The Top Fishing
Chapter 77 - 077: Hooked a Big Fish

Chapter 77: Chapter 077: Hooked a Big Fish

And considering the fact that they are unpalatable and hard to sell, most fishermen choose to release these emaciated fish back into the water, letting them continue to struggle and grow in places devoid of food.

Allowing these fish to starve, or die in the midst of inter-species predation and the like...

In short, the outcome wouldn’t be pleasant.

At this moment, Wang Bo asked Lin Yang, "Master Lin, logically, such skinny fish should go crazy when they see food. Tai has been baiting this spot for over ten days, so why don’t these fish show any signs of fattening up after eating?"

Hearing this, Li Xiaopeng and Tai also looked at Lin Yang, as they were also unclear about the reason.

Because Lin Yang’s fishing level had improved with the increasing number of fish he caught, and he had also acquired various fishing techniques and experiences,

he quickly thought of some possibilities and said, "It might be that the fish in Heavenly Pit really don’t like the bait you’ve been using, or there could be some large predatory fish in the pit making it too dangerous for the smaller fish to survive. They live in fear all day, thinking the bait you throw might be dangerous too, which is why they’ve been afraid to come near it..."

"I see...," Wang Bo nodded thoughtfully.

"Brother Wang, I remember your truck has a live fish tank, right?" Lin Yang suddenly asked.

"Yes, both Tai’s and my trucks have them."

Wang Bo, looking at the skinny Crucian Carp and catching on, asked, "Does that mean you plan to take these fish out of here, Master Lin?"

"Yes, I plan to release it into a river outside. The river has more food, and the fish should be able to grow bigger if put there." Lin Yang did not particularly like skinny fish and naturally wouldn’t take them home or sell them.

If the conditions allow, he wanted to take the fish out of the Heavenly Pit that lacked food to the broader waters outside.

"That is actually a good idea. After all, the fish living in this Heavenly Pit are suffering."

Wang Bo also strongly agreed with Lin Yang’s approach.

However, it was still early, so there was no need to put the fish into the live fish tank for now; it was sufficient to place them in the fish guard.

Encouraged by the first catch and assured that there were indeed fish in the area, Lin Yang and the others became much more enthusiastic about fishing.

Especially Wang Bo and Tai, who, after catching a fish, believed their efforts had not been in vain, were now very passionate about the possibility of catching more.

But even after finding some methods, because the fish in Heavenly Pit were rather scarce,

it took another half an hour for Lin Yang to catch another Crucian Carp.

It was still quite emaciated and even smaller than the first one, not quite even two taels in weight.

Continuing to fish for another hour, Lin Yang caught two more fish, all skinny Crucian Carps.

Then Wang Bo also caught a skinny Crucian Carp.

As for Li Xiaopeng and Tai, they didn’t catch any fish at all....

This situation left Lin Yang somewhat helpless; after nearly three hours of fishing, the four of them had only caught five Crucian Carps together.

This was also his first such experience since acquiring the Seafood Directory.

But there was nothing to be done. Up to that point, all the fish they had caught were Crucian Carps, and they hadn’t even seen any other species, like the frequently burrowing small white fish or Mai Sui; not even their shadows.

And with the area’s sparse fish population, Lin Yang felt grateful to have caught five fish at all.

The live-streaming audience also found it somewhat dull, with the viewership noticeably dwindling.

Another half hour passed, and it was almost 11:00 a.m. when Lin Yang finally caught his fifth fish.

But this one wasn’t a Crucian Carp; it was a Carp, and not very large, just over half a jin, a juvenile Carp.

However, this Carp was different from the previous Crucian Carps. The juvenile Carp was much rounder in shape.

While it still couldn’t compare to the well-fed Carps in the rivers and ponds, it at least appeared normal.

This was indeed a target species for their trip.

Only one was half a jin, and the other could be thirty or forty jin, with a weight difference that was... nearly endless.

However, Lin Yang was still very pleased, because catching this fish proved that there were Carps here, not just Crucian Carps.

...

Since it was already past eleven, it was almost time for lunch.

That was easy to solve. Before heading up the mountain, they had bought plenty of snacks at the supermarket, more than enough for a meal.

But Wang Bo was clearly not content with just snacking. He went back to his car and took out the meat, green onions, ginger, and rice noodles he had bought that morning.

Then he turned on the portable gas stove at the back of the car and started cooking lunch himself.

The rice noodles of Jiangxi Province might not be very famous nationwide, but they are actually quite beloved by the people of Jiangxi.

Especially in Jiangdong City, there are all kinds of preparations like boiled noodles, stir-fried noodles, mixed noodles, and cooked noodles.

What Wang Bo planned to make was boiled rice noodles.

First, he cut the pork, seasoned it with soy sauce and ginger, and marinated it for a while, then soaked the rice noodles in the heated water.

After marinating and soaking, he stir-fried the pork, poured hot water over it and boiled it, then added the soaked rice noodles, along with some garlic sprouts and red chili peppers for color.

After adding some seasonings like salt, MSG, and light soy sauce, a fragrant boiled rice noodle dish was ready to serve.

"Come on over for lunch!"

Wang Bo shouted towards the Heavenly Pit, calling everyone over for a meal.

Then Tai and Li Xiaopeng immediately ran over, and Lin Yang didn’t continue to wait either. He set his fishing rod properly and took the phone on the stand with him as he followed.

Since the fish weren’t biting well anyhow, eating was the priority.

Upon reaching the vehicle, he took the bowl and chopsticks Wang Bo handed him and filled a bowl with the rice noodles Wang Bo had cooked. After tasting a mouthful of the steaming bowl,

Lin Yang couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up, "Not bad at all, Boss Wang. Your cooking skills are quite impressive, delicious!"

Li Xiaopeng did the same, giving a thumbs-up and saying, "Indeed, it’s pretty tasty. I didn’t expect you, a rich second-generation guy, to be so good at cooking."

Tai on the other hand was more brutish, wolfing down a bowl of rice noodles in four or five bites and then quickly going for another, clearly too familiar with Wang Bo to be polite!

If Wang Bo hadn’t made a large pot of rice noodles—enough to fill a whole big pot—it really wouldn’t have been enough for Tai.

As for Wang Bo, his face turned red for the first time when Lin Yang and the other praised him, and he touched his head, slightly embarrassed, as he said:

"Hey, it’s just a little hobby of mine. When I’m free or out fishing, I prefer to make my own food rather than eat something else. I just practiced it over time."

Lin Yang and the others laughed, nodding and continuing to praise him, because Wang Bo’s noodles were indeed delicious.

Moreover, the fact that a rich second generation had such a hobby in cooking was something Lin Yang had never imagined before.

In a while, the large pot of rice noodles was polished off by the four of them.

Seeing everyone devour the meal without leaving a trace, Wang Bo was also very happy, as anyone who cooks loves to see their food devoured complete— it gave him a strong sense of satisfaction.

After the meal, Lin Yang and the other two helped wash the pots and pans with the water from the car. They cleaned up the site, and then went back to continue fishing.

It wasn’t clear if it was because the temperature rose at noon and the fish became more active, or if the fish underwater grew bolder.

In the time after lunch, their rate of catching fish started to increase, and even Li Xiaopeng and Tai, who hadn’t caught a single fish in the morning, both caught two fish.

Li Xiaopeng even caught a Carp weighing three to four pounds, the biggest fish they had caught so far, which made him extremely excited.

And Lin Yang, with his big fish buff and all kinds of ’magical’ equipment, had an even better bite.

While it couldn’t compare to the bite in black pits and reservoirs, he could still catch a fish about every ten minutes or so, including both Crucian Carp and Carp.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t caught any other types of fish or any larger ones; they were all under a pound.

It wasn’t until around three o’clock in the afternoon that the nine-meter long rod that Lin Yang had been keeping an eye on—with two worms as bait and cast near the edge of the nest—showed signs of the float sinking!

Suddenly, the float dipped completely.

"Cousin, cousin! Your long rod’s float is sinking, it’s sinking!"

Before Lin Yang could lift the rod, Li Xiaopeng, seeing his float sink, immediately jumped up excitedly and shouted at him.

But Lin Yang didn’t rush.

When catching big fish, many people are accustomed to waiting two seconds after the float sinks, as it often ensures the hook sets more firmly. Lin Yang had this habit as well.

So, after the float sank, he waited two more seconds before he sharply lifted the fishing rod.

Whoosh!

The fishing rod broke the water’s surface, arching into a super big bow.

He’d got a bite!

This time, not only Li Xiaopeng but also Wang Bo and Tai were excited.

From the sound of Lin Yang lifting his rod, and the extent of its bend, the fish he had hooked was surely a big one!

Though they weren’t sure if it was the thirty to forty pound wild Carp they were aiming for, at this moment, they were satisfied with any reasonably sized fish.

Because they really didn’t want to catch those small, scrawny Crucian Carps anymore, the ones less than a pound.

Even Wang Bo and the others, who had caught only a few fish and had no bites, weren’t very keen on reeling in those malnourished fish.

Quickly.

Whirr, whirr, whirr—

The sound of the fishing line slicing through the air emerged, proving it was indeed a big fish with a good weight.

The chat in the live stream also became more lively instantly.

"The host finally got a big fish!"

"Been fishing nearly a whole day, and finally got a big fish. It wasn’t easy."

"Judging by how much the rod’s bent, I reckon this fish is at least twenty pounds or more. I wonder if it’s Master Lin’s target fish."

"I just got here, can someone tell me what today’s target fish is for the host?"

"A thirty to forty pound Carp, and it’s a wild one."

"No way, really? The host is actually fishing for such a big fish, and it’s wild fishing!"

"The host is in the mountains right now. At the beginning, he mentioned they climbed up here with an off-road vehicle. It’s as wild as it gets."

"I used to think calling the host ’Master’ was a bit of an exaggeration, but if the host really catches a thirty to forty pound wild Carp, I will acknowledge the title ’Master Lin.’"