Bad Fishing Bite Already—Then a Fisheries Patrol Boat Zoomed By!

Morning Chaos: Kids, Tests, and a Last-Minute Fishing Spot

Let me tell you, today started off wild. Dropped the kid off at school, squeezed in a quick test, and by the time I hit the road, it was already 8 AM. No way I was driving far—just wanted to hit a spot close to home to kill some time. Chaimi River (wait, no, let’s call it by its English vibe—maybe Chai Mi River? Nah, better to keep it simple: the local river near my house) was my go-to. Only a 3-minute bike ride, so perfect.

But here’s the thing: when you show up late, all the good spots are gone. I’m talking the deep holes, the shaded banks—gone. So I plopped down at a random spot, set up my rods, and thought, “Well, at least I’m outside.” Recent fishing has been garbage anyway, so this was just a “meh” day from the start.

My Neighboring Angler: The 4-Rod Legend

Right next to me was an old guy—let’s call him Uncle Wang (wait, no English! Uncle Lee, yeah). Dude had FOUR rods set up. FOUR! I’m over here with two: a short one and a long one. “How do you even keep track of all that?” I asked him. He just grinned and said, “Practice, kid.” Respect.

We chatted a bit, and turns out he’d dug out his spot himself—cleared the weeds, leveled the ground. Total DIY angler. But here’s the kicker: after an hour, neither of us had a bite. Nada. Zilch. Uncle Lee’s four rods? Nothing. My two? Nothing. What gives?

Fishing Routine: When the River Has a “Preference”

Let’s talk bait. I’ve figured out this river’s vibe over the seasons:

• Summer: Only eats wheat grains. No exceptions.
• Fall: Obsessed with earthworms. Wheat? Forget it.
• Night: Loves commercial bait. Go figure.

So today, I went with earthworms—duh, it’s fall. Tried wheat first, but nothing. Commercial bait? Too many tiny fish stealing it. Earthworms were my last hope.

I threw in some old rice + wine mix for chum. Waited. Waited. Waited. Finally, after what felt like forever, my short rod twitched. I reeled in—boom! A nice-sized crucian carp. Not huge, but solid. Uncle Lee finally got one too, same size. But then… silence again.

Other Anglers: The 7.2m Rod Crew

To my right, two guys had these monster 7.2-meter rods. They were using these tiny hollow baits—never seen that before! And guess what? They were catching fish left and right. Every 10 minutes, one of them would reel in a crucian carp, all nice and plump. I was low-key jealous. “Hey, what’s that bait?” I yelled over. They just waved and said, “New trick—works like a charm!”

Me and Uncle Lee? We were stuck at one each. I switched to my 5.4m rod, waited another 20 minutes, and finally got a second one. Smaller, but still a win. “At least we’re not skunked,” Uncle Lee said. But let’s be real—half an hour per fish? That’s brutal.

The Worst Part: Fisheries Patrol Boat Chaos

I was thinking, “Maybe I’ll stay till noon, re-chum, and try again.” Then—BOOM—out of nowhere, a fisheries patrol boat comes zooming by. Like, FAST. Way too fast for a river with anglers on the bank.

The wake was insane—almost a meter high. Uncle Lee was sitting low to the ground, and the wave hit him full force. His shoes got soaked, his fishing net almost got swept away. I was lucky I showed up late—his spot would’ve been mine, and I’d be the one with wet socks and a lost net!

After that? Forget fishing. The fish were spooked—probably hiding in the deepest parts of the river. All the anglers around me started packing up. I grabbed my rods, put away my gear, and turned to Uncle Lee. “Hey, want to split the two fish we caught?” I asked. He looked down at his net… and it was gone. Swept away by the wave. “Great,” he said. “No fish, no net. Today’s a winner.”

Wrap-Up: Lessons (and Rants) from the Day

Let’s be honest—today was a mess. Late start, bad bite, a patrol boat that ruined everything, and a lost net. But hey, that’s fishing sometimes, right? You win some, you lose some (and sometimes your net).

To all my fellow anglers out there: keep your heads up. Even bad days on the water are better than good days in the office. And if you see a patrol boat coming? Move your stuff—those wakes are no joke.

Stay tuned for more fishing diaries—next time, I’m trying that hollow bait those guys used. Fingers crossed for better luck!