A good size common carp swims away after being released. Spring weather is here and the carp are hitting ..read more

 After a dismal start to spring carp fishing, I am hoping this warm weather sticks around because it has improved the fishing for me. I've seen a noticeable uptick in the last couple of days.  These days have been warm and fairly tranquil, and I'm guessing the water temperatures got a bit higher and that has gotten the carp feeding. Prior to this week, I went five straight outings in multiple locations with nothing on some cold and miserable days. Your best bet in this early spring fishing would be to hit a shallow water location that tends to warm up quickly.  It doesn't have t ..read more

 Two big tournaments happen in the spring for CAG members.  Here they are: 1. CAG Spring Big 4- This is a big national tournament that runs for three months. You enter your 4 biggest carp by weight.  Participants enter from all over the US, and it features some of the very best carp fishermen in the country.  We have several of our members entered this year, and in the past RI anglers have done quite well. Last year I came in 3rd place overall, one of my best finishes in years. Prizes in the form of gift certificates are awarded to the top ten places. 2. RI CAG Spring Big 3 ..read more

 It's early March and the spring carp fishing is starting locally.  I got out several times in the last week trying multiple venues. I ended up with 2 mirrors and 1 common.  It's a start. I must say that these fish were super active unlike the ones I was getting in the cold of winter. Each fish sent the alarms screaming on the take.  They were also feisty on the fight unlike the sluggish fish of mid winter. It all tells me that the new season is here. Now, as soon as I get the first 20 lber., I can really say it's really here! That's coming soon. Just a reminder- if you pla ..read more

 Hey, it's still February and the fishing reflects this. In the last week I did some exploring and was surprised by how much ice I found in many of the ponds in RI. Some places had almost no open water. I did, however,  find a spot that was fishable, and I tried today.  I did manage a few fish but it was not hot and heavy.  Once again, it's February, not May. Your best bet at this time of year is to look for a small pond that is ice free. If the pond is shallow all the better since the water will warm up faster on a sunny day. Small rivers are also a good bet.  Look fo ..read more

 My next stop on my winter seminar tour is the Springfield Sportsmen's Show on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Big E in Springfield, MA. I will be doing seminars at 12:00 and 2:00.  For anyone who has never been to this popular show, it is a mix of everything outdoorsy. There's hunting and fishing stuff, camping stuff, outfitters, charter boat captains, tackle shops, boats, kayaks, etc., all in a massive venue. It also features an all star line-up of seminar speakers. I will be doing my striper and carp fishing shows. My striper fishing show is called Finesse Fishing for Stripers.&nb ..read more

  Here's a mirror that I landed today.  Yes, carrp can be caught in the dead of winter! I'm on the board with my first ones of 2024.  I was out twice this week and landed 3 mirrors.  They all looked like clones in the 6 to 8 lb. range. Yes, you can catch carp in the dead of winter in ice free waters.  However, realize these are not the voracious feeders you find in the spring when the waters have a chance to warm.  In the very cold water of February, these fish will feed sparingly.  Everything about them has slowed in the cold.  The takes will ..read more

 I will be at the NE Fishing Expo this weekend on Saturday and Sunday doing my latest carp and striper fishing seminars for 2024. The NE Fishing Expo is a pure fishing show that has gotten rave reviews in recent years.  This year it will move to the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, MA which is right off Rt. 495. This is a show that caters to both freshwater and saltwater fishermen with loads of vendors, tackle dealers and the latest equipment on display. Show info can be found at their website at www.nefishingexpo.com Here is my schedule.  Hope to see many of my follower ..read more

  My biggest carp of the year was this mammouth fish of 38 lbs., 12 oz., a potential state record that was released. One word describes this past year of carp fishing in RI- SUBPAR. This was a year that I landed my fewest numbers of carp in the last ten years even though I fished the same number of times.  However, I must admit that I did land good numbers of large fish over 20 lbs., including three thirties.  I released two fish that would have been potential RI state records.  Those fish, 38 lbs., 12 oz. and 36 lbs., 4 oz. were magnificent RI fish. The 38 was a ..read more

  One of my entries in the Fall Big 4- 24 lbs., 6 oz. I ended up in 11th place in this year's CAG National Fall Big 4 Tournament.  I just missed the prize categories of 1st through 10th place.  This was a tough fall tournament. We had a lot of sharpies from all over the country competing.  These were some of the best carp fishermen in the US, and they were fishing some of the best fall locations, mainly big rivers. I knew before I started that I needed about 110 lbs. of fish to make the top ten (weights of top four fish). That meant catching at least two thirty po ..read more