Brutal Conditions, Fish Still Hitting

 

This fully scaled mirror is one of two carp that I
landed last evening.  I had two more this evening
in some brutal weather.

Yes, I did fish the last two days and it was like fishing in the middle of February.  I thought for sure the weather would kill the fishing, but I did manage to find a few fish that were willing to hit.

Today was especially tough.  With snow mixing with rain, temperatures stayed in the 30's with a stiff wind. Prior to today I had a streak of 15 straight days of catching carp in April.  So I was hoping to extend that streak today. I baited up one of my favorite spots with maize this afternoon and returned in the evening.  It took all of ten minutes before the alarm screamed, and I was onto a carp that took my combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn on the hair rig.  That fish was a beautiful mirror that weighed about 6 lbs. Another fish about the same size was landed a half hour later, and I had one more fish on that I lost.  On a brutal night when I knew that catching one fish would be a big deal, I was quite pleased with landing 2 carp.

I am hoping to get back to catching larger fish this week once this nasty weather clears out and warmer weather returns.

Big Females on the Feed

 

A beautiful 22 lb. female has just been released
and is about to swim away.  Bigger carp, many
of them females, have been more
numerous in recent days.

That warm weather that we had last week really got things moving.  Even though we are now experiencing cool weather, the past week's warmth has ticked up the water temperatures and gotten the carp in a feeding mood here in RI. It has also led some big females to go on the feed.  In the past week, I have landed several good size female carp.  These fish have had bulging bellies that are full of eggs. While the spawn is still over a month away in most places, we are now witnessing a pre-spawn in which groups of carp are bunching up in places, particularly low water spots. And, these fish are feeding.  I am also consistently catching bigger fish in the last week.  I landed a couple of females in the 20's (22 and 27 lbs.) along with a bunch of low to mid teen size fish.  All of this is a sure sign that a spring run of bigger fish is underway in places. 

The Slow Rise to 100

 

Here is my 100th carp of the year that I landed
tonight at dark. It's been a long and winding 
road to get to 100 this year.

I hit a milestone tonight with my 100th carp for 2021.  

It hasn't been easy.  This is the latest in the year that I've gotten my 100th fish in the last ten years.  I can't put my finger on why the slow fishing thus far in 2021....cold and snowy February, inconsistent weather, lots of people fishing, lots of disruptions (boats, kayaks, etc).  Pick any one or a combination.

The weather in the last week has become much nicer and more favorable for consistent fishing.  In fact, I have been getting 2 to 5 fish an outing with no blank days. So, things are looking up for now.

I've switched my bait choices in the past week.  Sweet corn is out because of the emergence of pests (turtles, bluegills, horned pout).  I am now fishing combo baits for the most part that consist of maize and plastic corn fished on the hair rig.

An On and Off Deal

 

Here's a mirror landed earlier in the week.  The
carp fishing in RI has been an on and off deal
that has been greatly influenced by the weather.

As the weather goes, so goes the carp fishing.

It's been a week of contrasts.  That beautiful sunny weather at the beginning of the week had the carp really active.  I saw fish jumping, mud coming up from the bottom feeders and fish sunning themselves. The fish were also hitting as I landed 16 fish in three days in various spots.  But, the hammer fell last night with a cold rain that brought temperatures in the 40's.  Those cold 40's continued today under an overcast sky.  I went out this morning and didn't even get a sniff. It was a complete shutdown in the cold.

Hey, this is early season carp fishing.....hot one day, cold the next.

Opening Day Coming Early; Carp Fishing Gets More Consistent

Here's a decent 10 lber. that I landed a few days
ago.  Carp fishing has gotten more consistent in 
this nice spring weather.

Everything is looking up in this beautiful spring weather. 

Big news that will affect carp fishermen is that Opening Day of trout fishing will come early this year with a "soft opening" happening on Wednesday, April 7. This will open up all bodies of water in the state.  To those who don't know, some of the best carp fishing venues in the state such as Olney Pond (Lincoln  Woods), Lake Tiogue and the Blackstone River have all been closed since March 1 because they are trout stocked waters.  They will open up on April 7. This will give carp fishermen in the state more options.

In the last week, carp fishing has gotten more consistent for me and other members of the RI Carp Anglers. Many are reporting good catches of fish in this warming weather. There's been nothing real big, but I and others have been catching good numbers of fish up into the low teens. Biggest I have gotten this week has been 13 lbs. Nothing wrong with that! Sweet corn or sweet corn in combo with artificial corn has been the hot bait.

Finally Perking Up

This mirror is one of 9 carp landed
in the last two days.  The warm
weather has really perked up the
fishing.

 After several false starts in the last three weeks, the spring carp fishing has lit up.  With an extended period of consistent warm weather coming, it looks like the good fishing should continue.  I got out yesterday and today and landed a total of nine fish in all.  I also saw some carp jumping and others cruising around in the shallows, a sure sign that fish are on the move from deep to shallow water to feed.

All my fish were caught on combo baits of sweet corn and a white artificial corn fished on a hair rig.  I did do some prebaiting with maize, and I think that helped. I know other RI CAG members were also catching this weekend in a variety of spots so it is happening all over.

Note that carp fishing is off limits in RI in waters that are stocked with trout. Trout stocked waters (yes, that includes the Blackstone River) will not be accessible until Opening Day which is the second Saturday in April. All non trout stocked waters are open to fishing.

If you are looking for that first carp of the new year, this week is an opportune time to catch it.

Baffled

 

Here is a common from last week.  So far,
March fishing has been a big disappointment.

Carp fishing is not going well for me.  I've fished quite a bit in March and have come away with a paltry 7 fish.   The fish are just not active. This lousy fishing pattern has continued all winter long. Last year, 2020, at this time, I had over 170 carp.  This year I fished about the same number of times, and I've landed just 44 fish to this point. I try to tell myself that the weather has really been up and down, a negative for carp fishing, but that's the way March usually goes so not really different. Yes, the water is cold.  Yes, the ice reformed in a lot of places this week.  So, we've not seen an extended spring pattern of weather yet. I've tried fishing a lot of my previous March hotspots and just not much doing.

I'm hoping a warmer week next week might perk up the fishing here in RI.  I'm also guessing that when things do perk up the fishing will get hot very quickly which just might lead to an extended hot streak. Until then, I'll keep looking and trying.