The Top Fishing
Chapter 103: Fishing for Turtles

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Fishing for Turtles

Lin Yang arrived at the riverbank with his fishing gear. This time, he had set up two fishing spots: the first was baited with pig intestines to attract turtles, and the second was a regular Crucian Carp spot.

Actually, these two spots were completely different.

For turtles, which prefer shady areas, he needed to cast in spots under trees or beside aquatic plants where sunlight couldn’t reach, whereas the Crucian Carp preferred warmer waters, necessitating a spot in the sunny shallows.

While waiting for the turtle spot to get some action, Lin Yang started fishing for Crucian Carp. He might not claim to be the strongest, but he was certainly at a master’s level now.

A few minutes after his first cast, the float dipped, and he hooked his first Crucian Carp—a nice-looking two-ounce wild one.

With the first small fish in the bag, Lin Yang continued to fish. After waiting for three or four minutes, he hooked a second one, then a third followed two or three minutes later.

The pace at which he was catching fish sped up, and by the time he caught the seventh, he was almost in a rhythm of non-stop casting.

Just then, a fellow angler got up and walked over to him. It was none other than Brother Aquatic, whom Lin Yang had met before at this spot.

Brother Aquatic had also come to fish today, and at first he didn’t realize it was Lin Yang. But the more he watched, the more something seemed off. How could this guy have started hitting fish immediately upon arriving?

It was only when he got closer that he realized it was Master Lin fishing for Crucian Carp.

"Lin Yang, little brother, you’re here fishing again? I haven’t seen you in a long time!"

Hearing the voice and looking back, Lin Yang quickly recognized the person as Brother Aquatic: "Si Ge? What a coincidence, you’re fishing here too."

"Yeah, there haven’t been any better spots around lately, so I came back here to try my luck. It seems like you’ve got a good spot, catching fish one after another," said Brother Aquatic as he walked over and glanced at the fish guard Lin Yang had placed on the ground.

"It’s okay, since you’re here, why don’t you fish in this spot!" Lin Yang suggested, pointing to the Crucian Carp spot.

"What, you’re giving up your spot right when you’ve started getting hits?" Si Ge asked, puzzled as he saw Lin Yang offer him his spot.

"I’m not leaving. I’m just going to fish for turtles over there. That’s my main goal for today," Lin Yang said with a smile, explaining his purpose for the day.

"Turtles? They ain’t easy to catch." Hearing Lin Yang’s plans, Brother Aquatic couldn’t help but laugh.

Having fished here for so long, Brother Aquatic knew that although many had caught turtles by luck, fishing specifically for them was not an easy task.

"I’ll give it a try. I don’t have anything else on today anyway."

After that, Lin Yang cleared the spot for him and went to prepare his tackle. This time, he was using a high-carbon hook.

Speaking of hooks, many anglers are probably familiar with Ishiyaki and the like. These are not brands but different models.

The Ishiyaki hook has a slanted mouth, while the Ishiyaki is flat. It’s that simple.

The strength of a fishing hook is mainly related to its carbon content. Like with swords and knives, the lower the carbon content, the weaker the hook and the easier it bends. Yet, on the upside, it has a lighter weight, making it easier for the fish to take it into their mouth.

Conversely, the higher the carbon content, the stronger the hook, and the less likely it is to bend. However, it’s also more brittle and likely to snap under high tension—and heavier too.

So, when fishing, choosing the right hook is essential.

Today, Lin Yang was using a hook with an extremely high carbon content, because the biting force of a turtle is terrifying.

An ordinary hook wouldn’t withstand it, so he needed this extra hard hook to prevent it from bending or breaking.

After choosing the right hook, he selected a very stiff 3.6-meter fishing rod. He got ready with a small iron ring, then hooked a piece of pig’s lung and cast it into the water where he had baited with pig intestines.

Watching Lin Yang’s actions, Brother Aquatic, who had already moved over to the new spot, shook his head with a smile. He didn’t quite believe Lin Yang could catch any turtles. In his opinion, fishing for Crucian Carp was more reliable than aiming for turtles.

With a flick of his light rod, he cast into the river. Before long, Brother Aquatic had his first fish of the day, while there was still no sign of any activity from Lin Yang.

Seeing this, he became even more convinced in his belief, thinking that perhaps he might catch more fish than Lin Yang today. Now that would really be something to show off!

Just as he was happily reeling in several fish, Lin Yang suddenly stirred. All eyes turned to see the typically composed Lin Yang suddenly lift his rod, the fishing line going taut in an instant. The creature in the water, perhaps feeling pain, began to back away slowly. The slicing sound through the water even shocked Brother Aquatic.

It was clear that Lin Yang had a bite!

"Did he really catch one?" Si Ge watched Lin Yang in amazement.

At that moment, Lin Yang released the small key ring from the tip of his rod. The key ring flew swiftly down the fishing line without any obstruction, bypassing the space beans and lead sinker, and struck the head of the struggling turtle beneath the water.

Startled by the hit of the ring, the turtle immediately released its grip from the stone. Lin Yang’s high-tensile rod showed its strength in that instant.

With a quick lift of his hands, he brought the little turtle swiftly to the shore.

Upon reaching the shore, the turtle tried to escape, but Lin Yang wouldn’t let it go.

He firmly held it down on the bank, and then used the scissors he had prepared beforehand to remove the fish hook from inside its mouth. As soon as the fish hook was out, the turtle tried to attack Lin Yang but was casually tossed by him into a fish cage nearby.

This fish cage was an enhanced version he had been rewarded with last time; not only was it large, but it was also tough, which a turtle like this one couldn’t bite through.

"Wow, you actually caught it!"

"Haha, just lucky, I happened to prepare some pig intestines and pig lungs that the turtles love to eat."

Lin Yang zestfully placed the turtle into the cage. Although it only weighed around two pounds, catching it proved that his method was effective.

He checked the fishing line assembly and found no issues with it, then re-baited with pig lungs and cast it near the pig intestines again.

About fifteen minutes later, Lin Yang felt a heaviness in his hand, a sign that another fish was on the line.

Instantly, he jerked upward, hoisting in pain as the turtle attempted to retreat. At that moment, the small iron ring struck the turtle’s head, and it stopped resisting, allowing Lin Yang to pull it out of the water.

"Second one now, two more and that should be about enough!"

After removing the fish hook, Lin Yang also tossed the turtle into the fish cage. He took a glance at the hook; indeed, the turtle put up quite a fight, as his high-carbon steel hook was almost damaged. Had it been a low-carbon hook, it might have been straightened out by now.

To be cautious, he swapped out the fishing hook for a new one, then baited it with pig lungs again and threw it back into the water.

Another seven or eight minutes later, he felt the weight in his hand again; Lin Yang knew the third one had taken the bait. By now, catching turtles had become routine for him.

As Lin Yang kept pulling turtles out of the water one by one, Brother Aquatic on the side found fishing for crucian carp was getting dull. After catching a few more, he moved closer to Lin Yang to watch him catch the turtles intently.

Almost another half-hour passed, and Lin Yang had caught six turtles. When he pulled up the seventh one from the water, he decided not to fish anymore.

"That’s enough; I won’t fish anymore. I guess there aren’t many turtles left in this river."

Lin Yang looked at the turtles that probably weighed around seventeen to eighteen pounds in total. Even after butchering, discarding the shells and such, the remaining meat was more than enough for a meal for his family.

"Impressive, truly impressive. I didn’t expect you to be so good at catching these things!"

As Brother Aquatic looked at the turtles in Lin Yang’s fish cage, he couldn’t help but give Lin Yang a thumbs-up.

"Hey, it’s just good luck. Since I got plenty today, I’ll give you one!" Lin Yang placed the last caught turtle, weighing about three pounds, into Brother Aquatic’s fish cage.

They were friends by now, and Brother Aquatic would occasionally bring small gifts during Lin Yang’s livestreams.

After all, in life, it’s all about giving and taking.

"Then I won’t be shy about it." Seeing Lin Yang putting the turtle directly into his fish cage, Brother Aquatic was no longer reserved.

Afterwards, Lin Yang packed up his things and drove away, leaving Brother Aquatic alone to continue fishing.

...

When he got home, it wasn’t yet twelve o’clock, and his family hadn’t started preparing lunch yet.

Lin Yang immediately took out the turtles he had just caught, intending to have his mom make a special dish for noon. When Mr. Lin walked over and saw the small turtles Lin Yang had caught, he was immediately astonished.

"Son, where did you get so many small turtles?"

Being an expert, he could tell at a glance that although these turtles were pearl turtles, they were clearly wild-caught.

The firmness of their rims and the vitality of the turtles were something even those raised in wild nurseries couldn’t match.

And although Lin Yang and Mr. Lin called them ’small turtles,’ in reality, these turtles had long reached adulthood.

Normally, farmed turtles can grow to around two pounds in two years, while those in wild ponds need about four or five years to reach the same weight.

As for wild turtles from natural water bodies, they need at least five or six years.

Therefore, they can rest assured that they were not eating juveniles. Besides, even if they were juveniles, it would actually be appropriate, since pearl turtles are an invasive species that escaped after being farmed.

Such species, just like tilapia and scavengers, should be culled rather than protected.

Old Lin picked out two turtles to prepare a braised dish for lunch, while Lin Yang found another bucket to keep the remaining four turtles.

Since Lin Yang was home these days, Yue’er had also stayed around the house. Lin Yang planned to give her one when she came over the next day.