A good article by Jinan fishing friends published in "China Fishing" magazine
Oh, the cock-billed croaker in Xueye Reservoir
Jinan·Gaobaodang< /p>
Xueye Reservoir is located in Laiwu, Shandong Province. The locals affectionately call it "Xueye Lake", and some also call it "Xuehai". The reservoir has a water storage capacity of nearly 300 million cubic meters and is the largest reservoir in central Shandong. Taking advantage of the geographical advantages, it has become a fishing resort for fishing friends from six regions including Jinan, Zibo, Laiwu, Tai'an, Linyi and Weifang. This vast body of water is known for its many fishing spots, large catches and mysterious fishing conditions.
On May 6 this year, my fishing friend Han Lixiang and I drove here early in the morning. This is a famous fishing spot in Xueye Reservoir - Xingjiayu. The night before, I contacted the fish farmers in this water area, Meizi and his wife. They said that the fish production during the May Day holiday was extremely abnormal. Most of the fishing spots were deserted, and only a few fishing spots were unsatisfactory. Following Meizi’s instructions, we set up our fishing gear before dawn. Facing the gushing sun, we started a day of fishing with great expectations. On that day, a level 2 southeasterly wind blew slowly. The ripples on the water surface were chasing each other without any waves. The floats stood still in the water, as if they were welded together. At 10 o'clock, the fine waves bloomed, the wind gradually turned to the southwest, and the float slowly rose up in the sleepy state. Regardless of whether the bait falls off and the float rises or the fish feeds and comes to the stage, lift the rod first and then talk about it. With a flick of the wrist, you hit the fish. In the past 4 hours, a large crucian carp weighing about 400 grams was caught. It was a good fish, and half a day's difficulty was gone. I loaded the bait and put it on again, and 10 minutes later, another large crucian carp was put on that was pleasing to the eye. Waiting silently, waiting quietly. However, he kept watch until the sun set in the west, and the float never saw another movement. Lao Han was even worse. For more than ten hours, the float did not move. Not far away came the low and funny singing of a fishing friend: "Fish, fish, come quickly. If the big fish doesn't come, the small fish will come."
A belief that always lingers among fishing friends Go: If not in the morning, then in the afternoon. If not during the day, then at night. If not today, then tomorrow. The next shot and the next moment are always worth looking forward to. Fortunately, there was still one day left before the long vacation. Lao Hanyi and I made the decision: If we don’t leave, we will waste another day without fighting for our patience and tenacity with this fish. At around 6 p.m., Lao Li, a fishing friend from Laiwu, called: "The fishing conditions in the whole reservoir are not good today. Only the pouty silver carp appeared at the fishing spot at the southern end of Nantian Yizhu Beach. Lao Zhu caught about 12 of them. The big one weighs 2,000 grams." He asked me to quickly grab a fishing spot. This is the first piece of information today that makes every fishing friend’s heart beat with excitement. In the snowy wilderness, the swarming activities of the crocodile are outstanding. As long as you encounter a school of fish, you will be proud for several years. Lao Li is a master of Xueye Reservoir. I fished with him for half a year last year. There were not many opportunities to go short and there were often unexpected gains. For me, who is impatient, there is nothing more satisfying than fishing for croakers. What is even more irresistible is that as soon as they discover this fish situation, every old fishing friend is unwilling to give up this opportunity. They will either occupy the fishing position for a few days, or they will fight with each other and invite friends. , you come and I go, not willing to give up the fishing position to others easily.
Driving 10 kilometers, I came to Nantian Yizhu. It was already dark at this time, and there was no one in the huge fishing ground with more than a dozen fishing positions lined up. According to Lao Li’s instructions on the phone, I placed the fishing position third from the south. Pick up a lamp, install a luminous stick, and adjust the float. At this time, the east wind blew and fine waves crashed on the shore. Generally speaking, it is less windy at night in the snowy fields. The wind and waves tonight seemed to be deliberately difficult, making it impossible for you to stretch your pole. In a daze, Lao Xing, a fish farmer friend, came to pack his things and said, "It's impossible to fish in such a strong wind. Go to bed early to ensure you catch a good fish tomorrow." It was already 10 o'clock when the tent was set up near the water. The stars in the night sky are brilliant, and the lights in the fields are bright and dim. The east wind blew, the waves roared, and the flapping sounds of big fish jumping out of the water came and went. Get into the tent and enjoy this unique music all to yourself.
The dawn is dawning, and the sky and earth are vast. The luminous sticks left overnight have faded away, and the remaining light is still clearly discernible in the dawn. The wind and waves remained unabated, but the sky became brighter and brighter, and fishing friends came one after another. At about 6 o'clock, the float in the wave trough suddenly went dark. Swinging the pole, a cock-billed crocodile weighing about 200 grams flew straight to the shore. This is an old real estate species, and the locals call it "bottom-sticking silver carp." The sudden rise of its back is extremely special, ridiculous and easily identifiable. At this time, fishing friend Lao Zhang, who had slept in the car all night, walked up to the fishing position with sleepy eyes and followed the steps to make a nest and adjust the bait. Under normal circumstances, when fishing for croaker, one should float, but the night before, Lao Li specifically told me: fish at the bottom. Considering the low water temperature, fishing at the bottom makes sense. I also told Lao Zhang: Fish for the bottom. The water depth is 5 meters, using a 5.4-meter fishing rod and the No. 2 main line, you can fish very freely. It was nearly 7 o'clock when Lao Zhang caught the fish. The fishing rod bent sharply and made a squeaking sound. "Carp!" Lao Zhang shouted. After a stalemate for about seven or eight minutes, the fish showed its face. Oh, it was such a big red bream, about 70 centimeters long and weighing about 2,000 grams. This was the largest red bream we had caught in Xueye Reservoir over the years. In the next half hour, Lao Zhang won 4 bars in a row, each weighing more than 1,000 grams. Such a neat and well-proportioned big-mouthed turtle is a surprise. I was 5 meters away from Lao Zhang. I was very anxious as I watched him hit fish one after another while I was motionless. Lao Zhang suspected that my bait was not good and said, "Try it with my food." He hung up the bait he prepared. The effect was still the same. I thought that my fishing experience was older than that of Lao Zhang, and my fishing skills were not much worse than his. What was going on? In the blink of an eye, he caught two more fish. In anxiety, I looked at his float: once the rod was down, the float moved slowly in the current.
The annoying float can travel ten centimeters a minute. As soon as the float is gone, lift the pole and start again. It suddenly dawned on me that he was floating fishing. Quickly lower the float by 15 centimeters. Swinging the pole down, the float slowly stood upright and slowly sank. Suddenly, the float trembled and shook, and a strong force penetrated into the palm of the hand. The heavy gravity made the fishing line squeak. I clasped my hands tightly and moved forward and back with the power of the fish. In 10 minutes, a crocodile weighing about 1,800 grams came into the fish guard. At this time, the sky was bright, so I quickly took out the luminous rod, quickly adjusted the fishing group, and started to enter the formal state.
At 9:20, the wind direction gradually changed from southeast to southwest, and the dazzling sunlight was deflected. At this time, the wind is weaker than level 4, and the float is still moving but at a reduced speed. Fish love appears. At the beginning, the float was light and the rod was swung, but it was empty and it was too early to lift the rod. Then, one point, one sink, lift the rod, and hit the fish. Next, slender figures with handsome figures and big pouty lips followed one after another. Bars weighing more than 500 grams. In previous years, most of the fish caught weighed about 150 grams during the fishing period of the croaker. If you caught one weighing more than 300 grams, you would be very proud. But today, none weigh less than 600 grams. At this time, I vaguely heard a splashing sound under the water, and several bubbles appeared around the fishing point. Experience tells me that when the school of fish comes, the big station is about to come. Sure enough, the float just stood up and sank with a brush. This was a sign of a group of fish competing for bait. Lifting the pole, a fish weighing more than 600 grams was pulled ashore, and when he cast it again, there were actually two fish on one pole, a "double-flying swallow". Next, just cast the correct fishing position and catch the fish. What is puzzling is that there are only three or four fishing positions with fish in the fishing ground that is more than a hundred years old. They are busy here, but the other fishing positions are not moving at all. In this way, it turned into an exhibition match between me and Lao Zhang. Dozens of tourists were attracted by this spectacular scene and became the most enthusiastic spectators, some giving pointers and some creating momentum. Several enthusiastic spectators actually helped unload the fish themselves. Lao Zhang's fishing posture was steady. Every time he caught a fish, he picked it up with a fishing net just like the textbook taught. He was precise and methodical. But I couldn't care less about being so gentle. I would drag a fish weighing 500-600 grams a few times to release my strength and drag it ashore. Another pole went down, and the float floated quietly across the water. It felt like it took longer than normal to float vertically. Swinging the pole, after a pause, the pole suddenly looked like a big bow, and a water arrow was seen rushing towards the heart of the library. In an instant, a huge cock-billed turtle about 1 meter long rushed out of the water and soared upwards. Between the clear water and blue sky, the silver light is brilliant and handsome. Amid people's exclamations, the big object left a beautiful arc in the air, fell into the water with a bang, and the fishing rod was lightened. The big thing that was struggling to reach the sky broke the sub-line and gained freedom. At that moment, everything stopped. The big thing lies numbly in the water, and the fishermen and spectators stare at the lucky ones behind the thrilling scene. Two or three minutes later, the big fish spread its body, swung its dark red tail, and sank its green back into the clear water, leaving behind a whirlpool as big as a basin... At this moment, there was no regret or annoyance of losing the big fish in the past. A kind of joy and blessing suddenly emerged: Go, beautiful elf; go, handsome and strong man! What belongs to you can never be taken away by others.
After updating the fishing hooks again, I discovered that all five pairs of fishing hooks that had been tied the day before yesterday had been replaced within an hour. There is no other way, just use brain line No. 2. Looking back, Lao Zhang was also in a hurry. Not only did he break two pairs of brain wires, but what was even more annoying was that he pulled away two lead seats. In a hurry, he went around asking for figure-eight rings from fishing friends he knew well. I asked him what he wanted the figure 8 ring for, and he said to make a fishing rig. I said, "Can't you cut a piece from another fishing line and connect it?" He patted his thigh and said, "That's right." Looking at the fishing group composed of two connecting pins instead of 8-shaped rings, the thick The old stupid man makes people laugh.
The fishing situation is urgent, there is no hunger, no thirst, and no concept of time. The high-intensity and large-scale action of collecting fish makes one's arms numb and the right hand trembles. Change a pair of fishing hooks and cut the brain line three times before cutting it off.
The new brain line fishing rig is thick and strong, and it catches fish continuously. Ha, at this moment when the fish are feeding crazily, there is only a problem that the fishing gear is not strong, not that it is not working well. At this time, you can also catch fish with a straw rope. After another pole went down, the float turned over and stood up, revealing its 2 cm long floating body. The blue top of float No. 5 is particularly clear and eye-catching. Instinctively, I swung the rod tip, and the rod tip bent sharply. I couldn't lift the rod body at once. I raised my hands violently, and the rod body was led by the fish to swing left and right, but it couldn't reach the 70-degree angle. In the stalemate, there was a bang. The main line was broken in the middle, and the fish took away the line group, but luckily I was left with a float. My friend Lao Zhang volunteered: "I'll catch the float, and you quickly change the line." This time, I took it out to catch carp. The big line, No. 3 main line, and No. 3 big drift. I didn't have time to test the depth, so I looked at Lao Zhang's fishing line, made an estimate, and then threw the bait into the water. God, I still keep catching fish.
At 12 noon, the fish situation is temporarily suspended.
By 3 pm, another 7 fish were caught. It seemed that the fish were getting smaller and smaller. It’s really fun. This is the most rewarding and richest experience I’ve had in seven or eight years of fishing. Put the pole away, Lao Xing pulled up the fish guard and exclaimed: "It's 80 kilograms." One count: 54; one weighing: 30.5 kilograms. Those are all cocky mouths. Oh, Xueye Reservoir’s fishing time for the fish is earlier this year. After the wheat harvest, it is the peak fishing season, and I don’t know what the situation will be like at that time.
The magical Xueye, the magical Qiao Zui Quan!