From Robinson Crusoe

On the morning of January 1th, I read for a while at home and played with Gray Ball and Little Gray Gray who liked to sleep at home.

After lunch, Chen Zhou took a nap to recuperate. In the evening, he took his fishing gear and led Lai Fu to the familiar lake.

It is already the middle of the dry season and the water level of the small lake has dropped significantly.

The surface of the yellow mud on the shore became dry and hard, and the aquatic plants growing on the mud lay listlessly on the ground. If it were not close to the lake, they would have died of drought long ago.

Chen Zhou has a bad habit when fishing - he always likes to squat in one place, just like a dog peeing at a fixed spot, as if there is a magnet there attracting him.

For a qualified fisherman, changing fishing spots is an essential skill.

Even if it's useless, you can still find an excuse for not being able to catch any fish.

Chen Zhou refused to change, not because he was stubborn, but because he had an unrealistic dream -

If he keeps squatting in the same place, he might be able to catch the fish that slapped him in the face that time.

He always thought it was a shame to let the fish he had caught get away, not to mention that the fish was so big.

In other words, he had no fishing experience at that time. If the experienced old fisherman had let such a big fish go, he would have regretted it so much that he would not be able to sleep for several days. When he was about to die, when his mind was revolving around the moment when the fish dived into the water, the image must have appeared in his mind.

……

Chen Zhou put the fish basket he had woven with hemp rope into the water, placed a small bucket in place, and sat down on a small bench on the shore.

Wearing a straw sun hat, he took out a small clay pot from his backpack. The pot was filled with cooked barley grains, which had not yet cooled down and exuded a unique aroma.

Chen Zhou knew that corn kernels, wheat or bran cakes could be used to bait fish.

But he was reluctant to waste wheat that could be ground into flour, so he took a shortcut and cooked some barley, which had a bad taste and was usually fed to lambs, to see if it could be used to make nests.

The barley grains are cooked after the husks are removed. The grains look like two grains of rice stuck together. When sprinkled into the water, they do not sink to the bottom immediately, but float on the water for a while before some of them sink.

As the grains sink, they continue to emit fragrance.

Many small fish, less than a finger long, came rushing over. The timid ones watched underwater and could only see faint black shadows, while the brave ones rushed forward without hesitation to eat, one grain of cooked barley at a time, their movements were swift and ferocious.

By the time the fish gathered under the wheat grains, Chen Zhou had already fiddled with his new fishing rod and cast the hook.

The bait he used this time was live shrimps. The shrimps were not big, about the length of half a little finger, but they were fresh. He had caught them from a crab cage placed on the rocky beach not long ago.

This unknown shrimp is non-toxic and harmless. It likes to cling to the roots of aquatic plants in the water. Rattan crab cages are also their favorite refuge, which is how Chen Zhou caught it.

The new fishing rod is much longer than the old one, and the fishing line is also longer. The float uses a small piece of foam, which is particularly conspicuous on the water surface near dusk.

After changing to a new fishing rod and fishing line, Chen Zhou can now throw the hook directly into the deep water area - the water depth there is more than three meters. At this time, the light is gradually becoming dim, appearing particularly deep.

Sitting firmly on the bench, staring at the water leisurely, watching the small fish fighting for the wheat grains, but there was no movement of the float, and Chen Zhou was not anxious at all.

He was tired of fishing for small fish like these. If he wanted, he could catch a hundred or eighty fish a day. What he wanted were bigger fish.

After fishing for dozens of times, Chen Zhou's mentality became more and more like that of a real fisherman. He squinted his eyes slightly, and looked as if he didn't care whether he could catch anything or not. He looked at Lai Fu, then at the lake, and remained relaxed.

……

The sun gradually set. Chen Zhou caught a few small fish. After putting them into the bucket, he made another nest and then took out his secret weapon.

It was a ceramic lamp about the thickness of two thumbs, round like a small gourd, with oil at the bottom and a windproof hollow design on the upper layer with a wick inserted inside.

After being lit, this small ceramic lamp can be directly installed on the front end of the fishing rod to attract insects and some fish that are phototactic at night.

The aroma of barley grains is attractive to fish. Coupled with the active insects, some large fish lurking in deep water are likely to be attracted.

Of course, using ceramic lamps to attract fish is not an exclusive secret of anglers, but Chen Zhou’s own idea.

To be honest, using the phototaxis of fish to fish is a science worthy of study. The brightness, placement and color of the light all have to be considered. An inconspicuous small light like this actually has little effect on the fish.

However, Chen Zhou is not a qualified fisherman and has not conducted in-depth research on "fish psychology". Many of his ideas are related to metaphysics and run counter to science.

……

Fish that hide during the day and come out at night are usually larger than fish that are active during the day. After nightfall, the fish attracted by the barley grains gather under the fishing rod and frequently bite the hook.

Some of the fish weighed nearly four pounds. When they bit the hook, I pulled it down hard and I knew I had caught a fish without even looking at the float.

Several "big guys" lived in the rope-woven fish guard, but Chen Zhou was still not satisfied. He wanted much more than that.

That big fish, which was about 60 to 70 centimeters long and weighed more than 10 kilograms, was his obsession. The reason why he took time out of his busy schedule to make this new fishing rod and a stronger fishing line was to deal with that fish.

After taking a nap at noon, Chen Zhou was still energetic at midnight, but his stomach was empty and he felt a little hungry.

He put the fishing rod on the shore with a homemade wooden frame and built a fire behind him. He planned to take advantage of the fact that he didn't have any fishing rods left to fish for a feast.

The cooking seasonings and frying pans were all packed in his backpack, and he was ready to work all night.

The flames of the bonfire rose, and Lai Fu, who was already tired of playing, came over.

The dried branches produce almost no smoke when burned, and they burn fiercely, emitting the unique aroma of grass and trees.

Using the firelight, he picked out a few non-toxic small fish from the small bucket, gutted them, removed their internal organs, rinsed them in the lake water, and set them aside for later use.

The scales of this small fish are very small and become crispy after frying, which does not affect the eatability.

Holding the handle of the frying pan with one hand, I used the other hand to get oil, salt and garlic from my backpack.

Now Chen Zhou has basically achieved garlic freedom. The garlic in the fields is growing more and more, which can fully meet daily needs.

It was really inconvenient to stir the pan with one hand. Just as he was thinking about building a stove or making a stand for the frying pan for the next picnic, Chen Zhou suddenly heard the rack supporting the fishing rod fall to the ground behind him.

The fishing spot he chose had little soil, especially near the lake, which was basically a whole piece of rock, so the sound of the wooden frame hitting the stone was particularly obvious.

The situation changed rapidly. When Chen Zhou put down the frying pan and turned around, he saw in the light of the fire that the end of the fishing rod was like a frightened water snake, whooshing into the lake.

In the blink of an eye, its front half was in the water.

He spent nearly half a month's free time to make this pole. How could he allow himself to be the one making the nest on his first day of work?

In a hurry, Chen Zhou pounced, stretched out his arms and grabbed the tail of the fishing rod.

Fortunately, the rod was long enough, otherwise it might have gone into the water in just three seconds, and who knows where the fish would take it. Without even uttering a curse, Chen Zhou clenched the rod tightly with his fingers, pulling it back while trying to get up.

His face was only a dozen centimeters away from the lake water. The rippling water surface emitted a faint fishy smell mixed with the scent of aquatic plants.

The light was too dim and he couldn't see his face at all. He could only feel the flow of the lake. There seemed to be some danger hidden in the dark and deep waves. It was humanity's fear of the unknown.

It was a big fish that was hooked. When Chen Zhou pulled the fishing rod back, he could feel its determination to escape to the bottom of the water. Its strength was amazing.

Fearing a possible decoupling, he quickly let go of the line after slightly saving the situation, buying himself more room to maneuver.

After finally getting the wet fishing rod in his hand, the fish suddenly began to struggle again, with a strength beyond Chen Zhou's imagination.

Caught off guard, this sturdy adult man was pulled forward a step.

Realizing that his opponent this time was extraordinary, he ignored the campfire behind him, gripped the fishing rod tightly, lowered his center of gravity, stared at the dark lake with eyes wide open, carefully felt the direction in which the prey was fleeing, and began to use his not-so-experienced skills to fish.

Originally, the small ceramic lamp could provide him with some lighting, but when the fishing rod was put into the water just now, the small ceramic lamp was immersed in the water and went out directly.

At this moment, it is impossible to rely on the ripples on the water surface to determine where the fish is. The only way to tame this "violent wild horse" is through this long pole and fishing line.

The lack of information made Chen Zhou extremely nervous.

To be honest, he hasn't felt this kind of excitement for a long time.

Holding the fishing rod, he moved the rod to the left, then to the right, reeling in the line and letting it out.

Chen Zhou only felt his heartbeat accelerating with the repeated struggles of the fish, and a layer of sweat gradually appeared on the palms of his hands.

This is an invisible opponent.

This is a long struggle and also a silent fight.

His attention was completely focused on the fish that were hooked, and he didn't even notice that Lai Fu, who had returned to the campfire, secretly ate the gutted small fish.

……

I don’t know if it’s because of the obstructed vision, but Chen Zhou felt that this fish was bigger than the big fish he missed, and had more energy.

The tense process of fishing slowed down the passage of time. He had no idea how much time had passed since the fish was hooked. He only knew that his arm muscles were becoming sore and swollen, and his empty stomach was expressing dissatisfaction and craving for food.

The steady breathing gradually became rapid, and the long marathon was coming to an end.

Chen Zhou was very tired, but he could feel that the fish was even more tired than him.

Now its struggles are getting smaller and smaller. Although it still has a strong desire to survive, it is getting closer to the shore as the fishing line shrinks. It seems that being caught is its predetermined fate.

The dawn of victory was just around the corner, but Chen Zhou became even more nervous.

He thought of the time he caught a big fish, and how that one misstep led to everlasting regret.

Thinking of the lesson that still made him regretful, it was like an injection of stimulant, forcing him to cheer up.

He slightly turned his body, using the light from the campfire behind him to illuminate the lake surface near the shore to provide himself with some information. At the same time, he tried his best to ensure that this thrilling fishing trip would not end in failure.

The big fish was already at the end of its strength. In the end, it had no strength to pull the fishing rod and could only support itself with its own weight.

Its size was so huge that Chen Zhou could tell how long it was by looking at the waves on the water before it even reached the shore.

“More than 110cm!”

This is a creature that is twice as long as the fish that escaped. It is undoubtedly a giant!

I don’t know how many years it has lived in the deep lake of this isolated island to grow to this size, and I don’t know how it took a fancy to the tiny bait on the hook.

Chen Zhou had no time to care about these things. He only knew that he was going to get rich this time.

The more times had passed, the more cautious he became. Knowing that his net was not enough to catch this guy, he took a risky move - he walked into the water.

Fortunately, I always linger near this stone every time I go fishing, so I have a better understanding of the surrounding water conditions. Otherwise, I would have to walk into the water while retrieving the fishing line, especially in the middle of the night, and if I was unlucky, I would have stepped into deep water and something bad would have happened.

The lake water temperature is not low during the dry season, but it still feels a little cool when you suddenly step in.

No time to take off shoes and socks.

As I stepped into the lake, my calves were instantly soaked and my pants stuck to my legs.

The body sank, and the light from the campfire could no longer illuminate the lake. All that was visible was deep darkness, with ripples vaguely visible on both sides of the fish's body.

Lai Fu didn't know why his master went into the water. He stood on the shore and barked at Chen Zhou, as if he was about to follow him into the water.

Chen Zhou used words to calm Lai Fu's emotions.

At this time, the fishing line had been pulled to the end, and the big fish was in the water less than one meter away from him, with its broad back exposed above the water.

It was very tired, so tired that it didn't even have the strength to wag its tail. Its mouth was open, gasping for breath like a person after a long run.

But even facing such a thing, Chen Zhou still did not dare to be careless.

He tested the water depth with his feet, walked forward a dozen centimeters, then pulled the fishing rod back and tentatively stretched out one hand to grab the fish head, while the other hand still held the fishing rod tightly, for fear of making another mistake by accident.

If he lets this guy get away, he won't be able to sleep well for the next half month, not to mention tonight.

The big fish's head was very hard, and felt like touching a piece of hard stone. Chen Zhou touched down along its upward tilted skull and grabbed its gills.

The fish's body was covered with a layer of mucus, and due to the lake water, it felt a bit slippery to the touch.

Worried that he hadn't caught the fish's gills, Chen Zhou reached inside.

The big fish was stung by his behavior and twisted its body with its last bit of strength, but it couldn't get rid of the hook hanging on its upper lip.

It stared at Chen Zhou's face fiercely, but in such a dark environment, the hateful hunter could not notice its reaction at all.

After making sure that he had held on tightly enough, Chen Zhou pulled the fish towards the shore, causing the front half of the big fish to run aground.

Although it seems to have endless strength when struggling in the water, the weight of this fish is actually not particularly exaggerated, estimated to be only about 45 or 46 kilograms.

If Chen Zhou hadn't eaten, and if fishing in the dark was too exhausting, he would have been able to pull the whole fish ashore. (End of this chapter)