The All-Kill Bait Returns! Catching a Full Net with Just a 2.7m Rod

Man, what a week! Last Saturday, the company landed a huge rush order. You know the drill—tight deadlines, mountains of work. I volunteered to give up my Sunday, working day and night like a dog to get everything shipped by Friday evening. I was completely wiped out. But hey, that just made the upcoming weekend feel even sweeter! Time for some serious, yet relaxing, fishing therapy.

I was up before 5 AM this morning. First thing I did? Check the fishing weather app. The wind direction is king when you’re picking a spot. A light north breeze, around force 2? Perfect. That decided it. A quick breakfast later, I was in the car, heading to my secret spot—Xu Pangpang’s Giant Bream Base. It’s a bit of a drive, like 12-13 minutes, but totally worth it. Great parking, sheltered from the wind, surrounded by miles of farmland… the environment is just top-notch. I pulled up at 5:17 AM, and guess what? The sky was already getting light. Time to move fast and get set up!

I decided today was the day to break out the good stuff—the secret weapon I’d been hoarding. I pulled out my stash of the “All-Kill” series bait from the fishing gear platform. I’d been saving it for the right moment. Today felt like that moment. Here’s the full setup I went with:

• Rod: My trusty old 2.7-meter rod. This thing has seen over a decade of action.
• Line & Rig: A precision-wound 0.8 main line paired with a 0.4 leader.
• Float: A crucian carp float with a 1.2-gram sinker weight.
• Bait Mix: The star of the show! One part All-Kill Fishy, one part All-Kill Aromatic. Added a little wine-soaked rice and some gluten powder. For the secret sauce? Two drops of “Thousand Mile Fragrance” essence, mixed with two parts of water (let’s call it “Forgetful Water” for fun).
• Float Setting: Adjusted to 7 eyes, fishing at 4-5 eyes.

Everything was ready. It was time to cast and wait for the action.

The Early Bird Gets… The Bait Stealers!

I started by casting and retrieving to build the spot, maybe for about ten or fifteen minutes. Soon, I saw the float twitch. And then… bam! The vanguard arrived. The tiny fish brigade—mostly small minnows and bitterling—went absolutely nuts. They were intercepting the bait like crazy, hitting it before it could even sink properly.

I’ll admit, at first, I took the bait (pun intended). I was hooking them left and right. In half an hour, I must have caught twenty or thirty of these little guys. It was fun, but I almost lost sight of my real goal. I was here for the crucian carp, the “crucian sisters” as we often call them! Getting distracted by mini-fish is a real danger.

The Strategic Pivot: From Chaos to Control

I needed a new plan, and fast. The solution was surprisingly simple, yet the effect was dramatic. I made two key changes:

• Switch from Lure to Ball: I stopped using the loose, fluffy “pull bait” method and switched to pinching small, dense balls of bait onto the hook (“rub bait”). This significantly reduced the bait’s dispersion in the water.
• Ignore the Mid-Water Drama: I made a rule: absolutely ignore any bites or taps on the float before it settled into its final position. Let those eager minnows have their fun up top. My focus was solely on the bottom.

This forced the mid-water party animals to calm down. Once my bait ball reached the bottom undisturbed, it was in the zone for the real targets. And it worked like a charm! Just a few casts later, I saw the classic, gentle lift and then sink of the float. I set the hook, and there she was—my first proper crucian carp of the day. Mission accomplished!

The Morning Rush Hour (For Fish)

Right around 7 AM, things kicked into high gear. A proper feeding frenzy began! The bites were coming fast and steady. The fish weren’t giants, but who cares? The action was non-stop, and I was having an absolute blast. The sound of the line zipping, the bend in my little 2.7m rod… pure joy.

A Minor Oops Moment

With the fast action, I got a little carried away. Maybe my hook sets got a bit too enthusiastic. And then it happened—a classic “lip service” incident. I managed to hook just the lip of a baby crucian carp and pull it clean off. The fish swam away, but I was left holding just its mouth on the hook. Yikes! “Namo Amitabha,” as we say. A moment of silence for the little guy.

Losing a fish is one thing, but the real worry is spooking the whole school. Thankfully, after a few quiet casts, the float dipped again. The crucian sisters were back! The party was back on.

Back in the Groove

Once the crucian carp settled back into the spot, those pesky minnows seemed to get the message and backed off. With the coast clearer, I switched back to the faster “pull bait” method. The bites kept coming. It was incredibly satisfying!

Time for an Upgrade: The Fishing Net

After about two solid hours of fishing, my temporary bucket was getting crowded. Fish were jostling for space, and I noticed a couple of the smaller minnows had already turned belly-up. Not good. Time to give the catch some breathing room.

I pulled out my new “Flying Shark” fishing net, a recent purchase from the platform’s mall. Affordable and does the job perfectly. I gently transferred the catch into the net and lowered it back into the water. Now the fish could stay fresh and lively. I also attached a “hook disgorger” to my net for quick and easy fish release.

The Fish Seem to Get Bigger!

Maybe it was psychological, but after setting up the net, the crucian carp I landed seemed to be a better size! I started catching some in the 2-3 ounce range, with the biggest pushing maybe 3.5 ounces. In this particular river, which was dredged and dried out just a couple of years ago, that’s a decent “slab.” Any bigger ones are probably migrants from connected waterways. The action slowed a bit after 9 AM as the sun got higher and the temperature rose, but there were still surprises in store.

The Bonus Round: A Beautiful Bend

Speaking of surprises, check out this bend in the rod! Isn’t it a beautiful curve? Go on, guess how big this fish was. This was actually the second carp of the day. The first one was even bigger, but it dove straight into a thick patch of weeds and managed to throw the hook. So, with this one, I played it extra carefully.

After a tense but fun fight on the light gear, I landed it. Turned out to be a “carp kid,” maybe just half a pound or so, but boy, did it fight like a champ for its size! That’s the fun of light tackle—every fish feels like a trophy.

As expected, landing that little brawler probably stirred things up. The spot went quiet. I waited for another half hour with only a few half-hearted nibbles. That was my cue. I got a call from my fishing buddy (the one who’s faster than a rumor), and we decided to call it a morning. There’s always next time!

Wrapping Up a Perfect Morning

Final tally? I’d estimate a good 2-3 pounds of fish. Mostly my target crucian carp, with the biggest around 2.5 ounces and the smallest just under an ounce. A decent number of minnows and bitterling too, many of which were released right after catching.

My Quick Takeaways From This Session

Just a few thoughts scribbled in my mental fishing log:

• Timing is Key in Mid-April: The daytime highs are creeping toward 86°F (30°C), but the nights are still cool, around 50°F (10°C). That’s a huge daily swing. For me, targeting the early morning “bite window” is still the most effective strategy.
• The Season for Powdered Bait: As the water warms up, it seems like red worms and maggots instantly lose their charm for crucian carp. They’re switching their diet to prefer powdered bait. The All-Kill bait mix I used today was perfect—fine texture, and I made sure to mix it soft and sticky for better “mouth feel.”
• Adjust Your Technique: Fishing with powdered bait versus live bait requires different float adjustments and hook-setting timing. Don’t be afraid to experiment and tweak things based on what the fish are telling you. There’s no single “right” way, only what works on that specific day, at that specific spot.

As Always, Food is the Best Epilogue

And now for the traditional post-fishing ritual… the food shot! It’s crayfish season again! This was my first time buying and cooking them myself this year. Got these green-shelled ones for a decent price, grabbed five pounds, and cooked up two huge pots of spicy Sichuan-style crayfish. Fragrant, numbing, spicy, and the meat was so plump! No matter how much you make, it’s never enough.

So that’s the story of how the “All-Kill Bait” made its glorious return, proving that even a short 2.7-meter rod can lead to a net full of fish. It was a morning that reminded me why I love this hobby—the strategy, the surprise, the peace, and the pure fun of it. Hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed living it. Until next time, tight lines everyone!