3rd Place Finish in National CAG Big 4 Spring Tournament

 

This was my biggest carp landed in the 
tournament.  It weighed 35 lbs., 4 oz.
It was a potential state record and was released.

The CAG Big 4 Spring Tournament has concluded.  This is one of CAG's signature events and it featured about 60 of the best carp fishermen in the county competing to see who could accumulate the most poundage with their four biggest fish.  You could fish anywhere in the US, and we had entries from many different states. The tournament started on March 15 and ran till June 15.

I had one of my better years in this year's event. Yes, little Rhode Island has some great carp fishing and some real big fish to boot.  My four biggest fish for the event were 35 lbs., 4 oz.,  32 lbs., 10 oz., 31 lbs., 8  oz. and 31 lbs., 4 oz. That gave me a grand total of 130 lbs., 10 oz. and earned me THIRD place. All my fish came from RI waters.  Note that my two biggest fish were potential state records which were released.

The top ten finishers were awarded gift certificates to Big Carp Tackle.  My prize for third place was a $100 gift certificate.

This year's event was not easy here in New England.  The weather was ever changing- cold, hot, rainy, sunny, windy with no consistency. For the most part, my fishing was inconsistent, but I did manage to bank a lot of great fish between 25 and 35 lbs., just what I was looking for.

Here are the final results of the Spring Big 4.

Change in Strategy Delivers BIG Day

 

I had a big day in some crappy weather yesterday
as the carp were on the feed.

I had been having a very poor June.  I spent a lot of time targeting big carp in my big carp spots.  When you go after the big girls, expect a lot of blanks, and I was getting them.  So, I decided to make a change yesterday and head to some of the productive spots I used to fish.  It paid off in a big way. Once again, the rods were bent and the alarms were singing.

I ended the day with 11 carp on the bank.  While I had no real large fish, these were all good looking 8 to 13 lb. carp that were very aggressive.  This was all done cold turkey with no prebaiting ahead of time.  

Yesterday was one of those ideal carp fishing days.  It was overcast and cool with light rain and drizzle. Maybe because of the weather, the carp were charged up.  I saw a lot of jumps, mud clouds and bubble trails. I also saw many carp prowling around the shallows, so close that I could have touched them with my rod. I landed all my fish on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn fished on the hair rig.

It was great to get in on the action again. These were not 25 or 30 lb. fish, but I'll take it.

May Results for RI CAG Big 3 Tournament

 

Brian Savage logged in this 24 lb.,
12 oz. mirror. A beauty!

The second leg of our RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament is in the books, and once again, our members logged in some impressive fish.  We have one more month, June, to go, and it looks like the tournament will go down to the wire! The results listed below list the April and May fish along with the totals thus far.

1. Dave- 31/8 + 35/4= 66/12

2. Scott- 20 + 25/8= 45/12

3. Brian- 20/8 + 24/12= 45/4

4. Tom- 19/7+ 24/10=44/1

5. Evan- 23+20/8= 43/8

6. Daphne- 20+15/3= 35/3

7. Tony- 23/4

Evan Aziz logged in this 20 lb., 8 oz. common.
Nice going.

Cold Weather Cools off May Carp Fishing

So far it's been a tough month for carp
fishing here in RI. Cold weather and dropping
water temperatures are to blame.

 It's been a very tough May for me thus far.  I blame the unusually cold and rainy weather that seems to have shut the fishing down in many of the places where I am fishing. The water temperatures have dropped, not a good thing in the spring.  In fact, in the last ten outings, I've landed exactly two carp.  Both those fish were in the twenties.

All spring I have been targeting big fish and it has paid off with many 20's and even good numbers of 30's.  When you target bigger fish, you are going to catch less- just a fact. Most of those fish were caught from mid March to late April.

Normally May is THE month for big carp here in RI.  However, April fishing proved to be far better for me than May. I'm guessing other carp fishermen here in RI are experiencing the same poor fishing since I have received, so far, only a few entries for the May leg of our RI CAG Big 3 Tournament. The only bright spot for me in May is that I did land a 35+ lb. carp here in the beginning of the month.  That is my biggest carp so far this year.

For May fishing to improve we will need a return to warm, or at least normal weather, that will drive up the water temperatures and get the carp feeding again.

Winner- Essence of Carping Photo Contest

 The Carp Anglers Group runs many tournaments and contests a year for its members.  Every month they run a photo contest called "Essence of Carping". I try to submit and entry every month.  The winners generally have a photo of something other than a person holding a fish.  Sunsets, scenic shots and even live fish photos have the best chance of winning.

For April, my photo was voted the winner.  It was a photo of a big carp (thirty pounds) just after release.  It was just sitting in the water with its back out in some beautiful light (see photo below). For my winning entry, I received a $100 gift certificate to Big Carp Tackle!  Membership does have its privileges. 

Consider joining CAG if you are a carp fisherman or interested in becoming one.

April Winner- Essence of Carp Fishing Photo Contest

Love These

 

These have been super hot for me
this year.  You can get them at Big
Carp Tackle

As many of you know, I use a lot of plastic corn, usually in combination with real maize on my hair rigs. For the most part, I have been using imitation sweet corn made by Enterprise Tackle which I buy online from Big Carp Tackle.  Enterprise has now come up with a new product called "Large Pop Up Imitation Sweet Corn".  These are larger versions of their original sweet corn.  I bought a couple of packages of these in a white color and have been using them all spring.

I think they offer a slightly bigger profile and they tend to have a bit more buoyancy.  They have been my go-to bait all spring so far.  I am using one of these on the hair rig along with a kernel of real maize.  This is the first spring that I have not used a method ball around my sinker. That has eliminated a lot of catfish and turtle bites.  To date, I have not landed a single catfish or horned pout.

I have had super success this spring using these large pop-ups catching the most large carp, over 20 lbs., that I have ever caught in the early going.  Maybe it's the pop up, maybe just luck!

Here's a 20 + lb. carp that was landed this week
on a combo bait of a large pop-up along with a
kernel of maize on the hair rig.

April Results- RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament

 

Biggest fish entered- 31 lbs., 8 oz.

We have the April results for our RI CAG Spring Big 3 Tournament. The tournament runs for three months.  The idea is to enter your biggest fish in April, your biggest for May and your biggest for June. I add up the weights for the three months and that's the total points.  All fish must be caught in RI waters and released. The tournament is open to any CAG member.

Here are the April results (pounds/ounces) for our spring big 3 tournament. Some impressive fish were entered.  We have quite a talented group of carp fishermen here in RI!

1. Dave- 31/8

2. Tony- 23/4

3. Evan- 23

4. Brian- 20/8

5. Scott- 20

6. Daphne- 20

7. Tom- 19/7

Biggest mirror entered- 20 lbs., 8 oz.

A personal best for Scott and his first 20 lber.!