Why This Hometown Fishing Trip Was So Long Overdue
The last time I fished in my hometown was during the third day of the Lunar New Year earlier this year—can you believe it’s almost been a whole year? I’ve missed the fishing spots here like crazy. But let’s be real, life’s all about chasing that tiny silver (or copper, let’s not kid ourselves) so I’ve been stuck working in another city. Total bummer, right?
Then came the National Day holiday. I pulled three straight days of overtime, but since my cousin was getting married on October 6th, I had to head home. I dragged myself out of bed super early on the 4th, ran to the next neighborhood for a COVID test, and hit the highway. No traffic jams—win! Three hours later, I was home. First stop: the street to stock up on daily stuff (since I’m never here, my place was basically empty). After hauling all that in and tidying up, a thought hit me: I need to fish tonight!
Rushing to Prep for the Evening Fishing Session
I didn’t waste a second. Grabbed some Old Altar Corn and grass carp bait, mixed ’em up, and squeezed five huge balls. Off I went to the spot to set up the nest. Got back around 5:30, so I started making dinner. By the time I ate, washed dishes, and everything, it was past 7 PM. I grabbed my gear and bolted to the lake.
My Super Basic Gear (Hey, It Worked!)
Since this was a last-minute thing, my gear was minimal:
- A 5.4m fishing rod
- Line set: 3 main line + 2 leader line
- Hook: Size 6 Iseini
- Float: 2.2g electronic float (perfect for night fishing)
- Baits: All-Purpose Fishy Bait, All-Purpose Aromatic Bait, and some grass carp bait
- Extras: A tiny stool, a fish bucket, and a landing net
That’s it—simple but ready to go!
From Zero Bites to Game-Changing Fly Lead Technique
I started with regular bottom fishing: adjusted the float to 5 for tuning, fished at 3. An hour passed… nothing. Nada. Just one tiny topmouth culter (like 15cm long). Ugh. Then I remembered the water here was only 1.3m deep—super shallow! So I switched to the full fly lead method. Was it ideal? No. But I had to try, right? My target was grass carp and bream, so I crossed my fingers.
The First Big Catch: A 6-Pound Grass Carp!
After an hour of casting with the fly lead method—boom! A strong intercept bite hit. I yanked the rod up immediately, and wow, the pull! Grass carp love darting around, even in the dark (I didn’t even turn on my headlamp). Three minutes of fighting later, I scooped it up with the net. It looked like 6 pounds! Seeing that wiggling grass carp in the net? My mood went from “meh” to “HELL YEAH!” First target fish down.
Bonus Big Catch: A 5-Pound Bighead Carp!
After that grass carp, I was pumped. Kept casting with fly lead, like one cast per minute. Maybe 5 casts later? A slow sink bite! I pulled the rod—another big one! It was dark, so I couldn’t take a pic while fighting it, but when I got it out of the water… it didn’t even struggle. Like, come on, give me a challenge! But whatever—this bighead carp was around 5 pounds. Into the bucket it went!
Wrapping Up the Night (Total Success!)
The next hour? The float was like a statue—no movement. Then around 11:30, I caught another tiny topmouth culter (twin to the first one). My bait was running low, and my catches were already great (two big fish, over 10 pounds total!). So I packed up and headed home.
Got back super late, but my wife saw my haul and even took some pics for me. Man, this first fishing trip back home was a total win. If you ever fish in super shallow water, try the full fly lead method—trust me, it might save your night. And those all-purpose fishy and aromatic baits? They’re total game-changers for big catches. Can’t wait to come back and fish here again soon!
