Starting from Robinson Crusoe-Chapter 101 - 37: Fisherman’s Diary (Part 1)

Taking a rare break, after lunch, Chen Zhou indulged in a nap.

When the harshest sunlight had passed, he took out his laser Damascus dagger to fix the wooden rod. Tying a hemp rope to the end, he attached the large iron needle used by the ship doctor for bloodletting, bent it into a hook, and prepared to go fishing.

No skills, no bait nest pack, no suitable bait, no reel, no sinker and no float.

Not even proper fishing line or hook.

Besides, Chen Zhou was a novice in fishing.

Although he often browsed fishing forums, he had never fished in his life. Visiting the forums wasn't for learning, but purely for the fun of it, to see what amusing events or strange creatures the air force guys encountered.

As for those professional spot posts, fishing terms, various fishing lines, and discussion of techniques, he was clueless and couldn't understand a thing.

Before heading out, Chen Zhou had a nagging feeling that the jinx of the air forces had already befallen him, so to avoid coming back empty-handed, he brought along a fishing net.

Of course, he also knew nothing about using the fishing net.

The more stationery a poor student had, the more professional he seemed, though it served no purpose.

He picked up a carrying pole, hanging the wooden bucket with the fishing net and an empty bucket meant for holding fish.

Taking up the rod, he glanced at Little Dragon Cat in the wooden box to make sure it was alive, called for Lai Fu, and set out.

There were two suitable fishing spots.

One was a deep pool at the mountain stream.

The pool's water didn't flow, surrounded by dim light, tall and dense wild grass, with pythons nearby, not a tranquil place.

The other was a small lake formed upstream in the Rock Beach river, it was fresh water, with edges at least two meters deep.

In the dry season, the water level of the stream had significantly fallen, and the lake was probably no longer lush like in the rainy season.

Yet it's a spacious terrain, and the scenery was quite beautiful, a good place for fishing, though a bit further.

Humming a mumbled pop song, he walked leisurely down the mountain.

This path of picking mysterious rewards he'd traversed countless times, very familiar, soon he reached the riverbank.

The condition of the wooden raft stranded at the riverbank looked worse than days ago, Chen Zhou decided to dismantle it and move it to the camp tomorrow. Otherwise, another sun exposure and a rainy soak, it would fall apart.

Walking upstream from the river here, soon he arrived beside the small lake.

The heart-shaped boulder blocking the river's water had more than half of its base exposed, honed through countless ages, showing a jade-like sheen, contrasting sharply with the rough upper stone surface.

After a look around, Chen Zhou casually picked a high spot closer to the lake surface, set down the carrying pole, and began his first fishing experience.

Before casting, he suddenly realized he hadn't brought any bait, and rushed back to the place where he skinned the cat to find intestines.

The cat skin hanging on the tree had sun-dried into a "board", its fur partially peeling off, looking quite poor, even the flies showed no interest.

As for the intestines and stomach lying on the ground, diligent scavenging insects and microbes had already fully decomposed them.

Apart from some new wild grass, there was nothing.

"Off to a bad start, looks like I'll have to dig for bait on the spot."

Fortunately near the riverbank, even during the dry season, the slope's soil was soft, using a sturdy stick, one could dig down.

Using his wide-brimmed hat as a container, Chen Zhou grabbed earthworms while capturing caterpillars and an insect resembling a grasshopper, pulling off its legs and wings, saving it for catching big fish.

Apart from earthworms, there was a big white bug in the soil, quite similar to a pest back in Chen Zhou's hometown called earth silkworm.

They ate crops and fruit tree roots, were very harmful to agriculture, said to grow into dung beetles later.

Influenced by elders, Chen Zhou had no fondness for these since young, he caught quite a few.

Busy for about an hour, the bottom of his wide-brimmed hat was filled with various insects.

The purple-black earthworms were the most abundant, followed by the grasshoppers turned into "insect remnants", unable to jump, lying in the insect heap, bubbling green fluid by their mouths, slightly wobbling their antennae, barely staying alive.

"Top-notch bait, rich in protein, beef-flavored, crispy!"

Holding the wide-brimmed hat, back to the lakeside fishing spot, casually picked a grasshopper, hooked it, cast out the line, watching the ripples spread across the lake, Chen Zhou quietly waited for a bite.

The grasshopper's vitality was resilient, even submerged, unable to breathe, it struggled mightily.

But it had lost the legs and wings for movement, could only continuously twitch its antennae.

Slight ripples attracting sensitive carnivorous fish.

Its ancestors lived and multiplied on the isolated island, never having seen a fishhook, mistaking it as a stupid insect delivering itself, worried peers might snatch it, swaying its tail vigorously, it lunged to bite the insect body.

Already mentally prepared for the first rod taking several dozens of minutes, adjusting to a comfortable posture, hadn't even warmed the seat, when Chen Zhou felt a sinking at the rod tip as though something tugged from below.

"Caught something so soon?"

No reel, Chen Zhou pulled directly upwards.

The fishing line he used was the thinnest hemp rope from the boat, as thick as a pinky finger.

Though anglers believed thin lines had strong concealment, not easily arousing fish suspicion, and were soft enough, having higher bite rates.

But in this undisturbed sanctuary.

For fishing, so many fancy things weren't needed.

Just a rod, a long line, and a hook sufficed for a catch.

As the rod lifted, a slim catfish-like creature with blue-purple scales hung up.

Its eyes were small, from biting too hard, the hook had pierced its upper jaw, at this moment, it was fervently twisting its body, trying to shake free and return to the water.

Grabbing the hemp rope, filled a shallow layer of water in the empty bucket, Chen Zhou estimated the fish's length.

"About seventeen or eighteen centimeters, but too thin, likely less than an ounce in weight.

Still better than those anglers who can only catch stickleback, no idea what this fish is called, let's keep it first."

Struggling to remove the hook from the fish's mouth, tossing it into the bucket, Chen Zhou began to feel the joy of fishing, baited another grasshopper, cast out the hook again.

This wait was shorter, seemingly the instant the hook sank into the water, the hemp rope plummeted down.

"Hit after hit?"

Never fished before, but knowing these terms roughly, Chen Zhou knew this was a good chance, hurriedly pulled the hook.

Yet another blue-purple fish, slightly longer than the previous one, struggling with greater force.

Heard grabbing the gills quickly controlled caught fish, Chen Zhou gripped the slippery fish body, attempting to try.

But this fish wasn't hooked deeply, his fingers hadn't yet slipped into the gill slits when the fish leveraged his hand to break free, plopped down onto the ground.

"Hey!"

Startled, Chen Zhou put down the rod to catch the fish.

Sadly, he was too close to the lake, the fish crazily flailed, covered in grass and Tu Kui, in a blink jumped back into the water, escaping.

"Damn!"

Victory and defeat came too swiftly, catching him unprepared.

Chen Zhou could only mumble, "Lucky you," begrudgingly baiting a third grasshopper, casting the hook more skillfully.

The wild anglers often said—if the butt's in the right spot, even dogs can land a big fish.

This was no lie, a good resource point trumped all fishing gear.

In modern times, finding a barely trod-upon small river or lake was exceedingly difficult.

Reservoirs forbidden for fishing, ponds contracted, famed rivers constantly circled by anglers, riverbank grass stomped flat.

Even secluded mountain woods pools, who knows how many daring anglers camped overnight to guard.

To find resource points, anglers drove and hiked, trekking dozens to hundreds of kilometers, extending to their dreamland, fishing till dark and exhilarating.

Yet those meticulously located sweet spots, for Chen Zhou, merely shifting his seat, going upstream or downstream, were everywhere.

Thanks to the abundant fish resources, his hook always promptly got a response, catch after catch, it seemed like several divers hidden in the water kept hooking on fish, making Chen Zhou bored.