My Fishing Adventure: Ditching Black Worms for Product Bait (And Stumbling on a Monster)
A while back, I posted about using black worms to haul in tons of pound-sized African catfish. But let me tell you—getting black worms is a total hassle for most people, and they’re so messy they leave your hands stinking for hours. So I thought, why not switch things up? Today, I decided to test a product bait recipe instead. Plus, I wanted to beat the small tilapia chaos by heading out early. The weather was perfect: cloudy turning to sunny, 19-26°C. I got to the spot at 8 AM, still no sun, and there was this old guy already there with a few casting rods, just waiting around like he hadn’t caught a thing all morning. I low-key wanted to show him how it’s done.
Prepping for the Day: Gear, Bait, and Game Plan
First, let’s talk basics. I had a clear target in mind, and my gear was locked in:
- Target Fish: Pound-sized African catfish, mud carp, and common carp
- Fishing Rod: 7.2m 5H casting rod (sturdy enough for big pulls, I hoped)
- Line Setup: 3.0 main line + 2.0 leader + size 4 Iseni hook (tough but not overkill)
- Location: Guanlan River (my go-to spot lately)
Now the star of the show—the bait recipe. I mixed:
- 2 parts All-Purpose Scent
- 1 part Wild Blue Crucian Carp Bait
- 2 parts Diaoyuwang Mud Carp Fishy Scent
- 2 parts Diaoyuwang Mud Carp Fragrant Scent
- 1 part Sanle Carp Bait
I added water at a 1:1 ratio, let it sit for a few minutes, then kneaded it like crazy to boost stickiness. While waiting, I tossed out a casting rod just for fun—figured if something bit, great; if not, no biggie.
Once the bait was nice and clumpy, I was ready to go.
The Action Starts: First Bites (And a Surprise)
The water was about 1 meter deep with a slight current. I fished the bottom—every time the bait drifted with the flow, I’d pull the line a little to keep the float in one spot. Not even 5 minutes later, the float dipped straight down! I struck… and nothing. Ugh, fish were already checking it out, just being tricky. So I rebaited and cast again immediately. Sure enough, the float dipped again—this time, I felt a solid tug! The rod bent like crazy, and the line was zipping through the guides with that satisfying “ziiiiip” sound. After a 5-minute tug-of-war, I finally saw it: a 2-3 pound Egyptian catfish! But here’s the problem—the spot was super high up, I couldn’t lift it out. I was this close to cutting the line when the old guy watching me yelled, “Don’t cut! I’ll go get it—just give it to me!” So he climbed down, grabbed the fish, and was grinning ear to ear.
Back to Business: Hauling in African Catfish
That Egyptian cat was cool, but I was here for the African ones. I cast again, and boom—float dipped, I struck, and a half-pound African catfish flew out of the water (okay, I “flew” it with the rod, but still). Then I caught a few more half-pounders and some smaller ones. I started noticing a pattern:
- Big fish? The float sinks slowly and stays down—no bouncing, no messing around.
- Small fish? They tap-tap-tap the float, dip it, then pop it back up like they’re playing a game.
So I stopped reacting to the tiny taps. If the float just tapped, I ignored it. But when it sank slowly and stayed? That’s when I struck. And man, did that work. A few minutes later, as the bait drifted with the current, the float started sinking—slow, steady. I counted to three (yes, I’m that patient now), then struck. The rod almost got pulled out of my hand! That fish had power—zig-zagging, pulling hard. I knew it was a mud carp (they’re famous for fighting like crazy). After 5 minutes of reeling and letting it tire, I saw it: 1-2 pounds, nice and fat. I tried to lift it out… and snap! The leader line broke. The fish flopped onto the shore, and the old guy (who was still hanging around) yelled, “Go get it! I want it!” I laughed and said, “I don’t care about small fish—you can have it!” So he ran down, grabbed it, and added it to his bag.
I gathered up all the African catfish I’d caught and gave them to the old guy too. I warned him: “Don’t eat these—water quality here isn’t great. Feed them to your cat or something.” He just nodded and said, “Got it!” Then he stuffed all the fish into his scooter basket, packed up his rods, and left like he’d won the lottery.
The Grand Finale: A Monster Egyptian Catfish
After the old guy left, a few more people showed up with casting rods—they set up like they were at a market stall, rods everywhere. I checked my casting rod, rebaited it, and tossed it out again. It caught a tiny tilapia, so I just left it there (lazy, I know). I fished with my main rod for about an hour—fish were biting like crazy! But then the sun came out, and the small tilapia went wild. Every cast, the float dipped immediately or tapped nonstop. My bait was gone in minutes, so I decided to pack up.
I was folding my main rod when I remembered the casting rod. I started reeling it in—nothing at first. Then suddenly, my hand jolted! The line was pulling so hard I thought I’d lose the rod. I held on tight, and let me tell you—this was no small fish. I reeled and reeled, letting it run when it needed to, for 20 whole minutes. Finally, I saw it: a giant Egyptian catfish! It was massive—way bigger than the first one. The guys with the casting rods ran over to watch, all oohing and aahing. I couldn’t lift it up, so one of them said, “I’ll climb down—give me the fish!” I agreed, and he hauled it out. We took a photo together—this thing was a beast!
Final Thoughts (From a Tired But Happy Angler)
I packed up and headed home after two hours—exhausted but grinning. Let me share what I learned, so you don’t make my mistakes:
- Product bait is great, but it attracts small fish like crazy. Knead it super sticky and hard to make it last longer.
- Early mornings or evenings are your best bet if you hate small tilapia chaos—they’re less active when it’s not scorching.
- Black worms still work better for big African catfish at this spot, but product bait gives you surprises (hello, giant Egyptian cat!).
All in all, this was one of my favorite trips. I didn’t catch as many African catfish as I did with worms, but that giant Egyptian cat? Worth every minute. If you’re tired of black worms, give product bait a shot—you never know what you’ll catch. Happy fishing, everyone!
