Active in the Rain

Today was a day that I was looking forward to for a long time.  It's been months since we had an all day rain with stormy weather, probably the best conditions to catch carp in the daytime at this time of year.  The fish did not disappoint me. They were active and lots were jumping even in the heavy downpours.   I got out this morning and landed 6 commons in a few hours of fishing.  I had another two fish on that I lost.  This has been my best day in weeks as the fishing had been poor.  My bait of choice today was a kernel of maize (experimental flavor, pineapple/whiskey, that I am testing for a bait company) along with a kernel of unflavored sweet corn on the hair.  I like that combo because the pests will sometimes take the sweet corn off the hair, but they have a hard time stealing the more durable maize.  So, you still have one bait to attract a hungry carp. Once the water cools and the pests disappear, I will go back to using just sweet corn.  This was all fished ahead of a method ball. I suspect we are in the start of fall fishing for carp, a real good, though sometimes inconsistent time of year.

Better Days Are Coming

I believe we have hit bottom as far as carp fishing goes here in RI.  This is the slowest time of the year to fish, and my lack of success while fishing in the daytime every year in late August seems to prove me right.  Daytime fishing, the time I go most often, is poor right now. It has been poor for the last two weeks.  The water is the warmest it will get, and the fish are lethargic.  Weed growth is at its maximum.  Many ponds are experiencing a green algae growth. The pests are many and they include turtles, horned pout, bluegills, and dace, and they are most active at this time playing havoc with my bait.

But, September is here and that means turning the corner with improving fishing.  I suspect there will be a dramatic uptick in carp fishing as the fish will begin to feel a need to feed as a sense of fall arrives with cooling days and colder nights leading to cooling water.  In the past, some real big carp have been taken by RI CAG members in mid to late September. The good fishing should extend into October and November.  Last year I landed three thirty pounders here in RI in the fall while fishing in the daytime. So, I am really looking forward to fall fishing again.  Hey, who knows, maybe a RI 40 lber. (YIKES!) might just make it to my net this fall.

DISCOVERY in Unknown Venue

I've been on a kick on the last two weeks searching RI waters for unknown venues that could have carp.  These are places with NO previous catches and unknown venues to carp fishermen.  I fished a place this evening where no carp have ever been caught by carp fishermen to my knowledge.  I discovered this place though my son, Jon, who was bass fishing in this pond.  To his surprise, he foul hooked about an eight pound carp using a plastic worm several days ago.  That was enough to perk my interest.  I prebaited the spot in the morning and returned to fish in the evening,  Results were astounding for a new location.  Using banana flavored maize, I landed three large commons of 15, 20 and 21 lbs. (see photo).  I also lost another fish that seemed larger than any I landed.  While most "new" spots turn out to be duds, sometimes a new location can really produce.  In this case it did.  I feel this new found spot could hold a very large fish. I plan to find out.
Note that my two RI record fish, a 36 lb. common and a 31 lb. mirror, were taken from venues where very few, if any, carp were ever caught. No one had a clue that fish that large could exist in these spots.  There are more unknown gems out there in RI just waiting to be discovered. It just takes a little exploring and a lot of effort.  And, sometimes it pays off.

Check Out This E-Magazine

Check out this free online carp fishing magazine produced by Korda, one of the big tackle companies in Europe and the UK.  Here is the link: http://www.thinkingtackle.com/carp-fishing-korda-danny-fairbrass-ali-hamidi/ttd-issue1/page/1
The magazine is real slick and interactive with numerous photos and video clips to accompany the articles.  And, the fish will knock your socks off also.  Great to dream!

Small Ones Better than None

I have this dilemma every year in August.  I can't seem to find many big carp that are willing to hit in the daylight hours, but I know where there are good numbers of fish in the 5-10 lb. range (see pic of recent catch) that are more than willing to do battle.  These are small fish in the carp world, but fish in this size range can be terrific fighters.  So, rather than  blanking while trying for the big ones, I usually opt for the action of smaller fish.

I was out trying the last two evenings.  These were short sessions of a couple of hours an outing.  Last night I landed 6 carp and the night before I landed 4.  That's 10 carp in the last two outings, a total of 4 hours of fishing.  Not bad for August.  The hot bait has been sweet corn, although it keeps getting picked off by turtles and horned pout. If I could keep bait on the bottom, I had a good shot at catching a carp. So, I've learned to pull in my lines and check the bait every 20 minutes. All the fish in the last two outings were mirrors in the 5-8 lb. range.

August, a Tough Month

We are in the beginning of what I consider the toughest month of fishing for carp here in RI.  The water is warm, the pests are many and the carp are lethargic. You could make the case that all types of fishing in both saltwater and freshwater are difficult right now, but that still doesn't keep most of us from trying.  Here are a few August tips that just might get you a carp or two on just about any outing.
1.  Fish Low Light Hours-  Best times to fish in August are dusk, after dark, dawn and rainy, lousy days.
2.  Moving Water is Best-  I especially target river waters that move in August.  If you fish the Blackstone River, you want to get into slowly moving deep water.
3.  Experiment with Baits other than Corn-  Sweet corn that is so effective in cooler times of the year is often picked apart by pests such as sun turtles, horned pout and dace.  A better bet would be larger and more durable baits such as chick peas, hard doughballs and boilies.  Not much can be done when snapping turtles are around.
4.  Prebait-  Yes, you have to get them feeding and interested if you expect to catch them and prebaiting is always a key to success.
5.  Expect the Fishing to Improve-  The end of the month will fish far better than the beginning of the month as the nights get longer and cooler and the water cools.  Rainy days at the end of August can really light up the fishing.
So, good luck this month and realize that the fishing will be slower but good fish are still out there waiting to  be caught.

500th Carp of the Year Landed

Yesterday evening I landed my 500th carp for 2012.  It was a common carp in the 8-10 lb. range (didn't weigh).  The fish hit a doughball fished on a hair rig.  There have only been three years in which I have landed over 500 carp.  However, this is by far the earliest I have hit this mark.  Last year I had only 370 carp at this point, and I ended up with 750 fish on the year, making 2011 my best carp fishing year.  This year's high numbers are a reflection of the warm weather in the wintertime.  During the winter I was able to fish many times a week in open water and caught good numbers of carp in Jan., Feb. and March.