Am I Even Good at Fishing Anymore? My Chaotic Mid-Autumn Festival Fishing Adventure
Let’s cut to the chase: I’ve been fishing on and off for a while, but this Mid-Autumn Festival trip? It made me question every single thing I thought I knew about holding a rod. Three days off, a spontaneous late-night drive with coworkers, and a whole lot of “why isn’t anything biting?” If you’ve ever stared at a calm lake at 2 AM wondering if you’ve forgotten how to fish, this story’s for you.
The Spontaneous Late-Night Fishing Plan
Mid-Autumn Festival gave us three days off, and since the first day was a Saturday, my coworkers and I decided to skip the mooncakes (okay, maybe we grabbed a few) and head straight to Qingyuan after work on Friday. Their big idea? Night fishing-all night long. Now, I’ve tried night fishing a couple of times before, and let’s just say my “good catch” streak is… nonexistent. Is it bad luck? Or is my birth chart secretly against fishing? I still don’t know.
The drive took over an hour, but thank goodness there was no traffic. We pulled up to the spot, grabbed our gear, and I immediately got to setting up. First, I mixed a 5-to-4 ratio of bait (old habit from my “trying to be a pro” phase) and cast into water that was only about a meter deep. Easy, right? Wrong.
Night Fishing: Tiny Fish and Zero Luck
My first catch? A tiny tilapia. Then another. Then I even got two tiny tilapias at once (double fly, but for the smallest fish ever). Every now and then, a tiny mud carp or small silver carp would nibble, but that was it. No big bites, no excitement-just me and a bucket of minis. My coworkers weren’t doing any better; they were also stuck with tiny tilapias.
By the end of the night, I’d only caught about a pound of these little guys. We decided to release them because moving them would kill them anyway. Total waste of time? Almost. But then someone suggested: “Let’s move to the dam platform at dawn-we can target big silver carps in deeper water!” I perked up. Maybe dawn would save this trip.
Dawn at the Dam: More Waiting Than Fishing
We packed up and moved to the dam platform as the sky started to lighten. And let me tell you-if I didn’t know better, I’d think I was there to watch the sunrise, not fish. The big silver carps we were chasing? Nowhere to be seen. I started with a 3.6-meter rod, then switched to a 5.4-meter one to reach deeper water, but all I got was a few tiny silver carps here and there. Ugh.
Watching the sun come up over the lake was pretty, don’t get me wrong. But when you’re holding a fishing rod and your bucket is still almost empty? It feels like the universe is mocking you. I kept reeling in, adjusting my bait, and casting again… but nothing changed. Just a whole lot of “maybe next time” vibes.
Midday Struggles: When Even Small Fish Avoid You
By noon, I’d maybe caught three pounds of fish total-hardly worth the all-nighter. But here’s the kicker: the people on either side of me were catching bighead carp left and right. They were “slapping” the water (you know, when fish jump or splash) all around me, and I even saw a few half-arm-length bass swimming near the surface. Meanwhile, my target tiny silver carps? They’d scattered because of all the bighead carp commotion.
Wait a second-everyone else was annoyed by the tiny silver carps, but I was begging them to bite! Why was it that when I wanted to catch them, they ran for the hills? I switched rods, adjusted my bait, and even moved spots… but nothing worked. I stood there, rod in hand, thinking: Am I even good at fishing anymore? What am I doing wrong?
Final Thoughts (And a Plan to “Relearn” Fishing)
On the drive back home, I couldn’t stop replaying the trip in my head. Was it the bait ratio? The rod length? The time of day? Or did I just pick the worst spots possible? I know fishing is all about patience, but this felt different-it felt like I was missing something obvious.
So here’s my plan: I’m taking a break from random trips. I’m going to “close myself off” (yes, like a fishing hermit) and research everything-from seasonal bait tips to Qingyuan-specific fishing spots. I’ll watch tutorials, ask seasoned anglers, and maybe even practice casting in my backyard (don’t judge). Because next time I hit the water, I want to catch more than just a few tiny fish and a pretty sunrise.
Hey, if you’ve ever had a fishing trip that made you question your skills, drop a comment below. Let’s commiserate-and maybe swap tips. Who knows? Your “what I did wrong” story might be the key to my next big catch.
