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.

Changing Tactics Delivers

This has been the hot producer of the
last several days. The white, artificial
pop-up corn is the key.  No method
ball is being used due to turtles.

I had been in a bit of a funk in the beginning of July.  Not many carp, lots of irritating pests, loaded with turtles. So, I decided to change tactics, something I often do when things are not going well. First off, I got rid of the method ball packed around my sinker.  That method ball was a turtle attractor, and I swear every turtle within a hundred yards of my bait made a b-line right to the method ball as soon as it hit the water.  Secondly, I changed colors on my pop-up artificial corn.  I had been using pink which was so hot earlier in the year, but lately it was not even getting a look.  I went back to using a white artificial corn along with a kernel of maize on the hair rig. Carp will often change their color preferences during the year, and white has produced for me in the past in the summer.  Finally, I'm off fishing boilies.  There was a period in the spring in which they were producing but lately they have not.

Those changes have led to some decent fishing in recent days.  I've landed a dozen carp in the last three days with at least two of them in the mid twenty pound range.  Not bad for the dead of summer.

Here's a twenty pounder being released today.  It hit the
bait pictured above.

Final Results of 2022 RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament

Our spring Big 3 Tournament has ended.  In this three months long tournament, RI CAG members enter their biggest fish for the months of April, May and June. We add up the weights and that becomes the total number of points.  CAG has donated engraved medals for the first, second and third place finishers.

Here are the final results of our top three winners and their entries for April, May and June:

1st place, gold medal, Brian Savage- 31/14 + 26/8 + 18/2 = 78/8

2nd place, silver medal, Tom Perron- 21/6 + 16/8 + 16/4 = 54/2

3rd place, Tony Carvalho- 13 +  19/4 + 14= 46/4

Note that our three winners are all very experienced carpers and have been very successful in our past tournaments.  Brian is one of new England's best big carp hunters.  He has won many of our tournaments in recent years.  Tom is our big mirror guy. He frequently catches some of the biggest mirrors in our state. Finally, Tony is a long time member and dedicated carper who has won several medals in past tournaments and always seems to be in the mix. Congrats to all these guys and all who entered.

Brian Savage with an 18 lb. 2 oz. mirror.  It
was the biggest fish entered in June.  Brian
was also the overall winner with 78 lbs, 4 oz.
for his three fish total.  It was an average of
over 26 lbs. a fish!