Skimping on Bait Prep & Spots? Only Caught Tiny “Mahjong” Crucian Carp!

Okay, let’s cut to the chase—this fishing trip was a total rollercoaster of “oh that’s cool” to “wait, why am I only catching these tiny guys?” Spoiler: it’s all ’cause I half-assed my bait mix and skipped a proper spot setup. Let me spill the tea, step by step, so you don’t make my mistakes.

The “Drop Everything & Fish” Urge

So, a few days back, I’m stuck in office lockdown (thanks, school admin stuff). I finish a boring task, scroll my phone, and my brother sends a video—his friend at Xuqiao Bridge is hauling in big crucians and even some baby carp! My brain goes, “FISHING NOW!” No questions asked. Let’s recap the deets first, so you know the scene:

• Date: September 7, 2024
• Weather: Cloudy (perfect, no sunburn!)
• Wind: East 1 (so calm, no drift issues)
• Spot: Ying River (Xuqiao section—never had great luck here before, but the video lied to me)
• Rod: Shuangzi Carp Resilient 3.9m (my go-to for casual trips)
• Float: Xiaofengxian Color-Changing Night Float (game-changer for low light)
• Line: 2.0 main + 1.2 leader (wait, later I switched to 1.0—oops)
• Hook: Size 6 Sleeve (thought it’s “size-friendly”—wrong, wrong, wrong)
• Water Depth: ~1m (super shallow, which means skittish fish)

Pro tip 1: I’d had a few drinks at lunch, so I let my brother drive. SAFETY FIRST, y’all! Never drink and drive—even if you’re dying to fish. That drive gave me time to snap some pics of the road, so bonus content later.

Getting to the Spot (Chaos Ensues)

We hit the road: out of the village, south past Qian/Xi Gang, turn toward Chi Ying, keep going till Xuqiao. When we get there, the friend’s at the east side of the bridge, north bank. We park, trudge down the embankment, and my other brother (Da Dong) yells, “Sit here!” So I plop down next to him—bad move, by the way. Too close to other anglers = fish spooked.

Quick detour: My office called right before I left—said school’s locked down for a week, I gotta stay at work. So this was my last chance to fish for 7 days. I brought everything: bug spray, citronella coils, even a folding chair. Prepared… but not prepared enough, as you’ll see.

Bait & Setup: The Lazy Mistakes

First, my setup: 3.9m rod, 2.0 main, 1.2 leader, size 6 sleeve, float set to flat water + 1-2 eyes. I started with my brother’s old fermented wheat—thought it’d catch big fish. But wait, the water’s only 1m deep! Wheat’s heavy, but shallow water = fish get spooked by big bait. Duh.

Why Not Throwing a Spot?

Here’s the first big fail: I didn’t throw a spot. Why? ’Cause I was sitting too close to Da Dong—didn’t wanna mess up his spot. But my other brother (Lei) was over on the east side, throwing block bait like crazy. Da Dong and his friend yelled, “Waste of bait—you’ll catch nothing!” But guess what? Lei later had way more fish. Oops.

Daylight hit, and the water was swarming with silver shiners (those tiny, annoying surface fish). I switched to my own bait mix: Field Blue Crucian, Speed Attack, 918, Snail Carp, rice wine grain. Ratio: 2:2:1:1:1. Added equal water, a few drops of fruit acid carp attractant. Let it sit… but here’s mistake #2:

• Snail Carp needs to be soaked alone—it takes longer to absorb water. I mixed it with everything else, so it was clumpy and not fully hydrated.
• No gluten powder! So the bait fell off the hook before it even hit the water. Total waste.

The “Tiny Fish” Nightmare

As dusk fell, the shiners left (thank god). But then—tiny crucians showed up. Like, *tiny*. My friend joked, “Their mouths and tails touch!” The float was dancing like crazy, but every time I set the hook? Nothing. Why? Size 6 hook is way too big for these guys! They couldn’t even get the hook in their mouths. Ugh.

I stuck with it, though—kept thinking, “Maybe a big one will come!” But nope. Every catch was a “mahjong crucian” (we call ’em that ’cause they’re the size of a mahjong tile). My brothers who came later? Same thing. Only tiny fish. Meanwhile, the guy who was there early? He caught big crucians *only* at 3-4 PM. After that? He was catching snails. SNails. What a letdown.

The “I Quit” Moment (11 PM)

By 11 PM, we were all bored. One guy said, “Let’s go home,” and everyone packed up in 2 minutes. My catch? Like 15 tiny crucians. Weight? Less than one big crucian I caught last month. Embarrassing.

Then I checked Lei’s catch—he had a few decent ones! Why? He threw 3 spots, used size 3 sleeve hooks, and his bait was properly mixed. Total proof: I skimped on spot prep and bait, so I got skimped on fish.

What I Learned (The Hard Way)

Let’s be real—this trip was a lesson in not cutting corners. Here’s the tea:

1. Spots = Fish

Even if you’re close to someone, throw a small spot. Lei’s spots brought the fish to his area; I had nothing ’cause I skipped it. Dumb move.

2. Bait Mix = Everything

Snail Carp needs solo prep. Gluten powder is non-negotiable for hook hold. My lazy mix made the bait fall off—lost so many bites.

3. Hook Size = Match the Fish

Size 6 is for big fish. Shallow water = tiny fish. Use size 3-4 next time. Duh.

4. Don’t Chase the Video Hype

The early guy caught big fish at 3 PM. I got there at 4, missed the window. Next time, check the time the big bites happen—don’t just run to a video.

Also, I forgot water. Had to run up to the car for leftover water from the day before. Total fail—always bring water, even if you’re in a hurry.

Wrapping Up (No, Not the Fish)

So yeah, this trip was a bust. But hey, I learned more than if I’d caught a bunch. Now I know: no skimping on spots, no lazy bait mixes, and match the hook to the fish. Next time I go to Ying River? I’m throwing 2 small spots, mixing Snail Carp alone, adding gluten, and using size 4 hooks. Let’s see if that works.

To all my fishing buddies: stay safe, don’t drink and drive, and never skip the prep. Catch you on the water—hopefully with bigger fish next time!