Award Winning Carp Photo

Check out my award winning carp photo.  This photo captured first place in the national CAG Discovery Month Photo Contest. The winning prize was a gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle, a CAG hat and a year's free membership to CAG. It was the first time a RI CAG member ever won this event.
Most people who know me know that I love to take pictures, especially fishing related photos. I have a lot of high tech photo equipment that can really deliver a stunning shot.  In this case I was using my Canon SLR with a 55-250 mm telephoto lens attached to it. I was shooting at about 150 mm. The trick here is that I was using a continuous shooting mode which means when I pressed the shutter button down, the camera continuous shot off photos at a rapid pace. The camera was also in the auto focusing mode.  While balancing the camera with one hand and my rod with the other, I took a lot of photos whenever I had the fish in view on the surface.  Once home, I downloaded the photos, sorted through the dozens of pictures and picked the best one.  That one shot proved to be the contest winner!

"Fat as Pigs"

Most of my recent catches
have been super fat and heavy fish.

I have been catching some very good size carp in the last week. These fish have ranged from the high teens into the low twenties. I am catching these fish in the daytime as well as at night. In just about all cases, they are some of the fattest carp I have ever seen.  Yes, some are as fat as pigs!
In late fall, carp are feeding up big time in anticipation of winter when food is scarce. So, it makes sense that you will be catching some real hefty fish at this time. The only other time you will find big bellied fish is in the spring and these will be females.
I am having good success using a combo bait of maize and a white, artificial pop-up corn fished on the hair rig. In addition, I am packing a method ball around my sinker.
Note that I have seen very little activity (fish breaching or bubble trails), yet the fish are still active.  The carp should remain active until the ice arrives.  Last year's open water fishing held up real well until late December.  I have every reason to think that will happen again this year.

Targeting Larger Carp; 800th Carp of the Year Landed

My biggest carp of the fall so far....28 lbs., 2 oz.

In the last few weeks I have been targeting larger carp.  I've been fishing mostly in RI but have hit some spots in MA and CT. I've landed quite a few carp in the teens along with several good size fish in the 20's.  I also had my biggest carp of the fall a couple of days ago.  This was a brute of 28 lbs., 2 oz. It had such a gut, it looked like it swallowed a small barrel. The fish was taken on a combo bait of maize along with a white pop up artificial corn.
I believe the time period from mid October to mid November is prime time to catch a really big fish in the fall.  It was mid November several years ago that I landed that monster 36 lb. carp in RI waters, the largest carp and the largest freshwater fish ever caught in RI.  Large carp are on the fall feed at this time as they feed up for winter. The problem at this time of year is that the fishing can be as inconsistent as the weather. The best days to fish will be those warmer days after a cold spell or a warm, wet and stormy day. Daytime as well as warm nights can be productive.
On a completely different note, I landed my 800th carp of the year tonight while fishing after dark.  It was a mirror of about 8 lbs. Already this is my second best year ever in terms of numbers.  With two months left of fishing for the year, it could be another 1000 fish year for me.  I'll need the weather to stay warm and a little bit of luck to get there.

Nighttime Carping Productive

Here's a good size mirror carp that was
recently landed at night.  Fall fishing
after dark can be very productive.

It's that time of year when it starts getting dark earlier and earlier. So, I find myself fishing more and more at night.  In the last three weeks I have spent many short sessions in the dark in many spots and have caught some good size carp up to 20 lbs.
I know some fishermen fish all three seasons after dark, but I find that fall is especially productive for me at night.  Maybe it's because that's when I put in the most time carp fishing at night. Also, keep in mind that the carp are feeding up for a winter that is coming, and their time to feed in the daytime is shortened by the lessening light. So, I do think they feed more and more after dark in the fall.
Nighttime carp fishing is no different than doing it in the daytime.  Same baits, same techniques.  Get yourself some warm clothing and a good headlight, and you are good to go.
Some big fish are taken at night in the fall.  One of our RI CAGers, Jake Ayotte, is competing in the CAG Fall Big 4 Tournament.  He recently sent me several photos, all taken at night, of some phenomenal fish that he has caught recently.  He had three carp in the THIRTIES that were all taken at night. Jake's catches are proof that some of the biggest fish of the year are feeding at night in the fall. By the way, Jake has taken a big lead in the CAG Big 4 Tournament. Could a RI carper be heading for a first place victory in this prestigious tournament?

RI CAGers Competing in Fall Big 4

Here is one of my entries, a hefty 19 lb. common.

One of the signature tournaments that the Carp Anglers Group (CAG) runs every year is the Fall Big 4.  This event runs from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.  Anglers who compete enter their 4 biggest carp for that period, and that becomes their total points. Anglers weigh their own fish and take a photo that shows the logo and the scale used (see photo at right).  Prizes are awarded to the top ten finishers. The tournament draws CAG members from all over the US and Canada.
Last year the RI CAG had three members compete.  They were Tom Perron, Todd Richer and myself. All three of us ended up finishing in the top 10, a phenomenal feat.  This year these same three guys are entered along with RI CAG members Jake Ayotte, Keri Doire and Mike Stevenin.  Yup, we have 6 RI carpers entered in this event, and that is the most of any state!
Currently, the RI crew is off to a great start.  Jake has the biggest carp so far, a 28 lb. beast.  Tom has the biggest mirror, a good looking 15 lber. and I am the current overall leader at 81 lbs. While it is still very early in the tournament, the RI guys are flexing their muscles! Hopefully, all six members will end up in the top ten.  Now, that would be a feat!

A Dedicated Carper

The number plate above belongs to one of our most dedicated RI CAG
carpers.  He is Richard Bessette, who is also our oldest member. At 82 years
young, Richard is out there every day and making some impressive catches (see photo below).

Photo of the Day....CT River Channel Cat