Days of Chasing Small Fish in Nanxi River: Finally Landed a Decent Catch!

My Week-Long Nanxi River Fishing Marathon

If you’re a casual angler, you know the struggle: showing up to your go-to spot day after day, casting line after line, and only reeling in tiny, underwhelming fish that barely fill a thimble. That was my life for five straight days on the Nanxi River—until the last day, when luck finally swung my way. Let me break down every frustrating, silly, and eventually satisfying minute of this fishing streak.

December 19: The Warm-Up (and Mom’s New Obsession)

It was a bright, sunny day with a nice little temperature bump—perfect fishing weather, or so I thought. The river was a little murky, but nothing a good cast couldn’t work around. I brought my mom along that day; she’d just learned to fish for silver minnows in moving water, and once she hooked her first one? She was hooked for good. Like, “I’m gonna outfish you every single day now” levels of obsessed.

We cast lines for a couple hours, and while the action was slow, we did manage to land a small batch of fish. By the end of the day, our catch fit in a tiny bowl—hardly a trophy haul, but hey, it was a start. Still, I left feeling like we could do better.

December 21: Scenic but Disappointing

Decided to shake things up by heading to the 431 section downstream. New spot, new vibes, right? The scenery here was unreal—tall trees lining the banks, calm stretches of water, not a single noisy tourist in sight. I thought for sure this would be the day I landed something bigger.

Wrong. I cast for hours, and every time I reeled in, it was another tiny, scrawny minnow. By the time we packed up, I had maybe 10 tiny fish that looked like they’d get lost in a coffee mug. The view was worth it, but the catch? Total letdown. I drove home already plotting my next spot.

December 22: The Muddy Water Detour

Woke up to another sunny day, so I grabbed my gear and headed back to the river—only to stop dead in my tracks. The water was so murky, I could barely see my own line when I cast it. No way I was catching anything in that soup.

Quick detour to the mouth of a small creek, where clear and murky water mixed. I figured the fish would hang out there to avoid the muck, so I cast a few lines. But instead of the decent-sized fish I was hoping for? All I got was a bunch of small loaches. Tiny, wiggly loaches that didn’t even make a good snack. I called it quits early that day, already ready to throw my rod in the river out of frustration.

December 24: Team Effort (Sort Of)

Gray, cloudy day—my favorite for fishing, since fish tend to move around more when the sun isn’t beating down. I hit the 428 section’s slow-moving current, thinking the deeper water might hold some bigger surprises. Nope. After an hour of casting, I landed a couple of small horsehead minnows and… you guessed it, more loaches.

I was ready to call it a loss, but then I decided to check on my mom, who was fishing downstream at the 429 bend’s sandy beach. Let me tell you, my jaw hit the ground when I saw her bucket. She had 20 fish—nice, healthy-sized minnows that actually looked like they belonged on a dinner plate (well, a small dinner plate). My 10 tiny catches plus her 20 meant we had a respectable 30 fish total. Not bad for a team effort, even if she did do most of the work.

We noticed the river was rising fast as we fished, too. By the time we packed up, half the sandy beach we’d been standing on was underwater. Close call—we almost had to wade back to the car!

December 25: The Big Payoff!

Christmas Day, and I was still hooked on the river (pun totally intended). The sun was shining, the temperature was mild, and the river water looked clear—way better than that murky mess from two days prior. I usually fish the shallow banks with my 2.7-meter rod, but this time I decided to switch to a 3.6-meter rod to cast deeper. Maybe the bigger fish were hiding out in the deeper spots, right?

For the first hour, it was the same old story: tiny minnows, a random horsehead minnow here and there. I was starting to get frustrated, ready to pack up and go home to eat leftover Christmas cookies. But then, the river started to rise a little—you know what they say, “rising water brings active fish”.

I cast my line one more time, and felt a solid tug. Not the tiny nibble of a minnow—this was a real fish. I reeled it in slowly, my heart racing, and when I finally saw it? It was a big, shiny silver fish—bigger than anything I’d caught all week. Turns out it was a type of dace (I didn’t bother looking up the exact species; I was too busy celebrating).

After that, the fish just kept coming. I landed more minnows, a few more horsehead minnows, and even another decent-sized silver fish. By the time we packed up, my mom and I had 50 to 60 fish total. That’s not a tiny bowl or a coffee mug haul—that’s a actual, respectable catch. The MVP of the day? That big silver dace, which I held up for a photo before releasing it back into the river (gotta keep the good spots stocked for next time!).

Lessons Learned from a Week of Nanxi River Fishing

After five days of trial, error, and way too many loaches, I walked away with a few key takeaways that any casual angler can use:

• Don’t be afraid to switch spots: If a spot isn’t working after an hour, move on. The 431 section was beautiful, but the fish just weren’t biting there—while the 429 bend turned out to be a hidden gem.
• Keep an eye on water conditions: Murky water equals slow fishing, but clear-murky mixing spots can hold fish (even if they’re just loaches). Rising water is your friend, too—fish get more active when the water level changes.
• Bring a fishing buddy (especially if they’re better than you): My mom outfished me four out of five days, but her catches turned our mediocre days into fun ones. Plus, it’s way more fun to complain about tiny fish with someone else.
• Patience pays off: I almost gave up on December 25, but one last cast landed me the best fish of the week. Don’t pack up too early—you never know when luck will swing your way.

If you’re ever in the area, give the Nanxi River a shot. Just be prepared: you might spend a few days reeling in tiny fish and loaches, but when you finally land that decent catch? It’s totally worth all the frustration. I’m already planning my next trip—this time, I’m bringing a bigger bucket.