Wild River Fishing Round 2: The Shenji Rod Delivers Again!
Let me tell you, my wild river fishing trip yesterday was an absolute banger—nonstop bites, a bucket full of fish, the whole nine yards! I cleaned up the catch late at night, snapped a quick pic, and sent it to my family group chat. I didn’t check my phone again until I was heading to bed, and there was my sister spamming heart-eyes emojis. I turned to my wife and said, “Tomorrow after I take the kid for a COVID test and drop him at school, I’m heading back to the river to catch more for my sister.”
Now, my sister is the ultimate little-brother simp—she spoils me rotten, and my wife’s gotten a ton of perks from it too. So when she waved me off and said, “Go ahead, find a good spot,” I was already mentally replaying every black bobber dive and topwater bite from the day before. I could barely sleep, y’all!
Morning Prep: Chasing the Early (ish) Bite
First thing in the morning, I herded my kid into the COVID test line. Yeah, COVID’s still a thing, but I figured fishing alone by the river was way low-risk—hardly anyone ever goes out there. By the time I dropped him at school, it was 9 a.m. I booked it home, grabbed my 4.5m Shenji rod, my line setup, a folding stool, and tossed everything in the trunk. I hit the gas, and by the time I pulled up to the river, it was almost 10 a.m.
I stuck to my same spot from yesterday. Before I left the day before, I’d dumped half a bag of old Laotan bait—stuff had been open so long it was starting to sour, and I mixed in my leftover bait too. I figured the fish had probably cleaned that out hours ago, but I crossed my fingers and tossed in two handfuls of rice bran just in case.
Game Plan: Switching It Up for Colder Weather
On the way, I stopped at a tackle shop and grabbed a bag of earthworms. I was brainstorming my strategy the whole drive: first, hit the spot with rice bran to prime the area, then keep casting with prepared bait to draw in fish. If the bites slowed down, I’d switch to worms—colder weather means live bait hits way better, right? Fish go crazy for something wiggly when it’s chilly.
Setting Up: Bait, Rigging, and Adjustments
For my prepared bait, I mixed store-bought formula with rice bran—today I used Blue Crucian since my old bait was gone. The rice bran was Laotan’s Vita Rice, which is just corn grits, not nearly as good as the round little millet from Wuliangyou. I let it sit extra long, then kneaded it a bunch to make sure the bait balls would be nice and round when I cast.
I didn’t think I’d need to adjust my bobber at first—fished the same spot yesterday, after all. But today was calm and sunny (I even brought my umbrella, total win), and when I started casting, I only got tiny nibbles I couldn’t hook. Turns out the water level dropped a bit overnight! I added some lead to my rig to reset the depth, then got back to casting nonstop. C’mon big crucian carp, where you at?
The Bite Starts: From Tiny Nibbles to Nonstop Action
First, I caught some tiny fish I didn’t even care about—tossed ’em right back. I kept casting steadily, though. I remembered a Deng Gang video where he said bait cloud speed doesn’t directly draw fish in; it’s the scent that lures them in. The cloud just makes them more likely to bite once they’re there. So I kept at it, knowing if I kept the bait coming, the fish would show up eventually.
And show up they did! For almost an hour, I was reeling in fish left and right. The bites were nonstop—my Shenji rod was working overtime. But then the action slowed down, and I could tell the smarter, warier fish were left. Time to break out the worms.
Worm Switch: Outsmarting the Wary Fish
By 1 p.m., my bucket was already half full—most of those fish came from the prepared bait, but once the bites died down, I switched to earthworms. Those tricky old carp couldn’t resist the wiggly bait. Every time a bobber dipped, I hooked one.
While I was fishing, I started daydreaming about my next trip. Since no one else fishes this stretch of river, I thought I’d try setting up multiple spots: drop bait in a few places, then move around to whichever one is biting. It’s like traditional walking fishing, but with my modern rig—why not mix it up? I only wish I’d thought of it today!
Wrap-Up: The Random Catch and Responsible Release
I was about to pack up when I noticed a crayfish bouncing around in my bucket—still have no clue when I hooked that thing, maybe when I was filling the bucket with water? But the presence of bitterling fish told me the water quality is top-notch; those little guys only live where there are clams, which means the fish here are super clean to eat.
I sorted through my catch: kept all the bigger crucian carp (perfect for soup or frying) and tossed all the tiny ones back. If we want to keep having great fishing spots, we’ve got to practice catch and release with the little guys. It’s just common sense!
Final Thoughts (and Tips!)
By the time I packed up, my arms were sore, my clothes smelled like river water, and I had a bucket full of fish to bring to my sister. It was a perfect day, and I learned a few tricks I’m dying to test next time:
- When the prepared bait bite slows down, switch to live bait immediately—worms are a game-changer in cold weather.
- Don’t skip resetting your bobber, even if you’re fishing the same spot—water levels can drop overnight without you noticing!
- Multiple bait spots might be the key to nonstop action, especially on quiet stretches of river.
Everyone’s river is different, so take these tips with a grain of salt. But if you’re looking for a way to shake up your cold-weather fishing, give these tricks a shot. Let me know how it goes—feel free to drop your own wild river hacks in the comments! Tight lines, everyone—may your bobbers never stop dipping!
