MONSTER Carp Landed

 

Unofficial state record of 38 lbs., 2 oz. released!

Yesterday I landed the second biggest carp I have ever caught in RI.  The beast topped the scales at 38+ pounds. That fish bested the official state record by over 5 lbs.

I wrote in my last post that this has been an epic week for me for catching large carp with many fish in the upper 20's.  But, yesterday's fish far exceeded all expectations I had about catching a large carp. This fish was not only large by RI standards, it was gargantuan!

I landed this fish on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn fished on a hair rig.  I was also using a method ball of oatmeal and bread packed around my sinker.  The fish hit with a screaming run.  Just after I grabbed the rod, the fish went on a blistering run, peeling off 50 to 60 yards of line off my Shimano baitrunner reel.  From then on, it was a back and forth battle.  The fish would take line, I'd gain a bit more. At this point, I knew I had a big fish. Once close to the net, I made several stabs at it as the fish would bolt away as the net came close. I prayed the hook would hold as it was just barely stuck in the fish's lip.  Finally, I had the prize in the net.  From there it was onto the mat, into the weigh sling and finally the weighing with my Reuben Heaton certified scale. Exactly 38 lbs., 2 oz.

This fish marks the 5th time I have broken the official state record of 32 lbs., 5 oz. Here in RI we have an archaic and far outdated means of establishing state fish records. In order to claim the record, you must have the fish officially weighed at a weigh station of which there are very few.  That means killing the fish and bringing it down to be weighed.  I've always refused to do this. In other more progressive states, they either have records for catch-and-release, or they allow a state record if you have a photo, a witness, a length and a certified scale. So, once again, another unofficial record was released to swim off and fight another day. A happy ending for all!

Big Carp on the Feed Here in RI

 The past seven days have seen the best fishing in a long time for big carp for me.  We are definitely in a

Take a look at the sagging, egg filled bottom 
on this 27 lb. female that I landed yesterday.
Big carp are on the feed right now. By the way,
the fish above was released in good shape right
after a quick photo!

pre-spawn mode in many of our lakes and ponds.  Big females have become more numerous in the past week, and they are feeding.  Also, lots of aggressive males are in the mix.

In the past week I have landed 4 carp over 25 lbs. here in RI.  That includes a 26, 27, 27 and 29 lb. fish. All of them have been females as evidenced by their sagging egg filled bottoms. There have also been days with lots of fish like yesterday.  In that miserable rainy, cold and windy weather, the carp were on a tear as I banked 10 carp from 15 to 27 lbs. in  a few hours of fishing.  Once again, the crappy weather delivers.

The hot bait for me continues to be a combo bait of maize and one kernel of white, artificial corn fished on a hair rig.  I'm also packing a method ball around my sinker.  I try to prebait whenever possible, and for the most part, I am prebaiting with maize. Sometimes I mix in cut up boilies.

If your are looking for your biggest carp of the year, no better month to catch her than May.  Fishing for big carp is hot right now.

Results of RI CAG Big 3 for April

 

Brian Savage takes the early lead with 
a massive 31 lb., 10 oz. carp.

The first third of our Spring Big 3 Tournament is in the books.  Once again, our guys and gals caught some decent fish.

The RI CAG Big 3 Tournament runs like this. CAG members who wish to take part enter their biggest fish (by weight) for the month of April, the month of May and the month of June. All fish must be caught in RI waters and all fish must be released.  We add the weights together and that becomes the point total. The national organization provides engraved medals for first, second and third place.

Last fall's combo tournament winner, Brian Savage, is off to a hot start.  He has the biggest fish so far with a whopping 31 lb., 10 oz. common carp.

Here are the fish entered for April:

1. Brian Savage- 31 lbs., 10 oz.

2. Manny Dias- 16 lbs., 8 oz.

3. Laura Mitchell- 15 lbs., 13 oz.

4. Eddie Taylor- 15 lbs.

5. Tom Perron- 13 lbs., 2 oz.

Brutal Conditions, Fish Still Hitting

 

This fully scaled mirror is one of two carp that I
landed last evening.  I had two more this evening
in some brutal weather.

Yes, I did fish the last two days and it was like fishing in the middle of February.  I thought for sure the weather would kill the fishing, but I did manage to find a few fish that were willing to hit.

Today was especially tough.  With snow mixing with rain, temperatures stayed in the 30's with a stiff wind. Prior to today I had a streak of 15 straight days of catching carp in April.  So I was hoping to extend that streak today. I baited up one of my favorite spots with maize this afternoon and returned in the evening.  It took all of ten minutes before the alarm screamed, and I was onto a carp that took my combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn on the hair rig.  That fish was a beautiful mirror that weighed about 6 lbs. Another fish about the same size was landed a half hour later, and I had one more fish on that I lost.  On a brutal night when I knew that catching one fish would be a big deal, I was quite pleased with landing 2 carp.

I am hoping to get back to catching larger fish this week once this nasty weather clears out and warmer weather returns.

Big Females on the Feed

 

A beautiful 22 lb. female has just been released
and is about to swim away.  Bigger carp, many
of them females, have been more
numerous in recent days.

That warm weather that we had last week really got things moving.  Even though we are now experiencing cool weather, the past week's warmth has ticked up the water temperatures and gotten the carp in a feeding mood here in RI. It has also led some big females to go on the feed.  In the past week, I have landed several good size female carp.  These fish have had bulging bellies that are full of eggs. While the spawn is still over a month away in most places, we are now witnessing a pre-spawn in which groups of carp are bunching up in places, particularly low water spots. And, these fish are feeding.  I am also consistently catching bigger fish in the last week.  I landed a couple of females in the 20's (22 and 27 lbs.) along with a bunch of low to mid teen size fish.  All of this is a sure sign that a spring run of bigger fish is underway in places. 

The Slow Rise to 100

 

Here is my 100th carp of the year that I landed
tonight at dark. It's been a long and winding 
road to get to 100 this year.

I hit a milestone tonight with my 100th carp for 2021.  

It hasn't been easy.  This is the latest in the year that I've gotten my 100th fish in the last ten years.  I can't put my finger on why the slow fishing thus far in 2021....cold and snowy February, inconsistent weather, lots of people fishing, lots of disruptions (boats, kayaks, etc).  Pick any one or a combination.

The weather in the last week has become much nicer and more favorable for consistent fishing.  In fact, I have been getting 2 to 5 fish an outing with no blank days. So, things are looking up for now.

I've switched my bait choices in the past week.  Sweet corn is out because of the emergence of pests (turtles, bluegills, horned pout).  I am now fishing combo baits for the most part that consist of maize and plastic corn fished on the hair rig.

An On and Off Deal

 

Here's a mirror landed earlier in the week.  The
carp fishing in RI has been an on and off deal
that has been greatly influenced by the weather.

As the weather goes, so goes the carp fishing.

It's been a week of contrasts.  That beautiful sunny weather at the beginning of the week had the carp really active.  I saw fish jumping, mud coming up from the bottom feeders and fish sunning themselves. The fish were also hitting as I landed 16 fish in three days in various spots.  But, the hammer fell last night with a cold rain that brought temperatures in the 40's.  Those cold 40's continued today under an overcast sky.  I went out this morning and didn't even get a sniff. It was a complete shutdown in the cold.

Hey, this is early season carp fishing.....hot one day, cold the next.