Fishing Early on the Zhuru River: Reeling in Big Crucian Carp Again
Chasing Big Fish in the Early Morning (and Avoiding Mosquito Apocalypses)
Man, these past few weeks have been rough for fishing! The weather’s warming up, but instead of biting, the fish are practically hiding—especially those tiny minnows that are swarming like crazy. I asked all my fishing buddies, and everyone was stuck with nothing to show for it. So I spent the whole day wandering around, trying to find a secret spot. Then came the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I went back home to help my parents with farm work: we pulled peanuts, picked beans, and even some veggies. Originally, I planned to go night fishing, but those mosquitoes were out for blood! I swear, they’re like tiny vampires with wings. So yeah, night fishing was out, and we’re talking early morning fishing instead.
My Early Morning Setup: From Gear to Bait
After a good night’s rest, I hit the road and found a small river fork. Never been here before, but it looked promising! I grabbed my go-to bait: a mix of “Big Fish King” and “No Airborne”—I’ve been obsessed with Big Fish King lately, so I even bought the “sour” version to try later. For gear, I used a 5.4m all-purpose rod, 1.2mm main line, and a 1.8g float. I adjusted it to 4 settings up and 4-5 down, and since there was a bit of current, I fished slightly slack to ignore the drift.
First catch: small crucian carp and minnows. But wait, the hooks were way too small! I started with 0.6mm line and size 3 Golden Sleeve hooks, but I kept missing those bigger ones. Switched to size 4 hooks, then finally size 5 with 0.8mm line. Larger hooks mean bigger bait balls, which attract bigger fish and keep the minnows from snatching the bait before it hits the bottom. Smart move, right?
Navigating the River Fork: Weeds, Current, and a Slippery Fish
The spot was near an eddy pool—mostly still water with a little current. Perfect! But there were floating weeds everywhere. My 5.4m rod is pretty soft, so when the line got tangled in the floating grass, I lost a few fish. And the water hyacinths to my left? Total disaster! Two big crucian carp slipped off because I couldn’t control the rod properly. Ugh, next time I need a sturdier rod for these situations.
The best bite time was around 8 AM. I started with a bunch of small crucian carp—nothing to brag about, but then *pop*! A massive drop bite. I struck hard, but the fish got away. Oh no, was I too late? Then another massive thump—this time, the float went down twice, then started moving horizontally. I fought it for what felt like forever, and finally, out came a 3-4 ounce crucian carp! I was stoked, but wait, the hook came out when I pulled it to the surface. *Sigh*—lesson learned: bigger hooks, better control. So I switched to 0.8mm line and size 5 hooks, which did the trick.
Little Accidents and Big Fish: When Kids and Hooks Collide
After that, I kept catching small ones, then—*boom*—another big one! This time, it was a solid thump, float went down twice, then straight black. I reeled it in, and there it was: a 4-5 ounce crucian carp. I got lucky! But then my wife showed up with the kids, and they wanted to fish too. Suddenly, all my fishing gear was taken over. The kids caught a few minnows and even tried to catch snails—then my son tripped and fell into the river! He was soaked, and now he’s sick with a cold. Oh man, that’s on me. Autumn water is still too cold for swimming, so lesson learned: no river swims in fall!
Final Thoughts: What I Learned (and What I’ll Do Next Time)
Overall, it was a great morning—caught some big crucian carp, and the early start paid off. I didn’t get the big carp I was hoping for (still haven’t caught a big carp yet!), but next time, I’ll bring a stronger rod and better tackle to avoid losing fish to weeds. Also, bigger hooks are a must! And no more early swims in autumn water—lesson learned the hard way.
So, if you’re out there fishing this autumn, give early morning sessions a try. You might just land your own big catch. And hey, watch out for those mosquitoes! Trust me, you don’t want to deal with that.
