Photo of the Day, "Evening Mirror"

 

Spring is in the air as the carp become more and more
active.  I landed a couple of mirrors right before dark
this evening.

Off and Running

 

Yes, the fish were hitting on this
warm day today.  Weather will
play a big part in the early season.

For me, today marked the start of spring fishing for carp. I tried three other times in the last week and blanked every time.  But, each one of those times, I was putting bait (maize) into my spring spots.  I knew it would be a matter of a short amount of time when I would start seeing carp in at least one of those places.  Today, I saw them as well as caught a number of them.  I spotted some fish moving around in the shallows and tossed more bait into the spot I intended to fish.  I went back to this location several hours later. The rods were out no more than ten minutes before the alarm went off and I was on.

Note that early spring carp fishing in March can be a lot like the weather- inconsistent.  The key to success is to have a plan, bait up a few spots and stick with it. The warm days will outproduce the cold days.

Today's fish fell for a combo bait of maize and pale pink artificial corn on the hair rig.

Note:  Here in RI you can only fish non trout stocked waters until Opening Day of trout season (second Saturday in April)..  You will also need a new, 2023 license if you intend to fish any freshwaters in the state at this time.

February Opportunities

 

Here's a mirror that I landed today, Feb. 17. This
is a very early start for me here in RI.

If you were outside today and didn't know the month, you would think we were in the middle of April. In fact, just about all week seemed like mid April weather.  That warm weather melted the little ice that was left and upped the water temperatures.  It all gave the carp a false sense of spring.

In the last two days I was on a scouting mission, checking out a number of places in the state that usually produce in the early season.  While these places usually give up the first carp in late February or early March, I found out it's happening much earlier this year.

In my travels, I  landed a couple of feisty mirrors.  Nothing big, they went about 5 to 6 pounds apiece. I was amazed that these early season fish really ran off the line on the hit causing my alarm to scream.  Normally, the first fish are sluggish on the take and the fight, but not these.  It tells me the water is warmer than I thought and the fish are more active than I expected. Both fish fell for a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn fished on the hair rig.  I caught the fish in spots I was prebaiting with maize in the last few days.

Next Stop- Springfield Sportsmen's Show- Feb. 25

 My next stop on my 2023 seminar tour is the Springfield Sportsmen's Show on Saturday,  Feb. 25.  As of this date, I do not know my times.  You would have to check the website right before the show at www.osegsportsmens.com 

I know I will be doing my popular striper fishing seminar that drew huge crowds last weekend at the show in Boxboro. This seminar features striper fishing from shore and kayak.  The emphasis was on catching big fish- slots and over slots.  I will also be doing my carp fishing seminar. This show deals with understanding carp fishing in southern New England with an emphasis on bait and rigging.

The Springfield Sportsmen's Show is held at the Big E in Springfield.  It features everything outdoorsy- fishing, hunting, camping, boats, guides, etc. It runs for three days from Feb. 24 to Feb. 26.  It is one of the most popular outdoor shows in the northeast.

Hope to see you there.

First Carp of 2023

 

My first carp of 2023!

I went out carp fishing today in this mild January weather.  It felt like fishing in late March or early April. In the past I have scored some nice carp in January during these mild spells and today was no exception. I landed this 13 lb. common on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn.  I was also using a small method ball packed around my sinker.

If you are trying for a carp in the middle of winter, you might try looking in "small places".  I'm talking ice free small shallow ponds, small rivers and canals. The carp have no place to hide in these smaller spots, and these bodies of water tend to heat faster making the carp more active.

With mild weather forecasted for later in the week, I expect the winter action to continue.

SHOWTIME!

 In a couple of weeks I begin doing my winter seminars at many of the big outdoor shows in New England.

My first show will be the New England Fishing and Outdoor Expo in Boxboro, MA at the Boxboro Regency.  This show runs three days on Jan. 27, 28 and 29.   This is a big fishing and outdoor show that covers freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing with a lot of exhibitors, displays, dealers and seminars. 

On Saturday, Jan. 28 at 11:00 AM, I will be running my all new saltwater seminar for 2023.  It is titled "Stripers from Shore and Kayak". This seminar will take show goers on a year long journey of catching stripers from both shore and kayak here in southern New England. It will outline some of the best lures, techniques and places to catch stripers from both shore and kayak.  The emphasis will be on catching after large stripers, slots and overslots.

I will change hats on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 11:00 AM as I do my freshwater carp fishing seminar.  My new carp fishing show for 2023 is titled "Understanding Carp- Choosing the Best Baits".  This show will feature rigging as well as baits to catch trophy size carp in southern New England.  It will be an eye opener and a wealth of information for those who are beginners as well as experienced carpers.

Making Boilies

 

Here's a bunch of strawberry flavored
boilies that I made this morning.

Happy New Year to all my loyal readers!

On this crappy morning I decided to make some boilies.  Remember last year I started making my own and had the best success with a strawberry flavored boilie. I caught a good number of carp while using them.

Here are the ingredients to make about 100 15mm boilies:

* Half box (8 oz.) plain bread crumbs

*1/2 cup corn starch

* 2 tablespoons of sugar

* 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

* 2 eggs

*half a box of strawberry jello

Mix all these ingredients in a big bowl and then knead the mix.  It should be the consistency of a snowball.  If too dry, add more egg.  If too wet, add more bread crumb.

At this point, you need to roll the mix into small ball shapes the size of a marble. I use a sausage gun from Big Carp Tackle and push a sausage onto a small rollaball table which will make 20 boilies at once.  You can also roll these by hand but it takes a long time. These tables can also be purchased at Big Carp Tackle.

Next, drop all the rolled balls into a pan of boiling water.  They will sink at first but after a minute or so, you will see them floating on the top.  They are now ready to be taken out and placed on a tray to dry.

I let mine dry overnight. I then package them in a zip lock bag and place them in the freezer until I am ready to use them.

Making your own boilies is time consuming, but far more inexpensive than buying them.