Chapter 4 First Fishing Attempt

As for what to do next, Chu Mingcheng hadn't figured it out momentarily.

He temporarily couldn't travel far, and the only tools available for fishing in the marine life guide he unlocked were his hands and fishing gear.

This indicated he could go tide pooling and fishing, but renting a boat to fish was out of the question for now.

Perhaps, he could start by buying a fishing rod.

As an office worker, Chu Mingcheng had time for tide pooling and going out to sea during his holidays, but he had never tried fishing.

Mainly because this entertainment was addictive, he was worried that he might not be able to control himself after getting involved, so he had never tried it.

Now that he had resigned, fishing would probably become his main occupation.

But lacking experience was also troublesome. After looking up plenty of basic fishing knowledge at night, Chu decided to start with freshwater fishing.

Mainly because sea fishing was costly, and as a newbie, he might not get the hang of it; it was better to start with freshwater fish to practice.

The next day, not having to work, Chu Mingcheng slept until he woke up naturally and picked up his phone to see it was just after nine in the morning.

He usually got up at eight thirty for work, so it seemed he was accustomed to waking up around this time.

Not lingering in bed, he got up and washed, only to realize there was nothing to eat at home.

"Ah, it looks like I really need to go tide pooling to gather some food," he sighed.

Income from freelance work was unstable, especially tough at the beginning, so Chu decided to save wherever possible.

Later, when his income became somewhat stable, he wouldn't need to be so careful.

Leaving through the back door, he drove to breakfast.

His home was located more inland, far from the sea-crossing bridge, and it was surrounded primarily by older residents, so there were no breakfast places nearby.

For breakfast, he had to drive for about fifteen minutes to get near the bridge.

Near the beach on the island, there were many guesthouses and hotels, hence plenty of breakfast spots.

A serving of glutinous rice and a bottle of fresh milk would cost him eight fifty, money was indeed hard to come by nowadays.

After eating, Chu Mingcheng went to a fishing supply store to purchase fishing gear.

There was a suitable fishing spot on the island, a reservoir on the hilltop not leased out by anyone, he decided to fish there.

Today, he planned to catch some Crucian Carp and later buy a bottle of beer to make a beer fish dish.

For Crucian Carp fishing, depending on the season, the fishing line setup differed.

Like now in early autumn when the temperature was still high, the line setup was typically a 0.6 sub-line and a 1.0 main line, using size 3~4 hooks.

When the temperature dropped, it could be set up with a 0.4 sub-line and a 0.8 main line, with size 2~3 hooks.

Of course, the size of the Crucian Carp and whether it was in a farm pond or the wild also made a difference.

The fish in the reservoir were generally stocked, and no one specifically leased Yanmen Island's reservoirs for breeding as people here didn't much like freshwater fish, so the fish were all wild.

Chu Mingcheng wasn't sure about the size of the Crucian Carp there, so he bought a box each of 0.8 and 1.0 sub-line and main line, along with 1.2 main line, four boxes in total.

Each box contained eight rolls, each roll 4.5 meters.

As for hooks, he bought sizes 3~4, which were sufficient.

For bait, he bought the old three varieties: wild blue Crucian, 918 wild battle, and quick attack 2, which could also be said to be the best bait for beginners.

Since the temperature was still high, he chose the yellow-scented 918.

The fishing supply store had a complete range of baits, and with the owner's recommendation, he also bought two bottles of sake rice and a bag of corn for bait prep.

Having purchased his items, he spent over a hundred bucks. Chu Mingcheng couldn't help but click his tongue, even freshwater fishing was costly, let alone sea fishing which was certainly not affordable for the average person.

"Boss, recommend some auxiliary rods, I am going to the hilltop reservoir for Crucian Carp. A 4.5-meter one would suffice, something affordable," he requested.

After a night of researching basic fishing knowledge, Chu Mingcheng was able to get a rough idea about which fishing rods and lines should be used for specific types of fish.

"We're fishing for Crucian Carps at the mountain reservoir!" the shop owner pondered then took out a dark blue fishing rod, "This is the Han Top fourth generation 28-tune fishing rod, moderately flexible, more suitable for you to fish for Crucian Carp and other small to medium-sized fish in the reservoir."

"The price isn't expensive, just 150, quite suitable for a beginner."

Chu Mingcheng picked it up and immediately liked it.

"Can you make it cheaper, boss, how about 130?"

"Oh, this price is already very low, I'm not making much profit from it. How about this? I'll throw in a bobber and a safety rope for free, and you stop talking about the price."

Males, in general, are not as good as women in bargaining, so when the owner said that, Chu Mingcheng felt embarrassed to continue haggling.

As a result, he took his purchases back to the car, pulled out his phone to check online, and suddenly slapped his thigh in annoyance, "Damn, got ripped off!"

The same fishing rod only cost 130 online, he had been fooled out of twenty yuan, a huge loss.

However, since the shop owner gave him a bobber and a safety rope, he felt awkward about going back to discuss this issue, and considering online purchases would take at least two days, the time cost was higher, so he let it go.

He went to the market to buy some vegetables and rice, then headed home to make lunch.

These days, a man without good cooking skills is embarrassed to talk about dating.

He quickly whipped up two dishes for lunch, Chu Mingcheng didn't immediately go fishing; instead, he took out the quilt to air and simultaneously began cleaning.

It wasn't until around three in the afternoon that he roughly cleaned the house, and then he began preparing the bait.

Getting the mixture right was important, Wild Blue Crucian and 918 each composed 40%, and Speed Attack 2 only needed 20%.

It's tricky to say the exact ratio of water, generally between 0.8 and 1.1. Speed Attack 2 should be added last to absorb the water.

In theory, this was indeed correct, but as Chu Mingcheng looked at the overly watery bait, he could only emotionlessly continue to add more bait, only stopping when the slurry thickened.

After letting the prepared bait sit for five minutes, he grabbed his fishing gear and bucket and set off.

The reservoir wasn't far, located at the mountain peak, just about twenty minutes by car.

By the time he arrived, a few people were already fishing at the reservoir, though it wasn't crowded.

It made sense, though, being on Yanmen Island, why would anyone fish for freshwater fish! When he had bought the fishing rods in the morning, he had seen quite a lot of people standing on the rocks fishing for Sea Bass, and their ferociousness in fishing was unbeatably thrilling compared to freshwater fishing.

Moreover, there were many aquaculture ponds in the town by the sea, among them some abandoned ones still harbored many Sea Bass and Mullet, the knowledgeable ones all ran there to fish.

Chu Mingcheng didn't go for sea fishing because he wasn't sure if his rod was suitable.

Being just a beginner, improper handling might break the line or unhook the bait, and a broken rod would mean a troublesome trip back to the fishing gear shop for a replacement.

He just wanted to get a feel of fishing by starting with Crucian Carps.

After parking the car, Chu Mingcheng, with his equipment, casually found a secluded spot near the water where he could vaguely see traces of underwater plants, a hiding spot favored by fish.

The reservoir was large and not crowded, making it easy to find a good spot.

If you want to catch fish, you trade with grains.

Chu Mingcheng's purchased sake rice and corn finally came into play as he grabbed a handful of sake rice and scattered it on the water surface about five meters away.

His fishing rod was only 4.5 meters; this distance was just perfect.

After setting the nest, he would typically need to wait about half an hour for it to take effect, but he didn't want to wait.

He tied the fishing line and hook, set up the stand, and arranged the bucket and folding stool he brought from home.

Following the strategies he had read about, he adjusted the float to show four marks above the water surface, though he was just giving it a try.

As for finding the bottom before adjusting the float, understanding half-water depth and such, he currently couldn't grasp these, so he just went with it!

He pinched out a bit of bait, rolled it into the size of a peanut, and split it into two pieces before hooking them onto the hook.

With a fishing rod, no casting was needed; you simply had to lift the rod, release the fishing line he was holding, and the weight naturally carried the hook towards the water surface above, then he just needed to time the entry of the hook into the water correctly.