Hot Fishing on These Warm, November Nights

 It's been hot fishing for me at night in November, especially on the warm nights.  I fished tonight after dark and came away with 5 decent size mirrors.  It was no different than fishing in the daytime.  I caught all of them on a combo bait that consisted of a white artificial corn and a kernel of real corn on the hair rig.  

Take note that I prebaited the location I was fishing with maize a few hours before I fished.  Prebaiting definitely increases your chances of scoring.  With warm weather coming, I'm sure the nighttime fishing will continue to be productive.

I landed five carp this size after dark on this warm
November night.  Fishing has been especially
good on the warm nights.

Photo of the Day....."400th Carp of the Year"

 

My 400th carp of the year comes after dark on this warm
November night. 

Hitting at Night

 

This mirror was landed after dark tonight. It looks
like daylight because of the flash on the camera.

With the sun setting earlier and earlier (wait till next week!), I find myself turning to nighttime carping when I'm not striper fishing. I got out a couple of times in the last few days and I can tell you the carp are hitting after dark. I landed several nice size mirrors tonight.

After dark fishing is no different than daytime fishing....same baits, same spots, same set-up.  Only difference is that you are usually in complete darkness. Some people are not comfortable fishing in the dark.  I am having done this all my life in saltwater.

I have three suggestions for anyone who wants to try this.  Pick a safe area to fish and get yourself a good headlight. Oh, and bring some warm clothing. The temperature can really drop in November after the sun sets.

Fall Feed Underway

 

This fat common was one of many fish landed 
in the last few days.  Looks like the fall feed
has begun here in RI.

It took a couple of nights down below freezing and a couple of days with cold north and northeast winds to light up the fall fishing. It took this jolt of cold weather to get the carp thinking winter is coming, and it's time to get feeding to fatten up for the winter months ahead.

I've landed both good numbers of carp along with some big ones in the 20's in the last few days. Prior to that I was only able to get a fish or two every few outings. It was a noticeable uptick in the fishing. Other CAG members are also reporting upticks in fishing from multiple venues.

I think the fishing will continue to remain good up until the real cold weather along with icing hits. I'm guessing we will see at least a few weeks of decent fall fishing.

Some Decent Ones but NO Big Uptick in Fall Fishing

My best fish in this rainy spell has been a 
chunky 24 lb. common. There has been no big 
uptick in fall fishing yet.  Just not cold enough.

 I fished the last three days of rain, and came away with only two fish. This was not what I was expecting since rainy events have lit up the fishing in past years for me at this time. Still, those two fish I landed were 23 and 24 lbs., really good size by RI standards.

I think the weather has just not been cold enough to get a fall feed going. The weather is so warm I saw a snapping turtle pop its head up in front of me today....highly unusual for late October. In past years, that last week in October and the first week of November have delivered some big fish for me (high 20's and 30's). But, so far, this has not happened.  I'm confident that the fall feed as I call it is a bit late this year due to warm weather. 

My October numbers have bee low this year compared to past years.  The sizes have also been a disappointment.  Hopefully, fishing improves in the coming weeks.

Two Man Race in RI Fall Combo Tournament

Brian Savage with a 33 inch mirror.

 

Tom Perron and partner
 with a 32 inch mirror.

We are halfway through our RI CAG Fall Combo Tournament, and so far, it is a
two man race.  Still, plenty of time, though, for other members to add fish.  The fall combo tournament runs from September to the end of November.  Members enter their biggest common carp, their biggest mirror carp, and we have a bonus fish (catfish, horned pout or sucker).  In the fall, we go by length.  Each inch of fish length converts to a point. All fish must be caught in RI waters.  Medals purchased by CAG go to the top three finishers.

Not surprising, the two guys who are fighting it out are two of our top big carp hunters in RI.  In first place so far is Brian Savage with 42 points (33 inch mirror and 19 inch sucker).  In second place is Tom Perron with 37 points (32 inch mirror and 15 inch catfish). So, its close and either of these guys could win. Good luck to these two and any other member who wants to join in.

Monsoon Rains Light up the Fishing!

 

Another big carp has been caught in rainy, stormy
weather.  The carp were very active today in the
pouring rain!

Here we go again.  Torrential rains have lit up the carp fishing here in RI.  That 10+ inches of rain in the last two days have driven up the water levels as well as cooled down the water, and it's resulted in excellent carp fishing.  

Today I was out all afternoon in the pouring rain. I had on my Grunden rain parka and my waders and I was dry as a bone. I landed good numbers of good sized carp in the low teens along with one big carp in the mid twenty pound range.  I also saw a lot of active fish with fish rolling on the surface and bubble trails coming up from the bottom.

Once again, the hot bait was a combo bait of one kernel of real maize and a kernel of white plastic corn on the hair rig. That's been the hot ticket all summer. I haven't been using a method ball lately because I am trying to avoid the pesky turtles.