The Top Fishing
Chapter 563 - 248: Water Monster in the River

Chapter 563: Chapter 248: Water Monster in the River

"So the natives have an air force too, huh."

"Hearing that the locals also experience days without catching fish makes me feel much more balanced. Even with all the great resources of the Amazon Rainforest, they face blank days. It seems that going fishless is a universal experience for anglers around the world."

Lin Yang brought up a new topic and repeated the netizens’ question, asking, "Could you talk about the experience of catching the biggest fish? With so many bottom-fishing attempts, there must have been times when luck was on your side, right?"

After Sun Zheng translated, Tataro continued his story: "When I was very young, around seven or eight years old, my grandfather once caught a Big Catfish that weighed over 300 pounds!

He used the traditional handline bottom-fishing technique. Alone in a canoe, he battled the fish for more than five hours before he finally subdued it. The thing that struck me the most was the size of the fish’s mouth; it was even bigger than the basin we used for cooking at home.

My father warned me not to swim carelessly during the rainy season, as I could be swallowed whole by such a big fish. That fish haunts my childhood memories as a nightmare!

Later on, as I grew up fishing with my father and setting traps, we caught fish over 200 pounds. I remember once pulling down a branch of an acacia tree near the shore and using a little device to create a spring trap, and unexpectedly caught a big one.

The rope we used for fishing was a special type that only the locals could make, which became extremely strong after being soaked in oil. Throughout the entire night, the Big Catfish struggled with the thick branches of the acacia tree after being hooked.

When I arrived at the trap site the next morning, the Big Catfish was already taking its last breath."

"Also, my most recent catch of a giant catfish was in October two years ago, when I was hired by a man who was said to be an American adventurer to help him catch giant catfish by hand. We persevered for 11 days, fishing at several marked spots every night.

Just when we were about to give up, luck was on our side. He encountered the legendary big one, and I assisted him in fighting the fish for more than three hours. However, we had a bit of bad luck, as the line snapped at the very last moment, and we could not successfully land the fish.

From the glimpses of the fish on the water’s surface, I could roughly guess that this fish was even bigger than the one I caught in my youth — it was a water monster of at least over 300 pounds!"

In the first half of the story, when Tataro talked about his ancestors’ fishing experiences and the decreasing number of fish in the rainforest, the live chat was quite active with various discussions.

But as he moved on to his experiences of catching big fish, including Lin Yang, everyone was mesmerized by what was being told, and the chat fell silent for a short while.

Just as Lin Yang was also deeply moved by the shared memories of the fish and filled with wonder, suddenly the bell attached to the tip of the rod went off frantically.

Lin Yang felt a stirring in his heart and reflexively gripped the fishing rod that was resting at the side of the boat.

As he firmly held onto the rod, an indescribable tremendous force transmitted through the tackle into his hands. In the first round after the fish struck, he almost lost his footing and was nearly pulled into the river.

The strength was simply too great!

Compared to the steady force of the giant bone tongue fish earlier, this fish’s burst of power at the moment it got hooked far exceeded Lin Yang’s expectations.

Fortunately, Tataro reacted quickly, grabbing him by the waist, saving him from the danger of being pulled into the water.

"We’ve got it, a Big Catfish, a really big one!"

Once he recovered, Lin Yang immediately slightly released the drag to let the line run out, while excitedly shouting a warning to his companions.

Even though the strength of the fishing rod was definitely sufficient, the pressure on the line and hook was still immense when facing the assault of such a huge creature.

The only advantage was that they were currently on the main channel of the Amazon River, where the water was wide and without much debris, and with over 300 meters of line on the reel, giving him more time to react and handle the situation appropriately.

"Pull up the anchor, Tataro, I’ll hold onto Master Lin, you pull up the anchor, we need to chase the fish with the boat for such a big one or it’s too easy to lose it!"

Sun Zheng also stayed clear-headed in the crucial moment, firmly holding the hem of Lin Yang’s clothing while reminding Tataro to pull up the anchor.

The giant creature in the water was still desperately running, and the current setting of over thirty kilograms of drag was doing nothing to stop its powerful surges.

The constant clicking sound of the line running out was unbroken, and in less than 20 seconds, at least half of the line in the spool had been taken.

At this, the live stream erupted in excitement.

"Holy cow, what is this thing? Why is it taking line so fast? The previous giant bone tongue fish felt like the hook was stuck in a water buffalo’s behind, but this one feels like it’s on a speeding off-road vehicle!"

"Be careful, anchor. You almost couldn’t stand your ground just now, and it was only Tataro’s timely grab that steadied you. Falling into the water in the dark would be dangerous."

"The anchor was so prophetic with this big, sturdy rod, extra large reel, and line setup, providing a great sense of security at the crucial moment."

"Here it comes, here it comes, bringing with it a new world record. Be safe and careful to land the fish."

After more than half a minute, Tataro finally managed to pull up the anchor, and by that time, only the last third of the line remained in the spool.