A Tale of Two Julys

July saw more record numbers.  The first
half of the month was hot while the second
half was slow.

July has turned into another record breaking month for me in terms of numbers of carp landed.  This follows the best  April, May and June I have ever put together.  The total for July numbers 112 carp, great numbers by most standards for a summer month.  However, numbers don't tell the whole story.
My summary for July reads like two different months.  Remember that this hot weather came in the second half of the month, and that's when things turned sour.  The first half of the month, that time period from July 1 to July 15, was hot for fishing as the weather was cooler than normal.  In those two weeks, I landed 84 carp with sizes up to twenty pounds.  Most were over ten pounds.  I was getting them on a variety of  baits and methods from hair rigged corn to freelining mulberries and doughballs. Things went downhill the second half of the month.  In that period from July 16- July 31, I landed exactly 28 carp.  My biggest was a paltry 12 lbs. Most of the other fish were under ten pounds. I blame the hot and dry weather and low water conditions for the drop in numbers.
We seem to be in that same hot and dry weather pattern for the beginning of August.   I suspect it will be tough going for at least the first half of the month. Traditionally, August has always been a difficult month for carp fishing.