Fairy Lake, located in the southwest of Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, 16 kilometers, the lake water is crystal clear, the scenery is pleasant, there are more than 100 large and small islands in the lake.
Fairy Lake is an artificially constructed lake, which belongs to the Jiangxi Scenic Area and is included in the fourth batch of national scenic spots.
In addition to being a scenic spot, another important reason why Fairy Lake is known nationwide is that the lake is rich in wild fish.
Once a local fisherman, caught a 134-pound wild herring in the Fairy Lake, which caused an uproar in the fishing circle, so many anglers came to fish.
A 134-pound herring caught in Fairy Lake
So, how did he catch this big herring ashore? Fairy Lake has not dried up for 60~70 years, are there any bigger fish in it?
01
It all started two years ago
One day in early May 2021, Mr. Zhang, a citizen from Xinyu, Jiangxi Province, was already sitting on the shore of Fairy Lake before dawn.
Although he came early, Lao Zhang did not come here for morning exercises, let alone to enjoy the lake view, but hoped that the big fish under the water would bite the hook quickly, because Lao Zhang had been fishing here for nearly a week.
It is understood that Lao Zhang came to Fairy Lake to fish this time, mainly to catch the big herring in the Fairy Lake, because the herring likes to inhabit deep water, so he chose the fishing position near the chestnut tree with a deep water level.
Anglers often say: "If you want fish to go ashore, you need to exchange food" Lao Zhang In order to catch a big herring, he also made a lot of money.
I bought more than 300 catties of snails alone, 100 catties of fresh corn, and some finished granules and so on, which cost more than 2,000 yuan just to make nests.
As the saying goes, "there must be a brave man under the heavy reward", although the nest is heavy, but it may not be able to catch the wild herring in the fairy lake, because the big fish can be met but not sought.
Fishing for big fish has to be patient, Lao Zhang sat on the shore of Fairy Lake for a day, at this time he has been fishing here for 6 days in a row, but the float is floating on the water without moving, so far nothing has been found.
At about 10 o'clock in the morning of the same day, the float, which was more than 30 meters away from the shore, suddenly sank and then stopped moving, which caused Lao Zhang to chuckle in his heart, but he estimated that the big fish had already entered the nest.
Because in freshwater waters, the only fish that like to eat snails are herring, and the nest material and bait used by Lao Zhang are all snails.
About half an hour later, the drift in the distance suddenly went black, Lao Zhang hurriedly picked up the fishing rod and raised the rod to stab the fish, the effort paid off, and the big fish finally took the bait.
According to Lao Zhang: "When raising the rod, it may be too strong, and the fishing rod is instantly bowed by the impact of the big fish, but fortunately, the rock fishing rod is used, and the fishing wheel can be put on the line, otherwise at that moment, the fishing line may be broken." ”
Although it is a rock fishing rod, the line can be released when the big fish is exerted, and the fish is not easy to break the line no matter how big the fish is, and this fishing method is specially used to catch deep water big fish.
However, because the herring caught by Lao Zhang was too big, it took more than 3 hours to walk the big herring out of the water and successfully catch it with the help of others.
The moment the big fish surfaced, the crowd of onlookers on the shore began to discuss, and some people estimated that the fish was at least 70~80 catties.
Some people also say that it is definitely more than that, it is as fat as a pig, and this fish is at least 100 catties up.
With the enthusiastic help of the fishing friends next to him, several people worked together to help Lao Zhang carry the herring king into the trunk of the car.
The big herring fish that Lao Zhang fished from Fairy Lake was weighed by actual measurement, and its body length was 1.7 meters and weighed 134 pounds, which is equivalent to the body of a slightly chubby adult.
02
Fairy Lake with abundant fishery resources
Fairy Lake, formerly known as Jiangkou Reservoir, was started on August 1, 1958, and is one of the four major reservoirs in Jiangxi Province after completion.
The Jiangkou Reservoir Dam is a rolling earth dam with a maximum height of about 78.36 meters, a height of 33.36 meters, a length of 467 meters and a width of 10.5 meters.
The normal water level of Jiangkou Reservoir is about 70 meters, the basin area is about 3,900 square kilometers, and the reservoir capacity is 890 million cubic meters, which has made great contributions to local flood control and flood control.
The construction of the Jiangkou Reservoir is used to generate electricity, and it also takes into account the integrated water conservancy projects such as crop irrigation, shipping, flood control and drinking, and the dam has a total of 8 auxiliary dams and 2 flood outlets.
After the local government developed the Jiangkou Reservoir in 1992, in order to enhance the popularity of the scenic spot, it was officially renamed Fairy Lake after 1995.
The water quality of Fairy Lake is crystal clear, and the lake is rich in fishery resources, inhabiting a large number of crucian carp, carp, grass carp, mandarin fish, catfish, silver carp, bighead carp, warped mouth and herring, as well as aquatic animals such as soft-shelled turtle, river shrimp, yellow eel and loach.
Among them, the "four major carp" of silver carp, herring and grass carp are the most, with an annual catch of more than 6 million catties and annual sales of more than 50 million.
Fairy Lake fishery resources are abundant, rich in more than 20 kinds of fresh fish, can catch bighead carp, herring, silver carp and other aquatic products 6 million catties every year, the annual output value of more than 5,000 yuan.
Fairy Lake Fishing
03
Fairy Lake has caught a record of large herring over the years
Fairy Lake has been famous in the fishing circle for a long time, although the network was not developed at that time, but the whole country fishing friends know that the big herring in Fairy Lake is very large.
During the National Day in October 2012, a local fishing enthusiast in Xinyu City used corn, sweet potatoes, snails and other baits to make a nest in the Fairy Lake to catch the big herring in the Fairy Lake.
It wasn't until the afternoon of October 6 that the float standing in the water suddenly went black, and after more than 40 minutes of pulling, the 1.3-meter-long, 68-pound wild herring was fished ashore.
A large herring caught from Fairy Lake by passers-by
On August 30, 2013, the owner of the fishing tackle shop in the north of Xinyu City and his friends fished for herring in Fairy Lake, and caught a wild herring weighing 70 catties that night.
The 70 catties of large herring caught by the owner of the fishing tackle shop in Xinyu Shuizhongqing
On October 25, 2013, a Yuan Laohan from Fenyi County, Xinyu City, came to the shore of Fairy Lake early in the morning, because tomorrow is Yuan Laohan's birthday, so he plans to catch some wild fish in Fairy Lake, so as to prepare some fresh ingredients for tomorrow's birthday.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Laohan actually caught a big herring in Fairy Lake that day, and the big fish was hooked from biting the bait at 7 o'clock in the morning, and it continued to pull for nearly 2 hours before the 1.5-meter-long and 75-pound herring was caught.
A photo of Yuan Laohan catching a herring at that time
One day in early May 2017, a fishing enthusiast from Xinyu caught a wild herring with a body length of 1.45 meters and a weight of 80 catties in Fairy Lake.
A photo of a large herring caught by a Xinyu angler at that time
According to Xinyu local fishing friends, the fairy lake has not dried up for decades, although there are many big herring in it, but ordinary people really can't catch it.
04
Fairy Lake with big fish
As the saying goes: "People are afraid of being famous, pigs are afraid of being strong".
The 134-pound "herring king" of Fairy Lake was quickly spread on the Internet after being fished ashore, and anglers from all over the country came one after another, all looking forward to fighting with the big herring in the lake.
In late July 2021, the fishing master Li Damao also came to Fairy Lake to fish for herring, although he failed to catch a huge object weighing hundreds of kilograms, he also harvested a 40-50 kilogram milk green.
In late October 2021, an angler used snails, corn and pellet bait to make a nest to lure fish, and then used a larger snail hook to fish, successfully catching a wild herring weighing 93 catties.
On the evening of November 5, 2021, a fisherman from Zhejiang caught a 96-pound herring in Fairy Lake.
The herring caught by Li Damao in Fairy Lake
05
Are there any bigger fish in Fairy Lake?
It is understood that there are a lot of herring fish in the fairy lake, especially the most individuals weighing 20~30 pounds, and there are many anglers who catch them every year.
Although there are not many herring fairy lakes weighing more than 100 catties, there are still some in them, and the 134 catties of herring fish that have been caught may not be the largest.
- Why?
According to the Fairy Lake Fishing Team, the last time a herring weighing more than 100 catties was caught was on September 23, 2023.
Combined with the fact that in recent years, the Fairy Lake has caught a number of herring groups weighing more than 90 catties, which is enough to show that there are not a few herring fish of more than 100 catties in the Fairy Lake, and there are still larger herring fish, after all, the Fairy Lake has not dried up for decades.
The hundred-pound herring caught in Fairy Lake in 2023
- If there is a big herring, why can't you see it?
You can't see herring, which is related to the habits of herring. Herring is a demersal fish that prefers to inhabit deep waters throughout the year, especially in dams, canyons, and deep pools.
In addition, although the herring is one of the "four big fish", its character is the opposite of grass carp and silver carp, and the herring does not like to jump on the water, which is one of the main reasons why you can't see herring.
Finally, about whether Fairy Lake can be fished, it is understood that Fairy Lake can be fished, but you need to apply for a fishing license, the cost is 350 yuan a year, or a single charge of 50 yuan.
But I heard from local fishing friends that the Fairy Lake is not as good as you imagined, and even anglers who have obtained a license are reluctant to go, because the lake is often fished, and it is common to catch nine out of ten.
But then again, 350 a year is not very expensive, as long as you have time to guard the herring, even if you catch a herring weighing dozens of catties a year, it is enough to return to the capital.
To be honest, fishing seems to cost nothing, but does it cost less in a year?