Quality Fish

Biggest carp of the last two days
was this 23 lb. common.

I spent the last two days targeting big carp.  Usually, in August I take what I can get, but I had the conditions (rainy and cool) to go after big fish in some of my big fish spots.  I came away with 5 good size ones.  I had two mirrors in the teens and had three commons in the twenties.  The biggest fish turned out to be a 23 lb. common, a real good fish for the dog days of summer.
Large fish don't exist in all carp waters in RI.  I've written about this before, but it is worth repeating.  A carp's size is generally determined by two factors: genetics and food supply. Many novices make the mistake of thinking that a fish they are releasing will keep growing and growing.  Not true.  There is a top off limit in all ponds and lakes.  For instance, I live almost on Scott's Pond in Lincoln, and  I've caught hundreds of carp from this location.  I can tell you that a 20 lb. carp (large by RI standards) does not exist in Scott's Pond.  The largest I have ever taken in this place is 18 lbs.  The genetics aren't there and the food supply is poor.  On the other hand, a place like Roger Williams Park is well known as a big carp haunt here in RI.  Twenty pounders are numerous here.  The food supply is good and the genetics are obviously there. Big carp produce offspring that have the potential to also grow very large.
So, if you are looking for a large fish as I was in the last two days, my advice is to fish a place where they exist!

This 15 lb. fully scaled mirror was the biggest mirror of the last two days.