CAG National Big 4 Fall Tournament- 8th place

 

My biggest carp in the CAG Big 4 tournament
was this 30 lb., 4 oz. beauty. My four fish total
was 108 lbs., 4 oz., good for 8th place.

I recently competed in the CAG National Big 4 Tournament.  This tournament runs nationally for 2 months in October and November.  This year over 40 of the best carp fishermen in the US took part in this big event. The goal here was to enter your 4 biggest carp by weight.  You needed to provide photo evidence of the catches along with photos of your scale and the CAG logo. You could fish anywhere in the US. Prizes were awarded for the top 10 finishers.

I ended up in 8th place.  I always try to get into the top 10, but it seems to get harder and harder every year. You need to accumulate at least 100 points to have any chance of cracking the top 10 in this fall event.  Not easy if you are just concentrating your fishing here in RI.  So, I was pleased with the 8th place finish which got me a nice gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle, one of my favorite online stores.

My point total was 108 lbs., 6 oz.  I had carp of 30/2, 27/8, 26/8 and 24/4 pounds.  That gave me an average of over 27 lbs. a fish.  Fishing this fall was particularly difficult due to the changeable weather, and I had to really work to land these 4 big fish. All of these fish were released in good shape.

Yes, they hit in December!

 

This is one of six mirrors landed on
this stormy December 3rd.

I had the perfect set-up today.  It was rainy (heavy rain), very windy and warm.  The key was that the temperature was sixty degrees.  And, when you combine all those things, it should mean that carp fishing will light up even in the winter. And, it did today.

I had been in a late November/early December slump.  The weather had mostly taken a dive in late November, and the plummeting water temperatures just about shut down the fishing. But, as typically happens, these sudden warm-ups seem to perk things up.

I had a banner afternoon in the rain landing 6 mirrors. I was using what I call winter tactics. Small baits ( one small kernel of maize and a small white artificial corn), small hooks, small sinker and no method.  I was also fishing a "small" place.  I like to hit small, shallow ponds or rivers in the wintertime since those places are easier to explore. They also tend to warm up faster on a warm winter day.

Note that the carp were very sluggish today as they are in cold water.  There were no alarm screaming takes.  It was just tapping of the rods.  On the fight, they were also sluggish. And, when I got them to shore, handling them was like handling fish packed in ice.  They were that cold.

So, in this winter period coming up, it will be a pick,  They will hit some days; other days they will not. Your best bets will be days with a warm up or days following a warm night.  

RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament Results

Tom Perron- Gold
Medal winner!

Our RI Fall Combo Tournament ended up being a two man race to the finish. In this tournament, which ran for three months, participants got points for their biggest common, mirror and a bonus fish (horned pout, catfish or sucker). Points were awarded according to the length of each fish entered.  

Here are the results:

1st- Gold Medal- Tom Perron- 80 points- 33 inch common, 32 inch mirror, and 15 inch catfish

2nd- Silver Medal- Brian Savage- 53 1/2 points- 34 1/2 inch mirror, 19 inch sucker

Medals were provided by the CAG national organization.

Brian Savage, Silver Medal winner!

Frigid Weather Puts the Brakes on Carp Fishing in RI

 The weather has turned cold and the carp fishing here in RI has gone right downhill.  In the last five days, I've landed exactly 2 small commons.  I was fishing spots that had really produced a week or two ago. This is the way carp respond to sudden temperature drops.  I believe that in big ponds and lakes the fish are headed for their winter locations right now.  These are usually deep spots where they will sulk for the winter. They will still feed sparingly on those warmer days when the shallows heat up.

I suspect this same slowdown is affecting carp fishermen in the entire country.  In the last week, there has not been a single entry put into our CAG national Big 4 carp tournament. When some of the best carp fishermen around the country are not catching, you know fishing is slowing down.

Hot Fishing on These Warm, November Nights

 It's been hot fishing for me at night in November, especially on the warm nights.  I fished tonight after dark and came away with 5 decent size mirrors.  It was no different than fishing in the daytime.  I caught all of them on a combo bait that consisted of a white artificial corn and a kernel of real corn on the hair rig.  

Take note that I prebaited the location I was fishing with maize a few hours before I fished.  Prebaiting definitely increases your chances of scoring.  With warm weather coming, I'm sure the nighttime fishing will continue to be productive.

I landed five carp this size after dark on this warm
November night.  Fishing has been especially
good on the warm nights.

Photo of the Day....."400th Carp of the Year"

 

My 400th carp of the year comes after dark on this warm
November night. 

Hitting at Night

 

This mirror was landed after dark tonight. It looks
like daylight because of the flash on the camera.

With the sun setting earlier and earlier (wait till next week!), I find myself turning to nighttime carping when I'm not striper fishing. I got out a couple of times in the last few days and I can tell you the carp are hitting after dark. I landed several nice size mirrors tonight.

After dark fishing is no different than daytime fishing....same baits, same spots, same set-up.  Only difference is that you are usually in complete darkness. Some people are not comfortable fishing in the dark.  I am having done this all my life in saltwater.

I have three suggestions for anyone who wants to try this.  Pick a safe area to fish and get yourself a good headlight. Oh, and bring some warm clothing. The temperature can really drop in November after the sun sets.