Carp Anglers Group Fall Fish In

The Rhode Island chapter of the Carp Anglers Group (CAG) had our semi-annual fish in over the weekend. Fish-ins as I have mentioned are get togethers for our group. They are not competitive. We all get together to see old friends, catch up and hopefully a few fish are caught.

We have had terrible success reaching the goal of actually catching fish. At these get togethers for whatever reason, not many fish are caught. This is amazing for a couple reasons. First off just the man hours of bait in the water is incredible. Today we had about ten guys show up each with two rods. Each guy fished anywhere from two to six hours. Odds are a fish or two would be caught.The other reason is this is such a surprise is this group of guys are most of the best carp fishermen in Rhode Island. Most of these guys have many twenty pound fish under there belts. They are dedicated fishermen that through many hours on the bank have experimented with everything from cheap bite alarms to tutti-frutti flavored corn. When this group of anglers goes fishless, then the fish are just not biting.

I don’t go to the Fish-ins to catch fish, they are just a bonus. I go to see people I might only fish with twice a year. They are a really good bunch of guys. Everyone is willing to share information. We talk about our families, the newest carp flavors and the weather. If any new members show up, and they have questions they are answered by a group of experts. Anyone new to carp fishing that wants to get into it seriously, should consider joining the club. The learning curve is much quicker when helped by someone with experience.

The CAG is a national group. Each state has its own chapter. I for instance live in Mass but since I fish mostly in Rhode Island I asked to be placed in that chapter. The president of each chapter will be notified of a new member.

Even though I didn’t catch any fish at the Fish-in, I still had fun. When I arrived at 9:30 am, I met a guy named Todd. He fishes a lot and has a lot of experience in largemouth bass tournaments. I had a few good conversations with him about carp, bass, and New Hampshire among other things. In the early afternoon, I was fishing with a guy named Ben that I know. I’ve known Ben for a few years because of the CAG. Ben is a cool guy that does a lot of fun things in the little amount of free time that he has. I found out that we his in the process of hiking New Hampshire’s 4000 foot mountains, as I am. I large chunk of the conversation revolved around hiking.

So even though fishing was not hot and heavy, the fish in was a success. I can’t speak for everyone, but I personally had fun and am looking forward with high hopes to our next one.