My 20240917 Fishing Trip: Landing a 5.8lb Silver Carp (Finally!)
Let me tell you—August and early September 2024 were brutal for fishing. After a typhoon hit at the end of August, the weather went nuts: crazy temperature swings between day and night, and I’d been skunked (zero catches) for almost a month straight. Three weeks of sitting by the water, watching my float do nothing but bob in the wind? Total bummer. Summer used to be so easy—fish had clear feeding windows. But now? I had no clue when they’d even think about biting. Ugh.
I’d tried fishing for crucian carp in Jiading (where I live) and struck out hard. So I thought, “Why not head to Taicang? I’ve heard the wild rivers there are loaded with fish.” My main goal was crucian carp—so I prepped a super light setup: 0.8 main line, 0.4 leader, size 3 hook. Fingers crossed, right?
Taicang’s Wild Rivers: A Fisherman’s Dream (Or So I Thought)
First off, Taicang’s waterways are wild. Pull up a map, and it’s just… water everywhere. Reeds, duckweed, all the good stuff that means fish are hiding. A friend hooked me up with a spot (sorry, can’t share the exact location—privacy and all), so I hit the road early.
Got there, and the first thing I did was scatter some rice wine bait to attract crucian carp. Then I wandered around to check other spots—last year’s go-to was totally overgrown with reeds now. Tried wading in, but my boots sank into mud up to my ankles, and there were all these stakes from illegal fishing traps. Nope, not worth it. I settled for a spot by a vegetable patch—no reeds, just open water. Better than nothing.
It was hot that afternoon, even though the forecast said cloudy. Sun kept popping out, baking my neck. I rushed to mix my crucian carp bait: fruity flavor, a little extra scent, made it into a pullable dough. But here’s the thing—hope’s a cruel mistress. I cast that 3.6m rod out, and the float sat there. Dead. Not a twitch. Not even a tiny nibble. Turns out, if Jiading’s fish aren’t biting, Taicang’s (just 30 mins away) might not be either. Bummer part 2.
I stuck it out, though. “Maybe they’ll bite when it cools down at dusk,” I thought. Every now and then, I’d see a fish break the surface—ripples, splashes. I had no clue if they were silver carp (that’s what we’re after later!), grass carp, or big perch. No experience with surface fish, so I just watched.
Silver Carp Bait: Buried in My Car for Years (Thanks, Deng Lun)
Here’s a random detail: I bought silver carp bait a few years ago, planning to use it back home. But the pond I wanted to fish got drained before I could try. Then, Deng Lun (a famous Chinese angler) blew up silver carp fishing on social media this year. I tried it once in Jiading—total disaster. Just tiny whitebait stealing the bait, my float dancing like crazy. I had to add extra gluten to the bait just to get it to stick together when casting. Wasted an hour, caught nothing, and tossed the bait in my car’s trunk. It’s been gathering dust ever since.
Back to Taicang: my crucian carp rod was still doing nothing. Dusk rolled in, and I saw something wild—fish fins breaking the surface, swimming around. Then a big splash: a huge fish rolled, sending water everywhere. “What the hell is that?” I thought. Grass carp? Big silver carp? Bigmouth bass? No clue. Then I noticed: near the shore, a big mouth opening and closing. Oh! That’s a silver carp! Their mouths are huge—you can’t miss ’em when they’re surface feeding.
Lightbulb moment: “I’ve got that silver carp bait in my car! And my 6.3m big fish rod is ready to go—8+6 line, size 10 hook. Why not try?” So I set up both rods: 3.6m for crucian (still no bites), 6.3m for silver carp. Double trouble, right?
Silver Carp Fishing Fail #1: Bait That Won’t Stay Together
Let’s be real—I’m a total newbie at silver carp. I mixed the bait with 0.9 water ratio (that’s what the package said), but it was way too crumbly. Couldn’t even make a ball without it falling apart. So I added extra gluten (the stuff that makes bait sticky) and squished it 10, 15 times. Even then, when I cast, half the bait fell off mid-air. I was terrified it’d be gone before hitting the water. And when it did hit? The float went crazy—if I squished the bait too tight, it sank and pulled the float under; if I squished it loose, the float sat way up. No clue how to read the bites. Total mess.
I cast again. Float wobbled, then popped up. I set the hook—felt a tug, then nothing. Wait, did I anchor a fish? I saw a tiny silver scale on my hook. Oh, yeah—fish were there, just not biting properly. Silver carp feed by filtering plankton, so sometimes you’re just hooking them as they swim by. No proper “bites” like crucian carp—just random float movements.
I switched up the depth: tried 0.5m, 1m, even just a foot deep (when I saw fish on the surface). Nothing consistent. Then—float dipped, I set the hook. “Gotcha!” Or so I thought. The fish pulled so hard, my rod almost went into the water. Then… snap? No, wait—line didn’t break, but the fish got away. Must’ve anchored it, not hooked it properly.
Finally! Landing the 5.8lb Silver Carp
I kept at it, mixing more bait (went through like 500ml of the stuff). Every cast was a struggle—bait falling off, float not reading right. But then: I cast, and the float disappeared under the water. No wobble, no slow dip—just gone. I hauled back as hard as I could. “YES! I’m hooked!”
The fish went nuts. It pulled so hard, my rod straightened almost completely, and I thought for sure the line would snap. But then—wait, I reeled it in a little, and the fish slowed down. Pulled it to the surface, and saw: I’d anchored it by the tail! That’s why it was so strong—silver carp have insane bursts of speed, even when hooked by the tail.
I grabbed my 3m big net. Tried to scoop it—fish saw the net and bolted again, diving deep into the water. The spot I was fishing had a steep drop-off, so I couldn’t wade in to follow. I just held my rod tight, letting it bend (thank god for the Zhulu Light Big Fish rod—its backbone is insane; it didn’t break). After a minute of tug-of-war, the fish tired out. I scooped it into the net on the third try. Finally!
That fish’s power? Wild. I’ve caught 10lb+ grass carp and carp before, but I usually let them run (walk the fish along the shore) so the rod and line don’t take too much stress. But this silver carp? No room to run—so my rod and 8+6 line took the full hit. Twice, the rod almost straightened completely, but the Zhulu held up. Total game-changer for a newbie like me.
When I put it in the fish basket, it looked small. But when I put it in a bucket to take home? Oh, it was bigger than I thought. Dusk was fading, and after that, no more bites. The water got too cool, I guess.
Home: 5.8lb, a Surprise, and a Kid’s Excitement
Got home, and my kid went crazy over the fish. He kept poking it, laughing—total chaos (in the best way). My dad killed and cleaned it later, and we weighed it: 5.8lb. Wait, that’s heavier than I thought! Usually, silver carp are “light” (don’t weigh as much as their size suggests), but this one? Heavier than a 5lb crucian carp. Cool surprise.
This year’s been rough for fishing in Shanghai—hardly any rain, and the May feeding window got messed up by lockdowns. I’d caught a big grass carp last year, but this year? Only a big blue carp (so far) and now this silver carp. Never thought I’d check silver carp off my list this late in the season.
It’s not the biggest silver carp ever (I’ve heard of 2lb monsters), but 5.8lb? For a newbie? I’ll take it. The burst of power when it first pulled? That’s what fishing’s all about—adrenaline, surprise, and finally getting that one fish you’ve been chasing.
What I Learned (And What I Still Don’t Know)
First, the wins: I learned to never leave bait for other fish in the car. Carp bait, silver carp bait, grass carp bait—keep ’em handy. You never know when you’ll switch targets. Second, if one fish isn’t biting, try another. I was there for crucian, but silver carp saved the day. Third, location matters: deep water, sheltered from wind, and where you see silver carp splashing—those are your spots.
But I still have questions—total newbie struggles. If any silver carp pros are reading this, hit me up! Here’s what I’m stuck on:
- How do you read silver carp float bites? I saw nothing but wobbles—no clear “dip” or “lift.” Just random movement.
- How to mix and cast silver carp bait? Everyone says “squish twice,” but mine fell apart mid-cast. I had to add gluten and squish 15 times. Is that normal?
- Hook gap (distance between hooks) for silver carp? I used my carp setup—3 hook gaps. Too big? Too small?
- How to find the right fish layer? I saw fish on the surface, but nothing worked. Do I need a different float? Or just keep moving?
Either way, that 20240917 trip was a win. No more skunks (for now), and I finally caught a silver carp. Next time? I’m bringing better bait, practicing my cast, and maybe targeting a bigger one. Fingers crossed!
