My Sunday Fishing Trip to the Lotus Pond: Unexpected Wild Snakehead Catch
November 6th, Sunday-cloudy, southeast wind 3-4 levels with gusts up to 5, temperature 11-18°C, air pressure 1022 hpa. I dragged myself out of bed early, washed up, ate breakfast, and drove for half an hour. By 6 a.m., the sky was just turning gray, and I arrived at my go-to lotus pond by the lake. This spot’s a hit with fishing influencers on Douyin-especially Sundays, anglers pour in like a parade, shoulders loaded with gear, looking half like scavengers, half like refugees. I thought to myself: “How’d I end up one of them?” But only fellow fishing fanatics get the pride and joy of this hobby. Enough chit-chat-let’s dive in.
Gear Prep: Tackling Shallow Water & Fussy Fish
First, I pulled out my 4.5m ultra-thin crucian carp rod. Grabbed a badminton-style bait launcher, stuffed in half a bag of homemade wine-soaked rice, and lobbed it precisely 40cm from the grass edge. Then I waited-30 minutes for fish to swarm the bait. Next, the routine steps: mix bait and let it rest. Today’s mix? One part Wuliangyou formula bait + one part Wild Blue Crucian bait, water ratio 1:0.9. Simple but tried-and-true.
Then I set up my gear station: rod holder, line assembly. I used Zhanjing main line 0.8 + sub-line 0.3 from Fishing Home’s official store. Light thin sleeve size 4 hooks, sub-line folded at 30cm-short for extra sensitivity. My float? A tiny short float with 0.47g lead, small broken mesh design, adjusted to 4 eyes for sensitivity, fishing at 2 eyes. Super responsive, perfect for shallow water.
Early Struggles: Tiny Bait Thieves & Annoying Water Hyacinths
Thirty minutes after baiting, I started fishing with lure pulling. I cast 7 or 8 times, and the first guests were those four pests-the tiny silver fish (bait stealers extraordinaire). No crucian carp in sight. Maybe the cold weather delayed their feeding window? I figured when the sun came up and water warmed, things might pick up. So I kept casting steadily, even though the water was only 40-50cm deep. But the water hyacinths near the bait spot were a nightmare.
At first, it was a light east wind (level 1). By 9 a.m., the southeast wind kicked in-3-4 levels, gusts 5+. I was sitting north-facing south, head-on into the wind. My 0.3 sub-line was so thin, and the 37-taper soft rod made accurate casts impossible. Half the time, I’d fling the bait straight onto the hyacinths. Ugh, those hyacinths are worse than water peanuts, reeds, or regular weeds-they’re rooted, heavy, and yanking them breaks every 0.3 sub-line I have, sometimes even damaging the float. When I finally got the bait and float in place, I had to lift the rod tip slowly to let the line settle, so it wouldn’t drift onto the hyacinths. I lost so many sub-lines that day. Later, I had to drag my tired self home to tie new ones for next time. Fishing’s so hard sometimes!
Patience Pays Off: Crucian Carp Finally Bite
Then, tiny bubbles popped up near the bait spot-crucian carp were in the area! A few minutes later, the float nudged up a quarter eye, then a slow half-eye dip. I flicked my wrist to set the hook fast. A light tug, and I had my first fish of the day: a crucian carp! After that, the bites picked up. Even though the small silver fish kept bothering me, once the bait hit the bottom, the crucian carp took over. Their bites were gentle-sometimes I’d hook a fish without even seeing a float signal. When the float jumped up big, I’d often get double catches. My soft rod bent into a nice curve-best feeling ever!
The Big Surprise: Wild Snakehead Instead of Big Crucian
Just when I was getting into a rhythm, a big swirl appeared near the bait spot-must be a big fish! I gripped the rod tight, eyes glued to the float. Sure enough, the float trembled, then slowly sank (a “black float”). From experience, this usually means a big crucian carp. I flicked my wrist to set the hook and felt a solid weight. With hyacinths everywhere, I was scared the fish would dart into them and break the line. I used the rod’s flexibility to yank it out of the water fast, no pausing-soft but firm, straight to the bank. Phew, safe! But wait… it wasn’t a crucian carp. It was long, black back, yellow sides, spotted-slimy to touch. A wild snakehead! I was shocked. Snakeheads don’t usually eat this bait. Oh right! It must’ve attacked the small silver fish that were eating my bait and got hooked by mistake. Poor guy-greedy got him caught by my lucky hook!
End of the Trip: Catch Sharing & Closing Thoughts
By noon, the sun was high, so I packed up. Let me show you the final catch-I released the tiny “mahjong crucian” (too small to keep).
What a day! I went for crucian carp and left with a wild snakehead. Shallow water, tricky hyacinths, annoying silver fish-all worth it for that surprise catch. To all my fellow anglers: hope you catch big crucian and carp, full buckets every time!
