Cold Weather Cools off May Carp Fishing

So far it's been a tough month for carp
fishing here in RI. Cold weather and dropping
water temperatures are to blame.

 It's been a very tough May for me thus far.  I blame the unusually cold and rainy weather that seems to have shut the fishing down in many of the places where I am fishing. The water temperatures have dropped, not a good thing in the spring.  In fact, in the last ten outings, I've landed exactly two carp.  Both those fish were in the twenties.

All spring I have been targeting big fish and it has paid off with many 20's and even good numbers of 30's.  When you target bigger fish, you are going to catch less- just a fact. Most of those fish were caught from mid March to late April.

Normally May is THE month for big carp here in RI.  However, April fishing proved to be far better for me than May. I'm guessing other carp fishermen here in RI are experiencing the same poor fishing since I have received, so far, only a few entries for the May leg of our RI CAG Big 3 Tournament. The only bright spot for me in May is that I did land a 35+ lb. carp here in the beginning of the month.  That is my biggest carp so far this year.

For May fishing to improve we will need a return to warm, or at least normal weather, that will drive up the water temperatures and get the carp feeding again.

Winner- Essence of Carping Photo Contest

 The Carp Anglers Group runs many tournaments and contests a year for its members.  Every month they run a photo contest called "Essence of Carping". I try to submit and entry every month.  The winners generally have a photo of something other than a person holding a fish.  Sunsets, scenic shots and even live fish photos have the best chance of winning.

For April, my photo was voted the winner.  It was a photo of a big carp (thirty pounds) just after release.  It was just sitting in the water with its back out in some beautiful light (see photo below). For my winning entry, I received a $100 gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle!  Membership does have its privileges. 

Consider joining CAG if you are a carp fisherman or interested in becoming one.

April Winner- Essence of Carp Fishing Photo Contest

Love These

 

These have been super hot for me
this year.  You can get them at Big
Carp Tackle

As many of you know, I use a lot of plastic corn, usually in combination with real maize on my hair rigs. For the most part, I have been using imitation sweet corn made by Enterprise Tackle which I buy online from Big Carp Tackle.  Enterprise has now come up with a new product called "Large Pop Up Imitation Sweet Corn".  These are larger versions of their original sweet corn.  I bought a couple of packages of these in a white color and have been using them all spring.

I think they offer a slightly bigger profile and they tend to have a bit more buoyancy.  They have been my go-to bait all spring so far.  I am using one of these on the hair rig along with a kernel of real maize.  This is the first spring that I have not used a method ball around my sinker. That has eliminated a lot of catfish and turtle bites.  To date, I have not landed a single catfish or horned pout.

I have had super success this spring using these large pop-ups catching the most large carp, over 20 lbs., that I have ever caught in the early going.  Maybe it's the pop up, maybe just luck!

Here's a 20 + lb. carp that was landed this week
on a combo bait of a large pop-up along with a
kernel of maize on the hair rig.

April Results- RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament

 

Biggest fish entered- 31 lbs., 8 oz.

We have the April results for our RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament. The tournament runs for three months.  The idea is to enter your biggest fish in April, your biggest for May and your biggest for June. I add up the weights for the three months and that's the total points.  All fish must be caught in RI waters and released. The tournament is open to any CAG member.

Here are the April results (pounds/ounces) for our spring big 3 tournament. Some impressive fish were entered.  We have quite a talented group of carp fishermen here in RI!

1. Dave- 31/8

2. Tony- 23/4

3. Evan- 23

4. Brian- 20/8

5. Scott- 20

6. Daphne- 20

7. Tom- 19/7

Biggest mirror entered- 20 lbs., 8 oz.

A personal best for Scott and his first 20 lber.!