hitting but we are in a slowdown.  Things should improve when we get a shot of cooler and rainy weather.