Taking a Fellow Angler’s Hot Spot: Unexpectedly Missing the Big Carp!

Chasing a Viral Fishing Spot (That Took Forever to Find)

Okay, let’s cut to the chase— I’ve been obsessed with a fishing video I saw on Douyin (the Chinese TikTok, if you’re not in the know) for months. This angler was raving about a dam near a village in Jiangning, Nanjing—said the fishing was insane, loads of anglers, but I could never make it because the route didn’t line up with my commute. Ugh, adulting gets in the way of everything, right?

Now, Nanjing’s getting colder, which means traditional fishing season is about to blow up—this is when the big ones start biting. My night shift was wrapping up soon, so I thought, “Screw it, let’s scope this dam out on Sunday to prep for later trips.”

Turns out, that angler probably wasn’t local—his directions were garbage. I drove around for an hour, lost as hell, until I stumbled through another village and BAM—there it was. The landmarks matched the video, and there were so many anglers I could barely count. Finally found the spot… but first impression? Chaos. Way too crowded to cast a line that day.

Monday Morning: Work Ends, Fishing Begins (Or So I Thought)

Let’s fast-forward to Monday. I clocked out, grabbed breakfast at a local spot (no time to eat later!), picked up red worms I ordered online from a locker near work, and bolted to the dam. The ride took 40 minutes—total bummer, but I was hyped.

Wait, WORKDAY? I thought it’d be empty! Nope—more anglers than Sunday. What gives? Are people skipping work because of the pandemic? Or is everyone else also trying to hit this spot before the cold really sets in? Either way, I was stuck with the “leftover” spots.

Finding a Spot (Thanks to a Kind Fellow Angler)

I trekked to the end of the path—way fewer people there. There was one guy fishing who said he’d been there since 7 AM, made four spots, and hadn’t caught a thing. “Probably a bad spot,” I thought. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers. He offered to let me use one of his spots—said he was leaving soon. Score!

First time fishing a new spot? I played it safe: 12-meter traditional rod, 1.0 main line (0.8 felt too risky for big fish), and size 4 sleeve hooks with a homemade willow leaf rig. The water was deep—took me three tries to get the star float to hit bottom (around 1.5 meters, I guessed).

Red Worms = Game Changer (Cheaper Than Bait Shops!)

Quick side note: Online shopping for fishing gear is a scam? No way. I ordered 30 grams of red worms on Taobao, used a coupon, and paid only $0.30 (yes, you read that right). Way cheaper than the bait shop, and if I store ’em right, they’ll last a week. Game. Changer.

The guy was using earthworms, but I swapped in red worms—they’re way more attractive to fish. First, I tried his left spot, next to a big patch of water hyacinths. Looked great, but no bites. Nada. Zilch. I even asked him if he’d tried red worms—he said no, just earthworms. Dude, you’re missing out!

First Bites, Then a Big One… That Got Away

Next, I moved to a grass hole on the right—this one looked perfect: reeds near the shore, water hyacinths in the middle, and lots of water chestnut vines up front. Fish love hiding in thick stuff, right? I started seeing tiny bubbles—definitely carp bubbles. I did the classic cross-shaped lift-and-drop tease, suspended teasing… nothing. Until I was about to change the worm, and the float twitched. I held my breath. Then it twitched again, then slowly rose—classic carp bite! I set the hook, and BOOM—fight on.

That first carp was a beauty—golden, healthy, looked like it had been living in clean water. I was stoked! Then I rebaited, and sure enough, more bubbles. I slowed down my teasing—didn’t want to scare the rest. A minute later, the float twitched again, then a tiny rise. I set the hook, and this one was bigger. It darted toward the grass, but I reeled it in just in time. Another nice one—darker color, bigger than the first. The guy who gave me the spot came over to watch, and I was so busy chatting, I missed a half-water strike. By the time he yelled, “Fish on!” the carp was almost at the surface and slipped away. Ugh—heartbreaker, but at least it didn’t scare the whole spot.

The One That Got Away (Biggest Carp of the Day)

After that, I caught a small carp, then the guy left (probably fed up with no bites). I kept going, and a few minutes later, the float twitched again. This carp was sneaky—tested the bait a few times before finally biting. I set the hook, and it felt like I’d snagged a log. The rod tip didn’t even move at first, then I felt tiny tremors. I tensed up, reeled slowly… and then it happened—this giant carp (easily over a pound!) got tangled in water chestnut vines. I tried to pull it up, but no dice. I shortened the rod and dragged it back, but I messed up the angle—line went slack, the carp panicked, and it broke free. Then it got stuck in some fallen reeds. I pulled as hard as I could, but the hook snapped. Ugh! Should’ve just let it run—at least I wouldn’t have lost my hook.

After that, I tossed some rice wine bait into the spot to keep it fresh, then moved to another area. Caught two small carp, but then the sun came out—temperature spiked, and all the carp started floating up to eat rotting weeds. Small fish started stealing the bait too. I switched to my secret weapon: homemade dough bait. No more small fish, but the carp were totally off the bottom—no bites. Total bummer.

What I Learned (And Tips for Winter Fishing)

Let’s be real—most anglers left once the carp started floating. I stuck around for an hour, trying other spots just to scope out depths for later. Ended up with enough carp for a nice fried dish, so not a total loss. But here’s the tea from my trip:

• Early mornings are golden—before the sun heats things up, the carp are biting hard.
• If you can’t get a spot early, try 3 PM or later. Most anglers leave, and the carp might start biting again.
• This dam has tons of weeds and murky water—sunny days suck here. Rainy or overcast days are way better.
• Winter fishing hack: Combine “walking fishing” (hit random grass holes) with baiting spots. Walk, catch a fish, bait that spot—next time it’ll be ready faster.
• Red worms over earthworms, always. And online orders are way cheaper—don’t sleep on that.

Wrap-Up: The One That Got Away Still Haunts Me

Overall, it was a wild day—found the spot, got a hand-me-down spot from a nice guy, caught some carp, and lost the biggest one I’ve seen in months. Next time, I’m bringing a thicker line and a better hook for those tangled spots. Oh, and I’m hitting it at 6 AM sharp—no more workday surprises. Who knows? Maybe I’ll finally land that giant carp next time. Fingers crossed!