The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 30: Targeting the Big Ones

Chu Mingcheng never thought he'd be the kind of guy to spend so much money on equipment, but holding his new gear, all he wanted to do was find a spot and start fishing.
The reservoir on the mountain certainly held some big fish, but he'd been going there every day and was getting a little tired of it. He decided it was time for a change of scenery.
There weren't many great fishing spots around Lecheng. Most of the rivers were polluted, and while there had been cleanup efforts in recent years, they hadn't improved much. Since he planned on selling his catch, he couldn't in good conscience sell fish from those rivers. It just felt wrong.
His target, therefore, was one of the larger rivers. Zhejiang province had plenty, with the Qingjiang River to the north and the Ou River to the south being the closest to Lecheng.
Chu Mingcheng pulled out his phone and checked the map. The Qingjiang was over thirty kilometers away, and the roads were in poor condition. The Ou River, however, was only thirteen kilometers away, a straight shot down National Highway 228. Was there even a choice?
The Ou River was.
He went home, scooped up Mimi, and set off. He hadn't brought her along before because they weren't close enough. But now that Mimi had started acting affectionate and letting him pet her whenever he wanted, she was becoming a proper housecat. It was time to take her fishing.
About twenty minutes later, Chu Mingcheng arrived at his destination. The access point from Highway 228 was near the mouth of the Ou River, where it met the sea. He could see a few other people fishing in the area. Many anglers came here for sea bass, and with a bit of luck, the rewards could be good.
This year, Zhejiang had implemented a fishing ban for the first time across its eight major river basins, including the Ou River. The closed season was from March 1st to June 30th, during which all fishing activities were prohibited. But it was October now, well past the ban.
Chu Mingcheng didn't stop at the estuary. He drove a little further upstream. His targets were the three major freshwater species: black carp, grass carp, and bighead carp.
He found a good spot with fewer people, hauled his gear out of the car, and set up. Mimi trotted alongside him for a couple of trips before hopping onto a small stool and lying down flat.
Chu Mingcheng just focused on his work. The cat had gotten much lazier since moving in with him, showing none of the usual liveliness of a tabby. At least she still caught the occasional mouse.
He set up the rod holder first. He was using a 6+4 line setup with a size 10 Iseama hook, a rig suitable for fish up to twenty
jin
. He might hook into smaller fish like topmouth culter, too.
Once everything was ready, he placed the rod on the holder and pulled out a basin. He opened a bag of "Wild Assault" milky-flavored groundbait—a freebie from the shop owner—and poured it into the basin. The owner had given him two bags. He then added two bags of fermented rice, also courtesy of the owner. He mixed it all with water, kneaded it into six fist-sized balls, and tossed them into the water a short distance in front of him.
With the chum in the water, he now had to wait an hour.
Waiting for an hour with nothing to do was pretty boring, so Chu Mingcheng pulled out his lure rod to see if he could catch something for Mimi's dinner. He picked out a seven-gram spoon lure. The weather was still warm, so predatory fish like culter would be active in the upper and middle layers of the water.
Swoosh!
With a flick of his wrist, the spoon soared through the air, landing more than twenty meters out. As he retrieved the line, the lure darted and wobbled, flashing brightly in the water. The first cast, naturally, came up empty.
China has abundant fishing resources, and it's rare to get completely skunked when you're bait fishing. Lure fishing, however, is a different story. The resources for it are much scarcer. You can bait fish almost anywhere, but to lure fish, you need to be in a spot that holds predatory species like culter, snakehead, mandarin fish, or bass.
These species are far less numerous than bait-fishing favorites like crucian carp and common carp. That's why lure anglers often went home empty-handed, while bait fishermen rarely did.
Chu Mingcheng was cast more than twenty times without a single bite. Although this was normal, he still felt that lure fishing wasn't suited for beginners. The constant lack of action would quickly extinguish any newbie's enthusiasm.
But by now, more than half an hour had passed. His groundbait was probably starting to work. He cast the spoon toward his chummed spot. Unfortunately, the wind and the inaccuracy of his spinning reel made it difficult. After several attempts, he still couldn't hit the exact location.
It didn't really matter. As long as fish were drawn to the groundbait, they would be attracted by the nearby lure.
Sure enough, as he was retrieving the line, the spoon gave a sudden flip and vanished. A second later, the rod tip plunged, bending sharply.
Finally, a fish!
A jolt of energy shot through Chu Mingcheng.
He was using a medium-action lure rod today, and this fish was a fighter. The entire rod was bent into a deep U, nearly doubled over. Chu Mingcheng angled the rod to the side, steering the fish to the right. The line went taut, making a series of beautiful, zinging sounds as it sliced through the water.
After two or three minutes of back-and-forth, the fish's energy was spent. It rolled onto its side and floated to the surface. It was a topmouth cultur.
Chu Mingcheng quickly reeled it in. He didn't even need the landing net; he just grabbed the line and lifted it out. He used a hook remover to grip its lip, forcing its mouth wide open, and retrieved the spoon. He then estimated the fish's weight. Not bad at all—1563 grams, just over three
jin
.
"Meow~!"
Seeing the fish, Mimi could no longer stay put. She hadn't had her dinner yet! She hopped down from the stool, rubbed against his pant leg, and let out a sweet, delicate cry.
"It's for you, don't be impatient!" Chu Mingcheng chuckled. He'd thought she was a cool, aloof cat, but she'd turned out to be an affectionate glutton.
He tossed the culter onto the ground. Mimi pounced, sinking her teeth into its head. But a three-
jin
fish was a bit too big for her. When the culter thrashed its tail, she was forced to let go and look for another opportunity.
Seeing her struggle, Chu Mingcheng took a dagger from his toolkit, held the fish down, and quickly dispatched it, doing her a favor.
That made Mimi happy. She latched onto the fish's head and started to eat, making purring and smacking sounds.
Watching her eat so happily brought a smile to Chu Mingcheng's face. He checked the time. It had been about forty minutes since he'd laid the groundbait. Although it was best to wait an hour, it was close enough. He took out two bags of bait—one fragrant, one fishy—and mixed them in the basin, using less of the fishy one, with a water-to-bait ratio of about 0.9 to 1.
He kneaded the bait into a large ball, then pinched off a few smaller, meatball-sized pieces. He put one on the hook, lifted his long pole, and carefully placed the bait in his chummed spot. He attached the safety lanyard to his wrist. Now, all he had to do was wait for the float to go under.
He turned back to watch Mimi eat. A sudden inspiration struck him. He pulled out his phone and started filming her. He shot her from the side, the front, close-up, and from a distance, only stopping when Mimi, finally full, had licked all the blood from around her mouth.
He was definitely going to make fishing and beachcombing videos in the future. For now, filming Mimi eating fish and mice would be good practice for his editing skills.
The culter was more than half-eaten. Chu Mingcheng picked up what was left and tossed it back into the river, a gift for the next unknown, lucky creature.