American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 16 Lure Fly Fishing

It was another early morning, and Lin Yu'an went out hungry.

He took out his fishing tackle bag from his equipment pack—it contained various sizes of fishing lines, hooks, and a small number of sinkers. He also took out some secret weapons he had brought with him!

They were several specially made fishhooks, polished to an exceptionally sharp point from high-carbon steel and equipped with tiny barbs, and a small roll of almost transparent but extremely resilient special nylon fishing line.

He did not choose common earthworms or insects as bait because these live baits are hard to find in the low temperature environment after rain, and their activity level is not high.

Lin Yu'an actually made a mistake here; he hadn't thought to bring lures! So he could only use some feathers left over from processing grouse, and then use fine fishing line to cleverly tie the feathers and bark to a specially made hook to make several lifelike small lures.

He waved a finished lure in front of the camera: "Look at this, in clear lake water, this kind of lure can easily attract the attention of aggressive predatory fish."

"If you want to do something well, you must first have the right tools! Today, let's see if we can fish our dinner out of this stream!"

Since he didn't have a suitable fishing rod, he decided to try fly fishing with a handline. He carefully cut a section of about seven or eight meters from the roll of special nylon fishing line. This length was enough to ensure a certain casting distance, but it was not difficult to control without the aid of a fishing reel. He tied the feather lure and the hook to the end of the fishing line and made a sturdy fisherman's knot.

With everything ready, Lin Yu'an stood up, his sharp eyes scanning the water. He loosely coiled most of the fishing line in his gloved left hand, while his right hand held the end of the line about a meter away, and the feather lure swayed gently below.

He began to try casting, first gently swinging the lure to make it draw a small arc in front of him, feeling the weight of the fishing line and the movement of the lure.

He then increased the amplitude and force of his swing, accelerating the fishing line and lure in the air with his right arm, and at the right moment, he flicked his wrist and released part of the fishing line coiled in his left hand.

With a soft whooshing sound, the feather lure, along with its almost transparent fishing line, traced a not-too-long but precise arc in the air, landing lightly on the edge of the backwater near the large blue stone. The landing point barely disturbed the water's surface, only causing a tiny ripple.

After the lure entered the water, it began to drift slowly with the weak current. Lin Yu was completely focused, gently pinching the fishing line with his right index finger and thumb, feeling for any subtle movements coming from underwater.

Occasionally, gently tug the fishing line with your fingers to make the underwater feather lure bounce irregularly, like a struggling insect or a startled small fish, with the bright feathers appearing and disappearing in the water.

He patiently changed his casting points, from the center of the backwater to the edge of the weeds, and then to the vicinity of the rock crevices, while always being careful to avoid snagging the hook on the bottom of the weeds. Every cast and every movement of the lure required him to precisely control the fishing line in his hand.

About half an hour later, just as he cast the lure to the side of an underwater reef, letting it drift naturally with the current, and then gently hooked it with his finger, causing the lure to make a small upward movement underwater.

"despair!"

A clear and brief downward sensation, like an electric current, shot straight from the fishing line into my fingers!
Lin Yu'an's heart skipped a beat. Almost instinctively, he raised his right hand sharply and at the same time tightened the coiled fishing line with his left hand!
"middle!"

A powerful force suddenly erupted from underwater! The fishing line was violently pulled towards the deeper water! Lin Yu'an's right hand ached from the pull. But he gripped the fishing line tightly, not daring to loosen his grip even slightly! He quickly used his gloved left hand to pull hard. Without the cushioning of the fishing rod, he could only rely on both hands to deal with his underwater prey.

"Wow, that's strong!" Lin Yu'an exclaimed, quickly reeling in and out the fishing line with his left hand, trying to control the fish's momentum.

The creature underwater was clearly unwilling to surrender. It thrashed about frantically, leaving trails of water with its fishing line.

Lin Yu'an kept a close eye on the direction of the fishing line, constantly adjusting his standing position and the angle at which he pulled the line. Sometimes he would quickly reel in the line, pulling the fish a little closer to the shore, and sometimes he had to quickly let go of the line, letting the huge force drag the fishing line back into the depths to avoid it breaking instantly.

With a loud "splash," water splashed everywhere! A shimmering silver fish leaped out of the water, violently shaking its head in mid-air, trying to break free of the hook.

Under the sunlight, its unique rainbow-like sheen and a bright red stripe running along its side are particularly eye-catching against the backdrop of water droplets!

"It's a rainbow trout! A beautiful rainbow trout!" Lin Yu'an exclaimed in surprise, and the camera faithfully captured this exciting moment!
After the rainbow trout fell back into the water, it struggled even more fiercely! Lin Yu'an was fighting the fish with his hand line, every bit of force acting directly on his hand. This primal sense of confrontation sent his adrenaline soaring! This feeling was amazing; no wonder there are so many anglers!
He felt the fish's strength gradually weakening, and the distance and force of each sprint were decreasing.

The time is almost right!

Lin Yu'an began to reel in the fishing line with his left hand, while keeping the fish in the tether with his right hand. He slowly backed away, guiding the fish toward the shallow rocky shore. Although the rainbow trout was still splashing on the surface, stirring up waves, it was too weak to change direction.

Finally, he dragged the beautiful rainbow trout little by little to the shallow water near the shore, where it lay on its side on the pebbles, its mouth agape and its gill covers opening and closing.

Lin Yu'an quickly put down the fishing line, stepped forward, and carefully lifted the fish up from behind its gills with both hands.

This rainbow trout has a slender and robust body, estimated to weigh at least three pounds. Its body gleams with a captivating metallic sheen in the sunlight, and its distinctive, iconic red stripe is as dazzling as a rainbow.

He held the fish up to the camera, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement and satisfaction: "Wow! It's beautiful! Guys, look at this rainbow trout! See? A rainbow trout caught by fly fishing with a pure hand line! This will definitely provide enough protein for dinner!"

When the burst of protection comes, there's no stopping it.

Over the next few hours, Lin Yu'an caught eight more trout, each slightly smaller than the last. Although the process wasn't entirely smooth, with several fish breaking the line and getting away, he still managed to have a good catch thanks to his superb skills and excellent patience.

It's definitely not some newbie's halo buff! He believes that once this footage is released, many seasoned anglers will be gritting their teeth and saying how great the resources are.
After preparing the fish by the river, he returned to the permanent camp with his abundant catch, feeling incredibly powerful! He had absolutely no idea what the air force was!

"Look at this, guys. I found a piece of tin foil on the lakeshore. It was probably thrown into the lake by people on the cruise ship and washed ashore."

"The trash that others don't want is the most useful tool to me right now!"

Then, the largest fresh rainbow trout was wrapped in tin foil, a little salt was added, and it was thrown directly into the embers next to the burning fire to roast.

For the rest of the fish, he chose to preserve them by smoking.

He set up a simple smoking rack next to the camp, skewered the cleaned fish with branches, hung them on the rack, and then lit a slow fire below with a mixture of damp pine needles and birch bark, letting the thick smoke slowly smoke the fish.

He boasted to the camera, "Smoking is a very effective way to preserve meat and fish. It not only extends the shelf life but also gives the food a unique flavor. This much fish is enough for me to eat for several days. I can't waste it, so I must handle it properly and preserve it for longer."

When the rainbow trout wrapped in tin foil was taken out of the fire, the moment it was opened, a rich aroma mixed with a faint smoky scent wafted out. The fish meat, roasted at high temperature, became crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, juicy and flavorful.

Lin Yu'an tore off a piece of tender fish meat and devoured it. He quickly finished the whole grilled fish, completely dispelling the hunger in his stomach. In its place was a warmth that spread from the inside out. The ultimate freshness, mixed with just the right amount of saltiness and fragrance, made his taste buds extremely satisfied.

He closed his eyes, exclaiming with rapture, "Guys, if you could ever taste this, you'd understand why so many people are so fascinated by wilderness survival! This pure, nature-derived flavor is something no fancy restaurant can match!"

The rainbow trout's colorful plumage is really beautiful!

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(End of this chapter)