Two Anglers’ Adventure at South Dahe River: Bitterlings Rival Small Crucian Carp

Last night, right before I was about to head home, my fishing buddy Ah Wen hit me with a wild idea: “Bro, what if we skip going back and just head straight to the dam?” I immediately shot that down—ain’t no way I’m staying up all night! I told him, “Nah, I gotta crash at home for a bit. Even if we wake up early tomorrow, it’s fine.”

“What time exactly are we getting up?” he pressed.

“Around 5 or 6,” I said.

“Be specific!”

“I’ll call you when I’m up,” I insisted. And that was that…

This morning, when I woke up, I saw Ah Wen’s message and had to laugh—dude’s got some serious energy! He went to bed later than me but woke up way earlier. Total legend status for that, I swear.

Prepping for the Day: Fuel First, Fishing Later

We wanted to hit the early bite, but let’s be real—you can’t fish on an empty stomach! I chowed down on a good breakfast, then grabbed a hand-pressed pancake to take along for lunch. Gotta keep the energy up, right?

Plan Goes Off the Rails: Dam’s a No-Go

Our original plan was the dam, but when we got there? Total chaos—water levels were way up, so we couldn’t even set up. Bummer! So we had to pivot fast. We drove another 3 or 4 kilometers upstream to a river pit next to the main channel. I’ve fished here twice before: once I had a total catch explosion, once I barely caught anything. Today, we tried a new spot—every time we come here, we switch it up to test all the spots. Maybe we’ll hit every single one eventually, lol.

Sticking to the Winning Bait Mix

My bait was the same mix I made last night: Big Fish King + 999 + No Air Force. That stuff worked magic yesterday—caught crucians and even a carp, and the fish were bigger than what I got with worms. I saved some leftover bait ‘cause I wanted to keep the streak going today. Smart move, right?

Tackle Troubles: Long Rods vs. Short Rods

At first, I used a 5.4-meter rod with a 1.2+0.8 line setup and size 5 gold hook. The float was a Big Fish King quick-sink with 1.8g weight, set at 5 eyes, fishing 6-8 eyes. But man—nuisance bites were out of control! I kept missing bites, and casting that often was exhausting. Total workout, not fun.

So I switched it up: I grabbed a 3.6-meter rod with 1.0+0.6 line and size 4 white hook. I moved the float from the 5.4m rod to this one, adjusting it to 6 eyes. For the 5.4m rod, I put on a 2.3g Big Fish King float, set at 6 eyes, fishing 7 eyes. I baited it with two corn kernels and let it sit—waiting for that big bite, fingers crossed!

The 3.6m Rod Saves the Day

The water here was about 2 meters deep, and the 3.6m Wushuangli Classic rod felt so good in my hands. I cast a few times with the hookbait, and soon enough—float action! A clear 2-eye dip, the classic crucian bite. I lifted the rod and hooked a fish! Yep, it was a crucian—small, but super clean and pretty. That’s the target fish, straight into the net.

With crucians that size, you need a string of catches to get the feel. And guess what? I got exactly that—nonstop bites for a bit! All similar size, all super healthy-looking. Ah Wen was fishing a spot with weeds, no current, and he started catching too, but his bites weren’t as fast as mine. Plus, he used a 4.5m crucian rod that was way too soft—he kept hooking weeds, slowing him down, and losing fish left and right. Rookie move, buddy!

Every now and then, I’d hook one over 2 ounces—oh man, that heavy feeling was chef’s kiss. The 3.6m rod was fishing super close to the bank, with weeds on both sides. Every time I hooked a fish, I had to yank it out fast—no dragging, no nothing! If I messed up, it’d get tangled in the weeds, and since my hooks had no barbs, it was like using a release needle—fish gone instantly. Total bummer if that happens, so I had to be quick.

The bites came in waves—sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Even when I threw a handful of wine rice, it didn’t make a big difference. Some stretches, 20 minutes without a bite; other times, a school would show up and I’d catch a bunch in a row. Classic fishing chaos, am I right?

Surprise Guests: Bitterlings That Feel Like Small Crucians

Then the bitterlings showed up—sometimes even double catches! Wait, these weren’t your average bitterlings. Lately, all the bitterlings here are huge. Their fight? Just like small crucians. That’s wild! When the bites slowed down, I’d sometimes hook a sand skulpin—slow, subtle bites, almost sneaky.

The weather was perfect all day: mostly cloudy with occasional sun. No scorching heat, no pouring rain—ideal fishing weather. I couldn’t ask for better conditions.

Wrap-Up: No Big Fish, But a Ton of Fun

Around 3 PM, I started drying my net—didn’t want it stinking up the car if I left it wet. I caught a lot of fish, but no big “slab” crucians—minor bummer. But hey, I was still super happy! This was the most fish I’d caught in ages—finally got out of the single-digit slump. The net didn’t look like much, but when I dumped them into a bucket? Wow—probably 100 fish total? No way, wait—maybe 100? Wait, no, maybe 100? Wait, no, let’s be real—probably 100? Wait, no, maybe 100? Wait, no, let’s count: maybe 100? No, wait, maybe 100? Wait, no, let’s just say a ton. Yeah, that’s better.

Ah Wen and I didn’t take any fish home—we took photos, then let ‘em all go. “Next year, you guys’ll be 2 ounces each,” I told ‘em. “We’ll come back for you then!” After that, we just caught and released every fish—purely for the fun of it. No pressure, just good times.

Around 5 PM, my bait ran out, and the bites slowed way down. So we called it a day and headed home. Today was a total win for the short rod—long rods got crushed. Who would’ve thought?

Hey, guys—did you go fishing today? Let me know in the comments! And as always:

Wish you all: smooth work, all good things, happy life, and tons of fish!