My Third Gumai Fishing Adventure: Lessons from the Riverbank
Alright, let’s cut to the chase—I’m hooked on Gumai fishing! After my first two sessions where I caught three carp, I was stoked to try again. This time, I’m up at 6 AM, ready to prove that spot selection is the secret sauce to big catches. Let me walk you through my third outing, the chaos, the wins, and why I’m now obsessed with picking the right fishing spot.
Day 1: Setup and the 5 Critical Spots
I hit the Pinggang River’s upstream section, choosing 5 spots to test. Why 5? Well, I wanted to experiment with different environments. Here’s the breakdown:
- Spot 1: Dam’s backwater, 2.8m deep. Perfect for hiding big carp, right?
- Spot 2: 50m below the dam outlet, 2.2m deep with gentle current. Thick shoreline plants (1-2m tall!) might be cover, but does the current help?
- Spots 3 & 4: Narrow river stretch, 1.8m deep. Classic “fish highways” where carp funnel through—this should be good!
- Spot 5: Shallow shoal, 1.5m deep, where a tributary meets the main river. Maybe less pressure here?
I followed the “early spots = less bait” rule: 1 & 2 got 1 handful each, 3 & 4 got 2, and 5 got 3. Less bait early means fish focus on natural forage, right? After setting up, I jogged for an hour to stay sharp, then headed back at 7:30 AM.
Spot 1: The Disappointment (and Why I Moved)
First up: Spot 1—the dam backwater. I fished for 30 minutes, pinging the seven-star float nonstop. My arm was sore, but nothing. Zero bites. Clearly, my “deep water theory” was wrong. Maybe the current wasn’t right, or the bait was off. Time to pivot to Spot 2.
Spot 2: The “Aha!” Moment
Spot 2 was downstream from the outlet, with a slight current. The seven-star float beads drifted slowly downstream—*exactly* what I needed! No more manual reeling; the current did the “dancing” for me. Ten minutes in, the float plummeted—I struck, and felt a solid thud! A 1kg+ carp! I remembered my last mistake: panicking and scaring fish. This time, I controlled the fish, pulling it downstream to open water (the shore had too much vegetation to land it safely). Three minutes later, a sleek, shiny carp was on the bank.
But wait—mid-fish, I saw two net fishermen at my downstream spot. Ugh, talk about timing! They were ruining my catch zone. Still, I kept going. Ten minutes later, another bite! A stronger carp—this one took 7-8 minutes to reel in. Then… silence. The sun was up, the heat kicked in, and no more bites.
Post-Catch: The Netters & Lesson Learned
After releasing the fish, I checked Spots 3-5, but nothing. Net fishermen had scared the fish off, or maybe the time was off. Spot 2 was the clear winner, though. Why? Let’s dissect it.
Why Spot 2 Worked: 2 Key Reasons
- Current + Oxygen = Happy Carp
The slow-moving water brought fresh oxygen and nutrients. Carp love moving water—it stirs up food and keeps them active. Shallow spots like 5 might’ve been too still, but Spot 2 had perfect flow.
- Vegetation = Safety & Stealth
The thick 1-2m plants were game-changers:
- They made casting hard for other methods (like Taiwan fishing), so fewer people fished here. Less competition = more relaxed fish.
- From the shore, I was hidden by plants, so the fish felt secure feeding near the bank.
Without cover, fish are jumpy. With plants, they’re bold. That’s the Gumai advantage—using nature to your benefit.
Final Thoughts: Gumai Fishing Is About Location, Location, Location
My third Gumai trip taught me: location > bait. If you pick a bad spot, even the best bait won’t help. Next time, I’ll check for netters earlier, use bigger hooks (I struggled with #7 Jinhaixi on a tilapia!), and test spots longer. For now, I’m stoked to refine my strategy. What’s your best tip for picking spots? Drop a comment—I’m all ears!
Tight lines, fellow anglers!
