First Spring Fishing Trip: Almost Skunked at the Bitterling Hotspot

Man, it’s been way too long since I last wet a line. When I got a day off, I knew I had to hit the water—no questions asked. I’ve been scrolling through fishing forums nonstop, seeing all my buddies hauling in monster crucian carp and big catches left and right. Total fishing FOMO, right? But most of those spots were hours away, like the Ying River in Xiang County. I even posted a friend’s catch as “proof” of what could be—maybe next month, when I take my annual leave, I’ll head home and give that spot a shot.

Where I Fished: The Spot & My Gear

Location Details

Since my wife borrowed my e-bike for the day, I couldn’t drive far. So I stuck to a local spot: west of the Music Fountain at Yinhua Lake, Drink Horse River. Last year during COVID, this place was a bitterling (those tiny, colorful freshwater fish) goldmine—nonstop bites, even a random big crucian now and then. It’s only a 10-minute walk from my rental, so even if I didn’t catch big carp, I figured I could catch bittterlings to scratch that fishing itch. Boy, was I wrong about the timing.

My Fishing Setup

Here’s what I packed (or grabbed, since it’s my go-to):

• Rod: 4.8-meter fishing rod (perfect for local spots)
• Line & Hooks: 1lb main line, 0.6lb leader, size 1 single hook (small enough for tiny fish, but still works for bigger ones)
• Bait: A mix of “All-Catch” fish meal, Wild Field Blue Carp bait, shrimp powder, and red worms (I wanted to cover all bases for spring)

The Day That Didn’t Go As Planned: Weather & Early Struggles

I was supposed to rest on Monday, but work messed up my schedule, so I switched to Sunday. Big mistake. When I woke up, it was foggy as hell, and the air felt freezing—way colder than I expected for early spring. I checked the fishing app (you know, the one with “fishing success indexes”) and it was low. Like, really low. But I was already packed, so I thought, “Eh, maybe the fog will clear, and fish will start biting.” Spoiler: It didn’t clear, and the bites were scarce.

By the time I got to the river, it was almost 9 AM. I plopped down at my “lucky” spot from last year—the one where I caught bittterlings nonstop. But when I looked around, there were 7 or 8 other anglers already there. I asked a guy next to me how he was doing, and he just shook his head: “Not a single bite yet.” Great, I thought. I’m joining the “no fish” club before I even cast.

Wasting Time & The First (Tiny) Bites

I mixed up a little “loose bait” (a mix of Big Fish King scent, rice wine, and pellets) to chum the water. The depth here is about 1.6 meters—shallow, which is good for spring fish. I started casting, and… nothing. For an hour. Not even a tiny nibble. I was starting to panic a little—am I going to get skunked? (For non-anglers, “skunked” means catching zero fish. Total bummer.)

Then, finally—bam! A tiny bite. I reeled in, and it was a small white minnow. Okay, at least I didn’t get skunked yet. Next bite: a minnow? No, a small chub. Third bite: a fish I didn’t even recognize. It had no scales, and its mouth was hooked downward. What the hell is that? If any anglers out there know, hit me up in the comments—I need to ID this weird fish!

Afternoon Rescue: Finally, Crucian Carp!

By afternoon, I was ready to call it quits. But then—finally! A real bite. I reeled in, and it was a small crucian carp (about 100 grams, maybe). Not big, but it was a carp! The afternoon was still slow, though. Plus, the wind picked up, and the current was moving—so the bites were super light. I had to wait for the float to get a solid “dead bite” (when the fish takes the bait and swims away, so the float goes under) to feel anything. I even switched to red worms, but nothing. Too slow, too cold.

Then, around 5 PM—my float twitched twice. I lifted the rod, and I felt it! That weight, that pull—definitely a big crucian. I reeled it in, and boom! A monster (well, for this spot) crucian—probably 400 grams. Yes! I was so excited, I almost forgot to take a photo. Wait, no—after waiting all day, I didn’t want to waste time with a pic. I just wanted to keep fishing.

Since red worms weren’t working, I switched back to my original bait (the shrimp powder mix). No more than 5 minutes later, another twitch. I lifted, and another big crucian—but it slipped off the hook right at the bank! Ugh, that’s the worst feeling. But I didn’t give up. I cast again, and before the sun went down, I got one more big crucian. Total catch for the day: 3 small crucians, 2 big ones, plus the 3 tiny fish from the morning. And get this— I was the “river champion” of the day! The guys next to me? Two were skunked, most had 1 or 2 fish. Wild, right?

Lessons Learned (The Hard Way)

Let’s be real—this spot is a local “scenic river” in Xuchang, and only some parts are good. Most days, if you don’t get skunked, you’re lucky. Resource is everything in fishing, guys. All the fancy gear or perfect bait doesn’t matter if the fish aren’t there. Today, the only thing that worked for crucians was my shrimp powder mix. The bait smelled super fresh and fishy—you could smell it from a mile away. And the tiny fish? They ate red worms, but the big ones? Only the shrimp mix.

Next month, I’m taking my annual leave. I’m heading back to Xiang County to fish the Ying River—where my buddy caught those monster crucians. I’m bringing extra shrimp powder, that’s for sure. Spring is here, so the fish should be moving more soon. For all my fellow anglers out there—are you ready for the spring bite? Hit me up in the comments with your favorite spring baits or spots. Let’s make this season a good one!