Micro-lure fishing a mountainous stream in Zhejiang China
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It was a cloudy Sunday afternoon in May. I called upon my friend, Weiyi, for a spontaneous fishing trip to a nearby mountain stream. As a true fishman, Weiyi happily accepted my last minute proposal without hesitation.
A creek was wandering along the way like a mischievous boy playing hide-and-seek with us. We were heading upstream to look for a native species called Makou (Opsariichthys bidens). In about 20 minutes driving, we got to a small village at the foothill. Thiss part of the creek was damed and became quieter. Many pole fishermen were fishing along the bank. However, our target fish is not going to be found here. We got to hike.
By the time we got there, it started raining. It was not heavy and only made the scene mellow. Mountains far away were veiled with a silky fog, creating an intriguing silhouette, from which a winding stream was sprung. After sliding down a bamboo forest and wading through a rapid rain discharge, we found a perfect spot. The stream slowed down a bit and nurtured some bushy vegetation right after crossing a bridge. The water was clearly revealing pebbles and lightly moss at the bottom. We pulled out our micro spinners. They are extremely small spinners with the blade the size of a watermelon seed (for those who don’t know that watermelons have seeds, it is about the size of, if not smaller than, your pinky fingernail). Before long, the lure got hit and at the end was a beautiful fish with a foamy shining color. I carefully unhooked it. Resisting the urge to keep it any longer, I let it go. I couldn’t help but smell the hand that just handled the fish. There was a little lingering fruity smell. It is defintely the best smell fish I ever had in my hand. The subsequent casts kept yielding more. They were all about the size that nicely fit into my palm. They were tiny but delightfully active. I had a lot of fun.
Makou resembles a Chinese virtue of being untarnished. It lives in the mountains and puts itself in clear mountain springs. In contrast to big fish in lakes and rivers, it forgoes the chance of being big in size but keeps itself pure. Thanks Makou for biting. It is great to know that you are there sound and happy.
PS: a companion video will be published later featuring the tips from Makou master Weiyi. Stay tuned!
