Northeast Wild Fishing: Catching Fish Despite Wind and Waves at Driving School Pond

Getting Ready for the Day: Early Mornings and No More COVID Tests

Hey there, fishing buddies! I’m Cao Ge, and let me tell you—nothing beats a day of wild fishing in Northeast China, even when the wind decides to throw a fit. Yesterday, my master, Uncle Zhang, and I hit up the driving school pond, and even with the chaos of wind and growing crowds, we managed to land some decent catches. Let’s dive into all the messy, fun details!

First off, the morning routine. These days, we don’t have to do COVID tests anymore—thank goodness! Uncle Zhang’s alarm goes off at 5:30 AM sharp, and he’s always the first to text. Instead of meeting at the garage, we now wait for each other on the north side of Shihua Road. As soon as we spot each other, we bolt to the driving school pond. We’re usually the first ones there, followed by my master a little later. The guy’s got that “slow and steady” vibe, but he always shows up ready to fish.

Why Long Rods Are Non-Negotiable (And Why Uncle Zhang Struggles)

Let’s talk rods—this is make-or-break stuff. A few weeks back, we stuck to shorter rods and only caught tiny fish. But lately? The decent crucian carp (those are the plump, tasty ones!) have been showing up, and we realized we missed the boat by not using long rods earlier. My master and I can handle 9-meter rods no problem, but Uncle Zhang? He’s in his 70s, almost 80, and his longest rod is only 6.3 meters. Poor guy’s been stuck catching 2-3 crucian carp a day—total bummer. Even if he had a long rod, I doubt he could swing it hard enough. Old age is a cruel twist for fishermen, am I right?

Arriving at the Pond: Wind Picks Up, Crowds Grow

When we got to the pond this morning, there was a light breeze at first—nothing we couldn’t handle. But by 10 AM? Whoa, the wind cranked up. I was fishing on the north bank, and let me tell you, it was a nightmare. Casting the 9-meter rod was impossible; the wind kept pushing the line off course. And forget about seeing the float—even when it bobbed, I could barely spot it. I wanted to move to the west bank where the wind was calmer, but that spot only has 3 good fishing positions, and those regulars have claimed them for days. I didn’t want to be that rude guy who crashes someone else’s spot, so I stuck it out. Ugh, stubbornness pays off sometimes… but not always.

Check out the chaos when we first arrived! The water was calm, the sky was just starting to light up, and we thought, “Today’s gonna be a good one.” Oh, how wrong we were about the wind part.

Setting Up Rods: The “Tune Till You’re Tired” Routine

Setting up our rods took forever—like, 30 minutes for my three 9-meter rods. I had to adjust the depth, the sensitivity, the weight… it was a whole song and dance. Meanwhile, my master? He just wrapped a big chunk of lead around his line and called it a day. “Want 5 eyes? 3 eyes? Done,” he said. And guess what? He caught just as many fish as me! Talk about a humbling moment. I was over here “tuning for perfection” while he was “winging it like a pro.”

Here’s a shot of my master’s setup (and yes, that’s the big lead weight) . Sometimes simple really is better—even if it feels like cheating.

Baits That Worked (And Baits That Flopped)

Let’s get to the good stuff: what baits actually caught fish? I used four rods total: three 9-meter rods and one 7.2-meter rod. Here’s the breakdown:

• 9-meter rods: 2lb main line, 1lb leader, size 3 Iseni hooks. I used earthworms, but here’s the hack—after putting on the worm, I added a “meat and bread” mix (double layer, just for fun). Total guesswork, but it worked! The fish couldn’t resist.
• 7.2-meter rod: 1.5lb main line, 1lb leader, size 5 sleeve hooks. Just the meat and bread mix. Total flop. It only caught tiny “old man fish” (those tiny, tough little guys) and a few baby crucian carp. The big fish were way out in the middle—short rods were useless.

I tried everything else too: wheat grains, corn, chicken liver (boiled, but it fell off the hook every time I cast). Nothing worked except the worm-meat mix. Go figure—sometimes the weirdest combinations are the best.

When the Wind Hits: Floats Disappear, Crowds Explode

By 10 AM, the wind was so strong I could barely see my float. The only time I knew a fish bit was when the float went completely under (a “black bite”). The sun came out too, making the water glare so bad my eyes hurt. Meanwhile, the crowds were pouring in. The regulars brought three new friends, then two more at lunch. The pond was packed—every spot was taken. I swear, if this keeps up, there’ll be no fish left in a week. We’re not just catching fish; we’re scaring them all away with our noise!

My Master’s “Genius” (But Crazy) Move

Let’s talk about my master’s wild idea. At first, the west bank (his spot) wasn’t catching anything. So he moved to the east bank—where the water’s way shallower. He set up two rods and called it “needle fishing.” Wait, what’s that? Oh, he didn’t even stand the float up! He just let it lay on the water. “If a fish bites, the float will stand up,” he said. Are you kidding me? Why not just wait for the fish to drag the rod into the water? I was shocked. But hey, he’s the master—who am I to judge?

Here’s the east bank setup (yes, that’s the float laying flat) . Spoiler: it didn’t work. He fished there for an hour and caught one tiny old man fish. Then he moved back to the west bank and caught 5 crucian carp by lunch. Classic master move—try something nuts, fail, then go back to what works.

Uncle Zhang’s Bad Luck: A Broken Stool and No Fish

Poor Uncle Zhang had a rough day. He was fishing on the west bank, but the bite was slow. Then, around 10 AM, he ran over to me and yelled, “My stool broke! I need to go buy a new one!” Yeah, right—he just didn’t want to admit he was catching nothing. He only landed one crucian carp all day. Old age and broken stools—fishing’s not just about skill, it’s about luck too.

My Catch: 14 Crucian Carp (And a Lot of Tiny Fish)

Okay, let’s brag a little. I ended up with 14 crucian carp—each around 2-3 ounces, plump and perfect. The rest were tiny old man fish and a few baby crucian carp. The 7.2-meter rod? Total waste of time. It only caught those tiny guys. And get this: I only caught one fish near Shahu Road (the spot we usually check). Where did all the fish go? They moved to the middle of the pond—way out of short rod range. That’s why long rods are non-negotiable now.

Check out my haul! Not bad for a windy day, right? Each one was so fresh—can’t wait to cook them up with some Northeast spices.

Wrapping Up: Crowds, Weather, and When to Quit

I left around 2:30 PM. My master had to go pick up my master’s wife at noon, so I watched his gear while he was gone. When they came back around 2 PM, I packed up. The afternoon bite was slow anyway—wind was still crazy, and the crowds were too much.

Here’s the thing: the pond’s getting more crowded every day. Soon, there’ll be no fish left. And the weather’s getting colder—once the temperature drops, I’ll have to take a break. This year’s been nonstop fishing, and I’m tired. But hey, when you love something, you keep doing it, right?

To all my fishing buddies out there: stay patient, use long rods if the fish are deep, and don’t be afraid to try weird baits. And if your stool breaks? Just laugh it off—Uncle Zhang did (after he bought a new one).

Until next time, tight lines! May your floats always bob, your rods never break, and your catch always be full. Later, fishers!