My First Big Catch in Xinjiang River: Thanks to the “82-Year-Old” Aged Rice Wine Bait!
Recently, I moved to Shangrao and was totally unfamiliar with the local fishing spots. Without anyone to guide me, I didn’t dare wander around randomly. So, I decided to try my luck at the Lingxicun section of Xinjiang River. I’d been there a few times before, but only caught a small crucian carp and a bunch of those tiny snakehead fish—you know, the ones called “boat nails” in Nanchang. The old guys by the river were having a blast catching them, saying they have more meat than silver carp. Even though Xinjiang River’s resources can’t compare to Ganjiang or Fuhe in Nanchang, my fishing addiction was too strong. If I had free time and didn’t cast a few lines, my hands would itch like crazy!
The Setup: Gear, Bait, and the Tricky Weather
This time, I picked a spot with 2 meters of water. My float had a 2.6g weight, adjusted to 5 eyes and fished at 2-3 eyes. Knowing there’d be small fish messing around, I grabbed my smallest size 3 barbless gold sleeves. Mixing the bait and getting everything ready was a breeze. After a few casts, the float started moving, but every time I lifted the rod, it was empty—those tiny fish were just teasing me! I kept at it for over an hour, but still only caught a few boat nails here and there. The cold wind was making me freeze my butt off, so I decided to hit a heavy nest and go warm up in the car for a bit.
The “82-Year-Old” Aged Rice Wine Bait: A Game-Changer
That’s when I took out my “82-year-old” aged rice wine bait. As soon as I opened the cap, the aroma of wine filled the air—so strong that you could smell it 5 meters around the fishing spot! It was like a party in a bottle, and I knew this was gonna work. I’d just bought some quick-dissolve nest bags from the platform during a sale a couple days ago. I threw three bags (7*14 size), but when I was filling them, I realized they were too small—super inconvenient. And when I threw them in the water, I found out they float! The landing spot was good, but they drifted a little forward before sinking after about a minute. Oh well, I just had to stand forward and cast the full rod.
The Wait and the Exciting Bite
After the bait sank, the water surface started bubbling non-stop. It didn’t look like big fish bubbles, but I didn’t care—I just waited for the nest to work. A while later, I cast the rod, and as soon as the bait hit the bottom, the float had a small dip. I thought it was just small fish again, so I didn’t hit. Then it popped up one eye and started tilting, like it was gonna drift away. In that split second, I thought, “This doesn’t look like small fish behavior!” I lifted the rod to set the hook, and felt a steady force—holy cow, a big one! With small hooks and thin lines (1.5 main, 1.0 sub), I didn’t dare yank it hard, especially since the hooks were barbless. I just kept the rod bowed and slowly reeled it in.
The Battle: 30 Minutes of Heart-Pounding Action
I fought it for about 5 minutes, and it still didn’t surface. It made two strong runs, but I managed to hold on. Thank god it was cold—if it were summer, the line would’ve snapped for sure. After a bit more reeling, it got tired and came up: a huge carp! But uh-oh, I hadn’t set up my landing net. It was still in the car, since I never thought I’d catch such a big guy. I saw an unused fish basket nearby, so I had to use that instead. Grabbing it by hand would’ve definitely made it escape, and I’d be kicking myself later.
I slowly dragged it to the shore, and it made a few more runs. I just let the line loose a bit to follow it, but kept the rod bowed. Normally, I use barbed hooks, so fighting a big fish with barbless ones required extra care. I also had to watch the rod tip to make sure it didn’t bend too far and break. Even though I don’t get many chances to catch big fish, I’ve always had the heart for it—so I know all the tricks for reeling them in!
The Reward: A 3.93kg Giant (and a Quick Release)
After back-and-forth fighting for about 30 minutes, I finally got it into the fish basket. In the water, it didn’t look that big, but on land—wow, it was massive! This was the biggest fish I’d ever caught. I ran to the car to get my small scale: 3.93kg, almost 8 pounds! It was so tired from the fight that it only flicked its tail a few times and then stopped moving, just gasping. Maybe it was cursing me to let it go. Since I fish for fun, not for food, I granted its wish—took some photos and released it back into the river.
Final Thoughts: The Magic of Aged Bait
Looking back, that “82-year-old” aged rice wine bait was the real hero here. Its strong aroma must’ve lured the big carp in, even with all the small fish around. And even though the nest bags were a bit of a hassle, they did the job. This catch not only warmed me up (even more than the car did!) but also gave me a story to tell for years. If you ever get a chance to try aged rice wine bait, do it—you might just unlock your own monster fish!
Key Takeaways for Fellow Anglers
- Don’t underestimate the power of scented bait—strong aromas can cut through small fish interference and attract big ones.
- Even in cold weather, a heavy nest can turn the tide. Be patient and let it work.
- Always be prepared for big catches—keep your landing net set up, just in case!
- Barbless hooks are great for catch-and-release, but require more skill when fighting big fish. Keep the rod bowed and don’t rush.
