Monsoon Rains Light up the Fishing!

 

Another big carp has been caught in rainy, stormy
weather.  The carp were very active today in the
pouring rain!

Here we go again.  Torrential rains have lit up the carp fishing here in RI.  That 10+ inches of rain in the last two days have driven up the water levels as well as cooled down the water, and it's resulted in excellent carp fishing.  

Today I was out all afternoon in the pouring rain. I had on my Grunden rain parka and my waders and I was dry as a bone. I landed good numbers of good sized carp in the low teens along with one big carp in the mid twenty pound range.  I also saw a lot of active fish with fish rolling on the surface and bubble trails coming up from the bottom.

Once again, the hot bait was a combo bait of one kernel of real maize and a kernel of white plastic corn on the hair rig. That's been the hot ticket all summer. I haven't been using a method ball lately because I am trying to avoid the pesky turtles.

300th Carp for 2022

My 300th carp of the year was a good size 
common.  This has been a year of "big carp" 
for me.

 It took me a while to get there but I landed my 300th carp of the year this week. While I don't have the big numbers this year, I do have the big fish.  It's August and already I've gotten more carp over thirty pound and more carp over 20 lbs. than I've gotten in most years.  It's really been a "big fish" year for me and I have been really targeting the bigger fish with a variety of bigger baits. I've also been focusing on big fish venues.  In those types of places you are going to catch bigger carp but far less of them that you would get elsewhere.

This past week has been particularly effective for bigger fish.  That massive rain even that we had a week ago that dumped four to six inches of rain really got the big fish in high gear.  It also dropped the water temperature 10 degrees in one spot that I was fishing along with raising the water level a solid foot. In the last week I have managed to land 9 fish over 20 lbs. with the biggest going 26 lbs. That can happen in the spring and fall but numbers like that are rare in August.

Many of the smaller venues that I like to fish for smaller carp have been inundated with invasive weed this year, and many of these places are unfishable. That has really affected my numbers.

A Hint of Fall

I landed this mirror this evening.  There has been
an uptick in carp fishing since the cooler weather
arrived.

 There has been an uptick in fishing in the last few days.  The weather, and most notably the nights, have turned a lot cooler.  That has gotten the carp more active and feeding. It's a hint of fall and things to come.

I've had real good success in the last couple of days landing a total of 12 carp.  These have included both mirrors and commons.  They have been all sizes with the largest fish in the low 20's. I continue to have success with a combo bait of one kernel of maize along with a white, plastic, artificial corn fished on a hair rig.  I am using no method ball due to active turtles.

I've also noticed the fishing has been especially good near dark.  That is a sure sign of fall when fish are particularly active near and even after dark.  A friend of mine did an all-nighter a few nights back and landed good numbers of fish.

This mirror was landed right at dark tonight.
The fish have gotten active at and after dark,
a sure sign of fall fishing.

Double Header Chaos

Today's double header is secure
in the net which sits in the water.
Both fish were in the 14 to 15 lb. 
range.

 It's probably the most chaotic moment in carp fishing.  One rod alarm sings off, you grab the rod and you are onto a fish.  Suddenly, the other alarm screams away, and you are quickly fighting two fish at the same time.  It's the double header in carp fishing, one of the most exciting and chaotic events you'll find in any kids of fishing..

I experienced the double header chaos today.  I was fishing a spot which had not produced in a while.  After an hour without as much as a twitch, one alarm suddenly screamed off.  I grabbed the rod and was onto a decent fish that was peeling off line at a frenzied pace. While trying to gain a little line on the fish, the other alarm suddenly sounded. I awkwardly tried to stick the rod with the fish on in between my legs while grabbing the runner with my hands.  Now, I was onto two fish at the same time and both were peeling off line. I've been down this road many times in the past.  Do a little reeling with one rod while the other is between my legs.  Then switch off and do the same with the other. Try to get at least one fish in the net as soon as possible.  I did just that and once one fish was in the net, I was free to fight the other.  Finally, I had both carp in the net.  These were decent size fish, with both in the mid teen range.

Today's double header was child's play compared to my most memorable double header I ever landed which happened many years ago on a stormy rain day.  After a much more memorable battle I had those two fish in the net. When I got a closer look, I could not believe my eyes. The smaller of the two weighed 31 lbs., while the larger one tipped the scales at 33 lbs. 

Productive in the Heat

 

I caught this chunky common this morning.  
Carp fishing has been consistently fair in this
hot weather.

It's like fishing in an oven with this heat, yet the carp are still hitting. I was out a few mornings this week and I caught fish every outing. It's not big numbers but I usually can get a fish or two in a couple of hours. I'd call it "consistently fair".

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am using just an artificial corn and a real piece of maize on the hair rig.  I'm not using a method ball because the pests (turtles, bluegills, horned pout) have been super active in this heat, and that method ball really attracts them.

My advice to anyone going out to fish for carp this weekend is to fish in the cooler times of the day like early morning, evening or even at night. Find a shady spot in the daytime because fishing in the sun can be downright dangerous in these extreme temperatures. And, drink plenty of water.

Carp Venues Facing Multiple Threats in RI

 Many of the carp fishing waters in RI are facing multiple threats right now. They are facing a perfect storm of very low water (drought conditions), very warm water and invasive weed. These three threats are so serious in places that I fear we will be seeing fish kills if the weather does not change fast. We need rain and we need cooler weather.

Here's a summary of the problems:

Here is a section of the Blackstone
Canal in Lincoln.  The water level
is down about 4 feet and almost dry 
in places.  In addition, milfoil, an
invasive weed is out of control in 
spots such as the section above.

1.  Extremely warm water-  My guess is that the water is in the mid 80 degree range in some places due to the heat wave we have been having.  That is way too warm for many freshwater fish although I think carp are more adaptable than most fish.

2. Drought conditions-  I was riding my bike along the Blackstone Canal today.  I have never seen the water so low there.  In places it is no more than inches deep across the whole canal. There is a threat of that place drying up completely in the next couple of weeks if it does not rain soon.  The Blackstone River is also at historic lows right now. Scotts Pond in Lincoln is completely dry in the back and water levels are down about 5 FEET!

3.  Invasive weed- It has completely taken over some places.  I saw a carp pond in Attleboro recently.  There was so much water chestnut there you could not even see the water.  The place looked like a golf course.  Milfoil weed
is doing the same thing in places like the Blackstone Canal. This weed is sucking the oxygen right out of the water. It has never been as bad as this year in places.

This is the back of Scotts Pond. That is sand in the
middle of the photo.  There should be 5 feet of water
in this location.  It is completely dry. Drought is
severely impacting many of the carp waters of this 
state right now.

Still Active in this Heat Wave

 

Here's a little tank that I caught this morning.  
Cooler times like mornings, evenings and after
dark are the best times to fish on these hot days.

I am still catching in this excessive heat that we are experiencing. I've changed my tactics a bit (see last post) and the times I am fishing, and I think that is making a difference.  Here are a few tips to fishing for carp in the doldrums of summer:

1. Fish the "cool" times- This is the time of year where cooler is better.  Early to mid mornings, evenings right before dark and even after dark. The worst time is late afternoon.

2.  Look for shady spots-  Carp will seek the comfort of shade on these hot days. Tossing your bait under a shady overhang might just get you a fish or two.

3. Go light on the bait- I have not used a method ball in the last couple of weeks just to avoid turtles.  I also like to use a combo of plastics and maize.  The turtles tend to lay off the plastics. By the way, a white artificial corn along with a kernel of maize on the hair rig has been hot in the last couple of weeks.

4.  Take whatever you can get- In the spring I was focusing on catching big fish.  Now, I will take any size.  In the past, the dead of summer has not been a time for big fish here in RI.  Far better big fish fishing in spring and fall.

5. Get in a comfy, shady spot, use sunscreen and drink plenty of water.