Wild Whiskey and Sweet Corn

It has been a heck of a week for me. I'm in a zone where I simply can't do anything wrong (fishing wise that is), and every place I seem to go offers hot fishing for big fish as well as lots of them. I'm catching big time in RI and MA.

I have to think it goes beyond luck. The common thread is that I am using the same bait in all the places I am fishing. I'm using a kernel of Wild Whiskey maize from The Bait Stop along with two kernels of Green Giant Super Sweet Corn. It is dangling off a hair rig (see photo at left). I'm using this with an oatmeal based method ball that is spiced with birdseed and hemp seed and chili powder that is packed around my 3 oz. in-line lead.

That set-up has accounted for 7 twenties and 4 thirties along with dozens of fish in the teens in the last 5 days of fishing!

Incredible Fish, Incredible Day

I experienced a once in a lifetime day this past week as I had my best day of carp fishing ever, and I landed 3 PB's in one day!

Wednesday was a cloudy, windy, rainy, stormy day here in NE, my kind of day for carp fishing. I was fishing over the line in MA in a "secret" spot that was shown to me by a CAG member. I am sworn to secrecy as to where this location is, so don't ask! I have been on the hunt for a large mirrors for a long time as my previous PB mirror was 20 lbs. That was about to change.

Using the Bait Stop's Wild Whiskey flavored corn along with a method ball of a new concoction, I proceeded to hammer fish. The atmosphere was charged up and the fish were too with fish breaking and rolling all over the place and hitting like crazy. In all, I landed 21 fish with 6 fish in the twenties and three fish in the thirties!

My biggest fish of the day was a whopping 36.5 lb. mirror, besting my previous PB by nine pounds. It was so big it was difficult to lift and balance for a timed shot with my camera.

It was a once in a lifetime day!

New PB's for RI CAG Members

I want to congratulate two of our RI CAG members for landing PB's (personal best) in the last few weeks. John Joseph landed a terrific 27 lb. common. John is a longtime carper from RI and his previous PB was 21 lbs. Congratulations on your accomplishment.

Tom Maguire is one of our "new" members as he joined us last year. Tom has put in a lot of time and effort into carp fishing, and it all paid off with a PB 20 lb.common that he landed this week. Twenty pounds is a big fish for RI standards. Great job, Tom.

Mirror Carp

I decided that I would target mirror carp today. Landed some of the biggest I have ever caught as I had three beauties that topped out near 20 lbs. It was the combination of whiskey flavored corn with sweet corn that did the trick. That has been the hot producer for the last two weeks!

Landing a Hog

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.