A 3-Day Fishing Diary: Bountiful Catches and Tips for Fellow Anglers

Man, what a weekend! Actually, it was a three-day stretch that turned into a perfect, impromptu fishing adventure. I just wanted to share the experience, the ups and downs, and hopefully pass on a tip or two that might help you on your next trip to the bank. The goal? Simple: to wish all my fellow fishing enthusiasts tight lines and great catches – may you all land big carp and hefty crucian carp! Here’s my detailed fishing log.

Day 1: The Patient Start – Testing New Gear and Finding the Bite

Date & Conditions: November 19th. Air temperature: 5-13°C. A decent looking day on paper.

Finally, Saturday arrived. The call of the water was too strong to ignore. I headed to my usual spot, my old faithful. I came prepared with nightcrawlers I bought earlier, ready to settle in. The weather seemed perfect, but the seasoned anglers already there had the same story: “The bite’s just okay.” You know that feeling? “Well, I’m already here,” I thought, “gotta try.”

Gear and Setup for the Day

I decided to mix things up a bit with my tackle:

• Rods & Line: I brought out my 5.4-meter and 6.3-meter rods for some float fishing.
• Bait Arsenal: My bait bag had the usual suspects: Blue Crucian (Lan Ji) commercial bait, some “Old Altar” fermented grain bait, and my trusty nightcrawlers.
• The New Toy: This was the big test – a brand new surfcasting rod I was itching to try out. Time to see if it was worth the investment!

Morning Session: Slow and Steady

I started by baiting the spot and casting my lines. I mixed up some dough bait, but the action was, as predicted, slow. Interestingly, there weren’t even many small nuisance fish pecking around. It was just… quiet. A bit frustrating!

Then, the new surf rod saved the day! I rigged it with a nightcrawler, cast it out, and literally within five minutes – BAM! The tip bent. I reeled in my first catch of the day: a crucian carp. Not a giant, but hey, it beat a skunk! That feeling of the first catch is always a relief. Back on the hand rods, the nightcrawlers were getting absolutely massacred by tiny fish. I switched back to the dough bait on the 5.4m rod for some peace.

Afternoon Adjustments and the Evening Plan

By noon, things warmed up a tad. I went to toss some fermented rice for baiting but realized I was almost out! I scraped the container for the last bits. The long 6.3m rod finally showed some movement. A lift of the rod, and yes, another crucian carp. But where were the carp? Not a sign. The pre-baited spot seemed inactive for anything bigger.

I got creative. I found some previously crushed “Old Altar” grain, mixed it with Blue Crucian bait, and used it both for rebaiting and on the hook. The bites remained painfully slow, probably due to the water level dropping, I figured. I fished until 4:30 PM. I had one pack of “Old Altar” left. “You know what?” I thought, “Let’s make a overnight baiting spot.” I threw in most of the pack, dreaming of tomorrow’s potential. A man can hope!

Day 2: The Foggy Triumph – A Surprise Early Carp!

Date & Conditions: November 20th. Temperature: 4-10°C. Foggy and hazy. Not ideal, but I had a good feeling.

Woke up at 7:30 AM, looked outside at the thick haze, and my motivation dipped. Scrolled through my phone for a bit. By 8 AM, the pull was too strong. “Let’s go.” Packed some food and headed out. Got there around 8:40 AM. First good sign: the water level had risen! They say “rising water, fish; falling water, shrimp.” I was optimistic.

Then, disaster struck. As I put my tackle box down, my wireless earbud popped out and plopped right into the water. The downside of high water! I frantically fished it out with my bait spoon, shook it… nothing. Totally dead. Heartbreaking, but the fishing must go on.

The Unforgettable First Cast

I set up the 6.3m rod on the spot I baited last night. Hooked on a sweet potato and corn kernel from the “Old Altar” pack. Cast it out. As I was getting the 5.4m rod ready, I glanced over… and the float on the long rod was GONE. A proper black float sink!

My heart jumped. I grabbed the rod, set the hook, and felt the beautiful, heavy resistance. A carp! But of course, in the chaos, my landing net wasn’t assembled, and my keepnet wasn’t even out of the bag. Classic angler panic! Luckily, my line was strong. A fellow angler nearby kindly held the rod while I carefully hand-lined the beauty onto the bank. It had a big belly, probably full of yesterday’s corn. Straight into the keepnet. An opening carp! And so early! The morale shot through the roof.

Navigating the Lull and a Near Miss

The action died down after that commotion. I probably scared the spot – forgot to replenish the bait immediately. I tossed a handful of corn kernels. The surf rod, now rigged with corn (forgot the nightcrawlers!), managed a crucian carp. Not bad.

The afternoon was quiet. The water started flowing, and the persistent cloudy haze made float fishing hard. I decided to go for a ledgering setup, removing the float. Too lazy to mix dough bait, I just stuck with corn on all hooks, waiting patiently. Around 4 PM, the long rod tip twitched. Twice. Then nothing. I struck anyway, felt weight, then… nothing. A lost fish. Saw a flash of a scale in the water – it was a decent one too. The fog was getting chilly, so I packed up. Weighed my lone carp: just under 1.5 kg (a bit over 3 lbs)! A fantastic result for a gloomy day.

Day 3: The Sunny Recovery – A Crucian Carp Bonanza

Date & Conditions: November 21st. 2-13°C. Sunny with a light breeze. Perfect, except for one thing…

I woke up at 3 AM with a pounding headache. Blame it on the river wind from yesterday. Felt a bit feverish but was okay. Took some medicine, slept in, and by 8 AM, though I’d called in sick to work, I felt better. The question was: what does a sick angler do? Go fishing, obviously! The “light fever won’t stop me” mentality kicked in.

Finding breakfast was hard with so many shops closed, but I grabbed some bread. Today, I restocked on nightcrawlers and fermented rice. At the river, the water had dropped again, but the sun was warm and welcoming. Let’s do this.

Morning of the “Little Monsters”

As expected, the nightcrawlers attracted the brigade: topmouth gudgeon, stone morokos, and bitterling. The “four legendary pests” of microfishing! Only missed the white minnow. Both long rods were on corn and wheat grains, hoping for another carp, but the morning passed without a bite. The surf rod with nightcrawlers got nibbles but no solid hookups. I spent time repairing some old hooks, ate, and watched the planes go by. A slow, relaxed morning.

Afternoon Finesse and a “Bucket-Filling” Finale

Around 1 PM, the current slowed, and the wind died. Time for a change. I switched the 5.4m rod to a finer line and smaller hook. The sun was out, so I used a slim float without a thick tip for better sensitivity. I was going for smaller fish. I baited with some fermented rice and switched to dough bait on the hook.

The bites were subtle, but I started landing crucian carp – and they were a good size! But the small fish were still annoying. Remembering a tip from a fishing video and a buddy’s advice, I tried casting not directly into my baited spot, but right on the edge of it. The theory? The small fish swarm the main bait pile, leaving the better fish circling the perimeter.

Eureka! It worked like a charm. Casting to the fringe resulted in steady action from decent crucian carp. The soft rod and light line made every fight a pleasure. Even the long rod with corn started catching… you guessed it, more crucian carp. Today was clearly a crucian day!

I fished like this until past 4 PM. As the light started to fade, I switched to a thicker float and kept going until almost 5:30 PM, when I could barely see. The final haul was incredibly satisfying. My bucket was full – a proper “bucket-filling” session that just felt amazing.

Final Thoughts and Gear Reflections

These three days were everything I needed. A mix of patience, surprise, strategy, and pure enjoyment. We had carp, we had plenty of crucian carp. The itch was thoroughly scratched. With winter closing in, who knows how many more trips are left? I said I wanted one last good session before hanging up the rods for the season, and this trio of days delivered in spades. But let’s be real, if the weather gives us a mild break, you’ll probably find me back on the bank.

What I Learned (or Re-Learned)

• Overnight Baiting Works: That Day 2 carp was almost certainly hanging around thanks to the grain I threw in the evening before.
• Adapt to Conditions: No bites on the float? Try ledgering. Small fish in the main spot? Fish the edges. Switch baits, switch tactics.
• New Gear Can Be a Lucky Charm: That new surf rod got the first fish on Day 1. Coincidence? Maybe. But it felt good.
• Persistence Pays (Even with a Headache): Day 3 could have been a write-off, but going out led to one of the most fun sessions.

So, to everyone out there braving the cold, chasing that bend in the rod, I truly wish you big fish and constant action. Learn from the slow days, celebrate the good ones, and just enjoy being out there. Tight lines, everyone!