RI CAGers Score in National Big 4 Tournament

Evan Aziz- 15th place-
102 lbs., 14 oz.

 CAG just completed one of their signature tournaments, the Spring Big 4.  In this event more than 50 top notch carp fishermen, all CAG members, from all over the country squared off in this three month event.  The idea was to enter their 4 biggest carp by weight and that was their total. This year produced some of the biggest catches ever entered with some of the top guys averaging over 40 lbs. a carp.

We had great representation from RI.  Two of our members, myself and Evan Aziz, scored in the top 15.  The top 15 are the prize categories in which gift certificates were awarded.

Evan came in 15th place and won a gift certificate to Bottom Feeder Baits. He landed carp weighing 26/12, 25/4, 25/2 and 24/12 for a total of 102/14.  It's amazing that Evan has been only fishing a few years but already is posting numbers like a seasoned veteran. 

I came in 8th place and won a gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle. I landed carp weighing 33, 31/4, 31/2 and 27/2 for a total of 122/8. Fortunately, I landed a carp of 31 lbs. on the last day of the tournament and that moved me from 10th to 8th place. Every year I enter this event, and every year I am shooting for a top 10 finish.

Note that all of my carp and Evan's fish were all caught in RI waters. Yes, we have some big carp here in RI!

Dave Pickering- 8th place- 122 lbs., 8 oz.

Carp Fishing Slows in the Heat

 

Carp fishing has slowed in the recent heat wave.
But, they can still be caught by targeting the 
coolest times of the day.

I just wrote a post about how striper fishing slows in the heat.  Well, the same can be applied to carp fishing. In the last week since this latest heat wave arrived the carp fishing has slowed considerably.  In addition, the best fishing has occurred in early morning and late evening, the coolest parts of the day.

Carp are naturally creatures of comfort.  On these searing hot days, they might be found in the shade of overhanging trees.  They might venture out into deeper and cooler water. I've also seen some this week hanging out under lily pads.  The pads are like beach umbrellas to carp.  So, consider all these examples when deciding where to prebait and where to toss your lines.

They are still hitting but you might have to work a little harder to catch them.  You might also need to be more clever in your approach.

May Results for RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament

 

Scott checks in with a hefty 26 lb., 2 oz. common.

The May results are in for our Spring Big 3 tournament.  Once again, some very good size fish were entered. The results below show the April and May results with the totals.  We have one more month, June, to go to determine the winners. Note that all these fish were caught in RI waters.

Dave- 25/14 + 33/0 = 58/14

Evan- 23/0 + 25/4 = 48/4

Tom- 23/5 + 19/9 = 42/14

Brian- 16/12 + 17/8 = 34/4

Scott- 0 + 26/2 = 26/2

Evan landed this 25 lb., 4 oz. carp for his May entry

Photo of the Week....."Now, that's a HOG!"

 

An unnamed member of the RI CAG holds a hog
of a carp that was landed in the Lady Ginger
Carp Fishing Tournament on the CT River this
weekend.  A good number of RI carpers are fishing
this three night/four day event.

Action Slows with the Spawn

The alarms have been silent for several
outings as the carp spawn.  Rarely
do they feed when spawning.

 This warm weather has set off the spawn.  When carp are spawning, they have little interest in feeding. I saw carp spawning in multiple places this week.  When they spawn, you will see groups of them following one another and thrashing in the shallows. I haven't landed a carp, or even gotten a hit, in the last three outings.

It's interesting to note that carp spawn at different times in different spots.  This usually happens when the water turns 65 degrees. So, in a shallow lake that warms up quickly, they are likely to spawn earlier than in a deep lake which is cold.

With cooler weather forecasted for the next week, I am hoping the fishing returns
to normal.  Sometimes the carp can really go on a feed post spawn.  I hope it turns out that way.

April Results for RI CAG Big 3 Tournament

Tom Perron had the
biggest mirror at
23 lbs., 5 oz.

 

Biggest fish so far is this 25 lb., 14 oz.
common.

The first leg of our Spring Big 3 tournament has ended.  Our members entered their biggest fish for April. We now move onto May and June.  I will say it has been a tough April with all this cold weather, especially at night.  The big ones have been hard to get, and some of our members have even been shut out in April. Still, some nice fish were caught. So, here are the results below:

1. Dave- 25 lbs., 14 oz.

2. Tom- 23 lbs., 5 oz.

3. Evan- 23 lbs., 4 oz.

4. Brian- 16 lbs., 12 oz.

It Was Going Great Until........

 

I've had some excellent carp fishing
in April when the weather was warm.
When the cold returned, it all went
downhill.

April was going great for me until the cold snap hit several days ago.  I was rolling with 60 carp in the first 18 days of April.  While the fish were generally in the 5 to 10 lb. range, I also had a few brutes in the high teens and even twenties.  That warm spell that we had with temperatures in the 80's really had them active with lots of fish jumping and feeding. It was like a spring coming out party.

Then, it all came crashing down.  The weather of the last couple of days went back to winter, especially at night. Those cold nights around freezing sent the carp back into hibernation.  I've caught one 10 lber. in the last two days.  I put in a good amount of time today and got skunked.  I did not even see a single jump in a place where I've seen a lot this month.

But, hey, that's April carp fishing in RI.  It's an up and down affair.  It will get better when the weather warms.  Just have to wait.