Three Anglers Return to Heizhu River: Disappointing Catch, But a New Species Unlocked!

Okay, let’s cut to the chase-yesterday I had a small explosion at Heizhu River (okay, maybe “small” is being nice, but still a good day). So when my buddy Boss Zhang saw my pics, he was like, “NOPE, we’re going back tomorrow.” And hey, our new fishing pal-let’s call him “Little Young Guy” (his WeChat name is so edgy, I had to laugh)-wanted in too. Perfect, three anglers, same spot, same gear… what could go wrong? Spoiler: a lot. But hey, we unlocked a new fish species! So let’s spill the tea.

Pre-Fishing Chaos: 4 AM Wake-Up Calls & Blocked Cars

First off, the plan: meet at Boss Zhang’s shop at 4 AM to grab gear, then pick up Little Young Guy at his apartment complex. Sounds smooth, right? WRONG. Little Young Guy was supposed to be there first, but we waited… and waited. Turns out some random driver blocked his car in the parking spot. Imagine his face when he called the driver at 4 AM to move it-dude, that’s a mood killer for the driver too, but hey, priorities!

Five minutes later, he rolls up, and we’re off. The drive to Heizhu River takes 30 minutes, and let’s be real-30 minutes of sleepy chit-chat, hyping each other up like we’re gonna catch a river monster. By the time we get there, it’s still dark, and nobody else is around. Yesterday I was low-key scared alone, but three guys? We’re basically the river’s new bouncers. We set up right next to my spot from yesterday-wide enough for four, so no squabbles.

First Shock: The River’s Gone Down… A Lot

As soon as we turned on our headlamps, we froze. The water level? Half a meter lower than yesterday. And it was still flowing slow. Boss Zhang, who’s been fishing since before I knew what a hook was, sighed and said, “Uh-oh, low water = bad fishing. Fish hate when the river dips-they get skittish.” I was like, “C’mon, bro, we’re here! Let’s try anyway!”

Our gear was the same as yesterday-no fancy new toys:

• My 6.3m Zhulu rod (3.0+2.0 line, 8# Iseama hook) – for big fish, far casts.
• Boss Zhang’s 5.4m Zhulu rod (2.0+1.2 line, 3# Iseama hook) – for close-up small stuff.
• Little Young Guy’s 5.4m (later switched to 7.2m) – he’s still learning, so we lent him extra line.

Bait? Same as yesterday: 2095 + Yikeng Li (a local carp bait, works like magic for me). We also brought pellets and grains for extra chum. Setup was quick-chummed the spots, let the bait “wake up” (you know, the 10-minute wait for the dough to get sticky), and started casting.

Waiting for Bites: Floats That Won’t Move & Fish That Tease

Yesterday, bites started at 6 AM. Today? Nada. Zilch. Zero. We sat there in the dark, chatting about nothing (Boss Zhang ranted about his shop’s lazy employees, Little Young Guy complained about his wife hating fish), but the floats? Stone cold still. Even the tiny “nibbles” I got yesterday were MIA.

When the sun came up, things got worse-but also funnier. Small fish started jumping out of the water like they were doing a synchronized dance. Big fish? They were showing off-splashing the surface, making ripples so big I thought a whale was in the river. And get this: there were big bubbles right next to Boss Zhang’s float-like a giant carp was circling his spot. But could he reach it? His 5.4m rod was too short. He was so mad he threw a rock (gently, don’t worry) at the bubbles. “STOP TEASING ME, YOU BIG GLUTTON!”

First Bite: A Tiny Catfish (Yes, TINY)

Finally, at 5:30 AM, Little Young Guy’s float twitched. He’d been using my bait for an hour, so he begged me for some worms. “Fine, but if you mess up, I’m stealing your rod,” I said. Three casts later? BAM. He reeled in… and it was a thumb-sized catfish. Like, smaller than my phone. We all laughed so hard we almost fell in the river. “That’s your ‘prize’?!” Boss Zhang cackled. Little Young Guy just shrugged: “Hey, it’s a fish!” Fair enough-better than nothing.

The Big Win: Unlocking a New Species (Spoiler: It Bit Us)

At 6:15 AM, my float finally moved. Not a big jump-just half a mm up and down, like a tiny fish was pecking. I waited (patience is key, kids!), and when it dipped another 1mm, I yanked the rod. HOOKED! The rod bent like a banana, and the fish darted to the middle of the river. But I held on tight-no way I was losing this. After 30 seconds of tug-of-war, I pulled it out… and my jaw dropped.

It was a mullet! I’ve fished for 5 years and never caught one before. (Last time one got away, so this counts as “unlocked.”) But wait-this little jerk was fighting back. When I tried to unhook it, it wiggled so much that one hook went through its chin, and the other? It stuck Little Young Guy’s hand. He yelped: “OW! THAT HURTS!” Then I tried to help, and it pricked my thumb too. “IT’S REVENGE!” I yelled. Boss Zhang came over, saw our bleeding hands, and laughed: “You two are so dramatic. It’s just a mullet!” Rude, but true.

Later, I Googled mullet tips (yes, I’m that guy): they eat by sucking, so bites are super light. You have to wait for the float to drag sideways or sink completely before yanking. And their first run is crazy fast-so if you don’t hold tight, they’ll snap your line. Good to know for next time!

Total Catch: Disappointing (But We Had Fun)

After the mullet, the river went silent again. Like, deafening silent. Boss Zhang had to go back to his shop by 7 AM, and he left with zero fish-total air force. Little Young Guy caught another tiny catfish (1 ounce, maybe) and threw it back. I finally got a small crucian carp at 7:10 AM-way smaller than yesterday’s. Then another, then one more. That’s it.

Oh, and there was a random side note: a cute girl showed up with her boyfriend at 7:20 AM. They set up south of us, and I tried to take a pic of the river (for my fishing diary)… but I accidentally got her in the shot. When I looked later, it looked like she was standing in the middle of the river. Oops. #AwkwardPhotoFail

The Final Hour: More Waiting, More Nothing

Little Young Guy got bored with his 5.4m rod, so he grabbed his 7.2m (super long, for far casts) and used Boss Zhang’s leftover bait. He got two bites: one was a tiny top float, but he was looking at his phone (classic) and missed it. The other was a full sink, but he pulled too late-no fish. After that? Nada. We packed up at 8:30 AM (had to do COVID tests, ugh).

Our total catch? One mullet, three tiny crucian carp. Little Young Guy didn’t want them (his wife hates the smell), so I would’ve taken them… but I forgot my cooler. So we left them in the car (oops, bad move) and did our tests. On the way back, we saw an old guy fishing in a tiny ditch near our apartment-one rod, one line, totally chill. I was like, “Why can’t we be that relaxed?!”

Aftermath: Why We Failed (And What We Learned)

Later that afternoon, I went to Jinzhong River (another local spot) to try again. Guess what? The water was flowing backwards (yesterday west to east, today east to west) and the wind was opposite. I fished two spots, caught two fish: a tiny crucian and a tiny perch. Total bummer. I walked around, and all the other anglers had nothing too. “Yesterday I was killing it, today I’m a loser,” I texted Boss Zhang. He replied: “Welcome to fishing, bro.”

So what did we learn?

• Low water = bad: The river dropped another 10 cm by the time we left. “Rising water = fish, falling water = shrimp” (a old Chinese fishing saying)-it’s true. If the water’s going down, leave. Or use a super long rod (7m+).
• The “bring a friend = no catch” curse: I’ve heard this before-if you catch a lot alone, bring a buddy, and you’ll bomb. Today? 100% true. We had three guys, and the catch was garbage.
• Mullets are jerks (but fun): They fight hard, and they’ll hook you if you’re not careful. But catching a new species? Worth the pain.

Wrap-Up: Fishing Is More Than Fish

Look, today’s catch was terrible. But did we have fun? Hell yes. We laughed at Little Young Guy’s tiny catfish, yelled at the teasing carp, got hooked by a mullet, and took a weird photo of a girl. That’s what fishing is about-the moments, not just the fish. Tomorrow? Maybe I’ll go alone again. Or maybe I’ll bring Boss Zhang, and we’ll bomb again. Who knows? That’s the fun of it.

Oh, and if you’re fishing Heizhu River? Check the water level first. If it’s dropping? Go home. Or bring a 7m rod. Trust me.