Doughballs Can be Hot

Many carp fishermen think doughballs are the most effective bait overall. To some extent I would agree. However, while a doughball appeals to carp, every other fish and turtle that lives in freshwater loves them too. So, that is the drawback when using a doughball.

My son, Jon, and I fished this spot today where people feed ducks loads of bread. The carp are conditioned to hit this bait, and it is the most effective bait in this location. There are really two ways to fish a doughball (white part of slice of bread). One way is to simply mold a doughball about the size of a marble around a # 6 hook (see photo at left). Freeline it with no weight at all. This can be super effective, especially with finicky fish. I like to fish it using an open bail and I just really watch the line for any movement. The other way is to roll a doughball and let it set in the sun for a while so the outer part will harden. Now, load this on a hair rig and fish it on the bottom with a sinker set up.

Any way you use it, doughballs can be very effective for carp. Just take a look at the pic on the right of the decent fish my son, Jon, landed on a doughball.

To Stay Put or Move

I went out yesterday to one of my favorite June spots. This place has had a tendency of producing real well on cloudy or rainy days which was the case yesterday. I arrived around noontime and got my two rods baited up and in the water. There was no activity. After about an hour, I had a runner and landed a beauty of around 20 lbs. (pic at right). That was it for the entire afternoon. Not another hit or beep hours and the time was creeping up to 4:00.

I had a dilemma often faced by carp fishermen. Should I stay or move to another spot? Based on my previous experience that told me that late afternoon and evening were the best times here, I decided to stay. I also had a sixth sense that told me things would perk up. They did. In the next two and a half hours, I landed 8 more fish, all decent sized teen fish. In carp fishing, sometimes it is just a case of being patient and waiting it out.

Carp Scales

If you are looking for the best scale in the world to weigh your trophies, there is only on....Reuben Heaton. This is the standard scale world wide for weighing. They are large round scales that work by spring. Some of them weigh in kgs and lbs. (dual scale) while others just weigh in lbs. Unlike the cheap digital scales that bounce around on the weighing, the Reuben Heaton moves right onto the weight of the fish and stays there to give the fisherman an accurate reading.

These are not cheap. Typically, they run over a hundred bucks in US online carp stores, though you can get them less than that from the UK (I got mine from Specialist Tackle). Want a padded case (a necessity I think)? That amounts to another twenty bucks. Quality carp fishing equipment is not cheap, but in this case a Reuben Heaton scale is well worth the investment.

Mulberry Drop in Full Swing

The mulberries are now out and dropping. Carp just love these things. If you can find a mulberry tree along a carp pond or river, you are golden.

Mulberries come in all different colors. They can be pink, white or purple. Once you find a tree, just get yourself a cup full of bait. You want to freeline these...no sinker. Just impale a soft berry on a #8 hook and cast. Many times the carp will take them on the drop. Sometimes they will scoop them up off the bottom. Berries are effective to use in the vicinity of a tree where the berries are dropping. They are no so effective if you get a supply and move to a location that does not have trees.

RI Carp Angler at the Mighty St. Lawrence

One of our most accomplished CAG members, Tom Stefanowicz, recently went to the St. Lawrence River for a week long dream vacation of carp fishing. The St. Lawrence is considered one of the best areas in the WORLD to fish for carp. He and his father hit it big, catching large numbers of fish as well as a couple of thirty pounders. You can read about their exploits on Tom's blog at http://tomscarp.wordpress.com/

Congratulations on your successes, Tom and Jan. We are all jealous!!!!!

Jon Pickering, CAG Big 4 Junior Winner

Jon Pickering has posted the most points in the junior division of the National CAG Big 4 contest. Jon's big 4 catch total for the month of May was forty four pounds. All of his fish were taken in RI waters and included catches in the Blackstone River, Scott's Pond and Spectacle. For his efforts Jon will be rewarded with gift certificates from several online carp tackle shops. It is quite an achievement to have national winner in this tournament coming from RI. Congratulations Jon!

RI Blackstone River Fishing Off

It has been a disappointing spring for me on the Blackstone River here in RI. The fishing is off, way off. I suspect the severe flooding of the spring has something to do with this. In past years, the flooding has had two big negative effects. It has moved a lot of fish to different spots. It has also killed a lot of carp. Carp tend to move onto flood plains during flooding. Many become trapped in deep basins and holes and die when the water recedes. When I was a kid I used to see hundreds of dead carp on these flood plains after flooding. I can only hope this is not the reason for the sub par carp fishing on the Blackstone. I continue to search for big numbers of mirrors, but am having little success.