Fishing Diary: Post-Rain Air, Catching Silver Carp at the Riverbank!

Setting the Scene: Why I Chose This Spot After the Rain

Okay, let’s be real—after a few straight days of rain, the temperature dropped like a rock. I’m talking “back to the dark ages” levels of cold, and the temperature swing? It was brutal. My usual go-to spots for crucian carp? Total ghost towns. No bites, no activity, just… nothing. I lay in bed for hours trying to brainstorm a new spot, but my brain was blank. Then I thought, “Hey, why not check out Xinyang Grain Transport River? I haven’t been there since after New Year!”

So I hopped on my little electric scooter, grabbed one rod (since I was being lazy), and headed over. The river’s super narrow here—even a 3.6m rod reaches the middle. Perfect for messing around, right? I just plopped down anywhere that looked comfy; no fancy spot-hunting today. Just me, my rod, and the post-rain breeze.

Weather & Gear: The Numbers That Mattered

Before I get into the action, let’s list out the deets—because us anglers are weird about numbers:

• Weather: Cloudy (thank goodness, no sun burn)
• Atmospheric Pressure: 1006 Pa (not too high, not too low—supposedly good for surface feeding)
• Temperature: 6–18°C (that swing again! Brrr in the morning, warm by noon)
• Wind: South, 3 mph (light breeze, didn’t mess with my float too bad)
• Water Clarity Index: 72 (a bit murky from the rain runoff, but not terrible)
• Rod: 3.6m Twin Fish Crucian (soft, but okay for small stuff)
• Line Setup: 1.0 main + 0.4 leader (super thin, good for finicky bites)
• Hook: Size 2 Haixi (tiny, perfect for small mouths)
• Bait: Leftover pull bait (the kind that clumps up, easy to cast)
• Depth: 1.5m (shallow, which I later realized was why the silver carp were hanging out)
• Spot: Xinyang Grain Transport River (local spot, not too crowded)

The First Cast: Surprise! It’s Not Crucian Carp

I mixed up the leftover pull bait (since summer’s coming, and I know small fish will go crazy for it—though it’s a pain in the butt to use, wastes so much bait!). To make a little spot, I added some rice wine bait right into the mix, then used the sinker to drop it exactly where I wanted. That way, I could mark the spot and check the bottom at the same time. Smart, right? (Or so I thought.)

After prepping, I set my float: 6 eyes down, 3 eyes up. Then I cast out, pulled out my phone to play some music… and BAM! Out of the corner of my eye, the float vanished. I yelped and jerked the rod—thought I had a crucian carp! But nope—pulled up a tiny silver carp (aka “white stripe” in Chinese, but let’s just call ’em silver carp for this post). Oh well, a bite’s a bite. I’ve been so bored without catching anything lately, I’d take a minnow at this point.

Switching Tactics: From Bottom to Surface

I waited a bit, but no crucian carp showed up. Even when the bait hit the bottom, all I got were silver carp. Then I looked up—WHOA! The surface was covered in silver carp jumping and splashing. Like, a whole school of them going crazy. So I thought, “Screw bottom fishing—let’s go surface!”

That’s when the chaos started. The bites were INSANE. I’d cast, and before the bait even settled, the float would get pulled under. I had to go full-on “robot mode”: cast, wait 2 seconds, jerk, reel, repeat. No time to take photos (sorry, y’all—only a couple snaps later). The silver carp were big enough, too—way bigger than the tiny ones I usually get. But here’s the thing: the current was strong. If I slowed down even a little, the school would scatter. So I put on a hook holder (the thing that holds the hook when you reel in) to speed things up. Total game-changer.

The “Big One” That Wasn’t

At one point, I felt a TUG—way bigger than the silver carp. I thought, “Finally! A crucian carp! Maybe even a little one!” I reeled it in, and… ugh. It was a silver carp I’d ANCHORED. Like, the hook was stuck in its side, and the leader was wrapped around it three times. Talk about a letdown! But hey, at least I didn’t lose my leader.

Then, as I kept casting faster and faster, the bait started breaking up more. I had to mix two more batches of bait—wasted all of it! And then? Get this: I started catching tiny crucian carp up top. I thought they were bitterlings at first (those tiny, annoying fish that nibble but don’t bite). But nope—little crucian carp, just hanging out near the surface. Wild.

The Crash: When the School Scattered

After an hour and a half, my arm was killing me. I took a 5-minute break—just stretched, drank some water, checked my phone. Big mistake. When I cast back out, the bites were gone. Like, completely. The only fish left were tiny, tiny silver carp that I could barely hook. So I thought, “Okay, that’s it. Time to go home.” I was starving, anyway—all that casting burns calories!

Final Haul & The Big Decision: Catch and Release

Let’s tally up: two hours, maybe 3–4 pounds of silver carp. Some were decent size, and I even had a few double catches (two fish at once!). Super fun, but man—my 3.6m rod was too long. I should’ve brought a 2.7m hard rod. The bank here is almost level with the water, so a soft rod like mine couldn’t “fly” the fish in fast enough. Slowed down my rhythm big time. Next time, I’m switching rods for sure.

Now, the tough part: keeping the fish? Wait, no. I looked at the river—there were so many pesticide bottles floating around. Yikes. I don’t trust the water quality here. So I decided to release all of them. Catch and release, baby. The fun part was the fight, not the eating. I’d rather not risk getting sick from weird river fish.

Wrap-Up: What I Learned (And What I’d Do Different)

So, lessons from today:

• Post-rain? Surface fishing for silver carp is where it’s at. Crucian carp hide when it’s cold, but silver carp go crazy.
• Bring a short, hard rod for small fish—faster casting, faster reeling.
• Don’t take long breaks. The school will scatter faster than you can say “bait.”
• Check the water quality before keeping fish. Pesticide bottles = no thanks.

Overall, it was a great day. I got to get out of the house, breathe that fresh post-rain air, and catch a ton of fish. Even if they were all silver carp. Sometimes, that’s all you need—just a little fun by the river. Who’s with me? Next time, let’s hit a new spot and see what we can catch. Maybe I’ll finally get that big crucian carp!