Week of HOT Fishing

It has been a week of hot fishing for me in RI waters. Landed 3 commons in the twenties along with many fish in the 12-19 lb. range in the last few days. Prior to catching all these big commons, I was getting lots of mirrors up to 15 lbs. in waters that came off the Blackstone River. The weather has been lousy but the fishing has been great. The hot bait has been Wild Whiskey maize sold by The Bait Stop. I have been using one kernel of whiskey corn with a kernel or two of sweet corn on the hair rig. I am also using an oatmeal based method ball in front of the bait. That combination of bait has really done the trick!

Tricks for Hair Rigging Corn

I have been experimenting on how I hair rig my corn. Most fishermen do it the traditional way. They usually put the baiting needle through the middle of three kernels of corn (see photo at right). It works, but sometimes the fish get a bit clever and figure out something's wrong, and they refuse to take. That's when the fisherman has to be even more clever than the fish and mix things up.

Here's another way I do it. Pass the needle through the sides of two kernels. That allows the corn to lay flat on the bottom in a more natural position (see photo at left). Sometimes that works!

Here is yet another way I do it, a way that is becoming the most popular way I like to do it. I pass the needle through the side of the first kernel and then through the center of the second one, kind of an offset set up (see photo at right). It seems to be the most effective way to lure fish into hitting the corn and has really made a difference for me this season. I have also concluded that many times two kernels of corn are more effective for hits as well as catches than three kernels. This is especially true when using a method ball ahead of your offering.

Hot Fishing with Whiskey Corn!

It has been a wild couple of days of fishing for mirror carp. With the warm weather of a few days ago sending water temperatures upwards, the fish have turned real active. I've had screaming runs and the fish have been incredibly strong on the fight. Landed 16 mirrors (mostly 4-9 lbs.) in the last two days of fishing in parts of the Blackstone River. See the picture on the right of one I landed this evening.

But, here's the catch. The only thing they are hitting is The Bait Stop's Wild Whiskey flavored corn. I tried all kinds of other corn.....banana, strawberry, anise, plain field corn, etc., and the only flavored corn they went wild for was the whiskey flavored corn. It's hot right now, and how long this stuff will remain hot is anyone's guess.

Catfish in RI

One little known fact is that there are white catfish in RI waters. These are not horned pout or bullhead. Rather these are real catfish that grow to large sizes. They have super white bellies, a black back and large heads. They will average about three to four pounds, but they can grow to huge sizes. The state record is a whopping 16 lbs.! We occasionally catch them while fishing for carp at night, and when that happens no one is complaining. They especially like to hit dougbaits, but I have also caught them on corn and chick peas that were intended for carp. They are not in all ponds. Some of the places that I have caught them include Roger Williams Park, Lake Mashapaug and Lake Tiogue. The picture at the right is a PB seven pounder landed by one of our CAG members, Jeff Allard.

Hundredth Carp

Landed my hundredth carp of the new year two days ago. It proved to be a beauty in the low twenties. Hoping to get to five hundred carp this year!

Nighttime Carpin Lights Up

This week has marked the start of nighttime carpin for me here in RI. Of the last nine carp that I caught this week, 8 have been landed at or after dark. See the picture on the right of one of the mirrors that I caught last night. Note that I have also been fishing equally in the daylight as well as at night. So, that should tell you just how productive nighttime fishing has been.

The tactics are the same at night as in the daytime. Make sure you have a reliable headlight and keep stuff on the bank very organized and easy to find. Bite alarms that light up are almost a must, especially in dark spots.

I like fishing at night. It's very quiet, there are few fishermen to compete with, the yahoos in boats are not around, and the fishing can be very good. Carp like it too as there are times of the year when nighttime is more productive than daytime. We're in one of those periods right now.

Sweet Corn

Sweet corn from the can is very effective for carp. While there are many carp fishermen that live and die by flavored corn, my guess is that there are also an equal number who use sweet corn as their "go to" bait. I like to use sweet corn in delicate presentations when carp are selective in their feeding. This is especially true in early spring and late fall when the water is cold and minimal feeding is going on.

I use sweet corn on the hair rig in two ways. One way is to just use sweet corn kernels, either 2 or 3 kernels on the hair. The other way I use it is by mixing a combination of sweet corn and flavored corn. I usually use a kernel of flavored corn sandwiched between two kernels of sweet corn. I was out today landed a couple of decent mirrors. The only thing they would take was a kernel of the Baitstop's Big Time Banana in between two kernels of sweet corn.

I also have my favorite brand of sweet corn. I especially like Green Giant "Super Sweet Yellow and White". This corn tends to be a little larger and more durable than most sweet corn varieties.

Sweet corn is far less expensive than flavored corn, it's easily obtained in super markets and it's a pretty effective bait.