Photo of the Day.....An October Hog.... 30 lbs., 2 oz.

Tonight brought the biggest carp of the fall for me and another 30 lber.
for the books. This huge bellied carp was taken on a combo
bait of maize and a white artificial pop-up corn fished on the hair rig.

Not a Fan of High Water

In this photo that I took today, these are flooded woods
along the Blackstone River.  The main river is over a hundred
yards away from where I am standing! River waters are near
impossible to fish right now in RI. 

First it was the severe cold and the dropping water temperatures that put a crimp in the October carp fishing.  Now, it's VERY high water due to all the rain in the last two days. It's turning out to be an October to forget here in RI.
I went out scouting around the Blackstone River today.  Forget it.  In most places the water was in the woods.  In one spot that I checked out,  the water at my feet was about 100 yards from the main river! Many of the ponds are also way higher than normal.  Scott's Pond near my house is the highest I have ever seen it in the fall with no shoreline access to fish.
During these times of high water, many carp will actually move into flooded wooded areas to feed where the food is abundant. They are impossible to catch when in these spots. I've seen this many times in both ponds and rivers.
So, here's what I am hoping for in the coming weeks.  A warm-up would be great along with dry weather.  I know it will take a few days for the rivers to recede to a fishable level here in RI. In the meantime, small ponds remain your best bet to catch carp here in RI.

Photo of the Day....Back in Business

It's back in business as I found good numbers of cooperative
carp today on this cold morning of fishing.

Cold Weather Shuts it Down

I'm on one of the worst streaks I have ever experienced in carp fishing in October.  I have blanked on my last FIVE outings in a row. It's not for lack of trying. I've fished good spots in three states,  RI, MA and CT, in the last five days and I have nothing to show for it.
The fishing had been good up until that cold weather hit last week. I am guessing the sudden cold dropped the water temperature about 10 to 15 degrees and that was just enough to shut down the feed. Today I took a temperature reading at one of my spots and the water temp there was a cool 55 degrees. Carp should be feeding in that range, but the sudden drop has brought on lockjaw.
Note that in the last five days, I have not seen a carp jump, I have not seen any bubble trails and I haven't seen anyone catch a fish.  And, I was in some pretty good spots.
I say we are in a temporary lull right now. The fishing should perk up continue until the ice arrives.  Fall is a fickle time for carp fishing as it is often an on or off deal.  Right now, it's off for me.

Big Carp on the Feed Here in RI

This carp that is coming ashore was one of 8 fish landed in the
last 2 days in the nasty weather. The big fish are on the fall feed.

The next four weeks or so will be your opportune time to land a huge carp here in RI. A few years back I landed the biggest fish ever taken in RI waters when I landed a 36 lb. carp in mid November. Already the big fish show signs of the fall feed. I know of several 20 lbers. that have been taken recently by our RI CAGers here in RI. In the last week or so I have landed three twenties up to 26 lbs., a sure sign that the big ones are waking up to feed up for winter.  With dropping air and water temperatures on the way, it will only increase the need to feed. These bigger fish will continue to feed right up until the ice comes in.
I have been out in the heavy rain and wind of the last two days.  The fishing has been good as I landed a total of 8 carp with all of them going 10 to 15 lbs. It was nothing fantastic for size, but all good fish. I've written many times about how these carp just love to feed in the nasty weather and this was just another example. If you have the gear to last in the rain, give it a try.

Photo of the Day.....Big Fish on the Move in this Lousy Weather

I landed this mid 20 in today's lousy weather.  The rainy and nasty weather of the
last two days had the big fish on the move.

September Nights

This mirror was landed recently
at night.  Note the maize/artificial
corn combo bait.

This big common was landed
tonight after dark in the
rain and storminess.

This is the time of year I start fishing for carp at night.  With darkness setting in earlier and earlier, it is a good time to fish at night after supper.  And, with the weather still nice, the fishing can be quite comfortable in the dark.
I've gone out two of the last three nights and have come away with a decent number of fish, both commons and mirrors, up to 20 lbs. No different tactics than fishing in the daytime. Just make sure you have a good headlight with you.  All my fish landed at night this week were taken on combo baits of maize and white artificial corn fished on the hair rig with a method ball packed around my sinker.  I did prebait with maize the spots in the afternoon prior to getting out.  I think the prebaiting really improves your chances of catching.
I'll also warn you that the horned pout have also been very active.  I landed several this week. They are well known as nighttime feeders. They will continue to be active until the cold sets in.