Fishing in the wild is difficult, even in this fishing paradise at the estuary. It took more than ten minutes to hear the bell ring. Fang Yang got up from the deck chair, pulled the fishing rod out of the fishing tube, and saw that the float had sunk into the water. He gently lifted the rod and felt a pull. He had caught it!
"How big was it? How big was it?"
Seeing that Fang Yang had a fish on the hook, Mo Zhen and Chen Chen immediately put away their fishing rods. The two were too close together, and the fishing lines would easily get tangled together.
"Based on the saying 'one pound of fish equals ten pounds of strength,' this fish must have the strength of a hundred pounds. Mo Zhen, go and get a waist protector; we'll have to hold out for a while!"
Fang Yang felt a sharp pain as the fishing rod pressed against his abdomen. The rod bent high, and he let out a little line. The fish then swam straight to the bottom of the water with the line.
Mo Zhen quickly ran to the storeroom to find Fang Yang a waist brace. As she fastened it for him, she said, "A hundred-pound man? That's probably a bighead carp, isn't it? Otherwise, how could it be so big?"
While struggling with the large fish underwater, Fang Yang laughed and said, "Who knows? Isn't that what fishing is all about—the unknown? Don't you anglers say that the joy of fishing is that you never know what you'll catch next?"
Chen Chen chuckled and said, "Your awareness shows you're not far from becoming a true fishing master. Keep up the good work, young man, you could be the next king of the fishing world!"
Fang Yang wanted to laugh. Chen Chen's behavior was just like a pyramid scheme brainwashing people. In order to recruit a like-minded person, they were willing to put the best crown on the other person's head, but they did not think that with great power comes great responsibility. Not everyone is willing to bear such a burden.
Fang Yang had fished in the sea before, and although he hadn't caught any big fish, he still had some experience. Besides, the fish in the river were less aggressive than real sea fish. In less than half an hour, he had the fish brought to the shore, where Mo Zhen quickly scooped it up with a net. Chen Chen recognized it at a glance, "Hey, it's a seven-star sea bass. This fish tastes good."
Mo Zhen used a hand scale to hold the fish by its mouth, lifted it up and looked at it. "Not bad, eight pounds and one ounce. It should be the king of this river."
Fang Yang changed his bait and continued casting. "I've got a fish for steaming. Let's see who's lucky enough to catch another one to make sliced fish."
After casting his line, Chen Chen lay down on the deck chair. "With such a commotion just now, I won't be able to think about it for a while. I'll rest for a bit, and I should be able to catch a fish soon."
Fang Yang downed the remaining half bottle of drink in one gulp, exhaled a breath, and felt the humid air flowing in the river. "If you want to cool off, this riverside is the best place to escape the heat. It's a pity that the willows here haven't grown up yet, so the riverside scenic belt is just a name."
Chen Chen stretched his body. "Rome wasn't built in a day. It takes time. This can't be rushed. When spring comes next year, we'll see that things are changing every day."
Fang Yang smiled, watching the water surging in the river, and asked, "Do you think the water in the Qiantang River is salty or fresh?"
"I bet it's bland. This is river water, not seawater, so where would the saltiness come from? Besides, the fish we caught were all freshwater fish, isn't that obvious?"
Mo Zhen was the first to jump out and object. If it's salty, how can freshwater fish survive in it? Isn't that ridiculous?
“Indeed, I also think it should be freshwater. We fish here every day, so we can tell whether the water is salty or freshwater. Besides, the entire West Lake City gets its drinking water from here. If it were seawater, how would we drink it?”
Chen Chen is experienced. Although he has never tasted it, he can tell at a glance that there is a big difference between seawater and freshwater. When he was in Shanghai, he often went to the Bund and could smell the fishy smell of the seawater.
Mo Sang, who had been quiet for nearly half an hour, suddenly chuckled, “What you both say makes sense, but it’s not comprehensive. You should know that this place leads directly to the sea, and it’s also home to the world-famous Qiantang River tidal bore, which comes with seawater when it’s high.”
Chen Chen's eyes widened. "You're saying the water in the Qiantang River is salty? How is that possible?"
Mo Sang shook his head. "Yes and no. It's mostly fresh water most of the time. You're right that almost all of Xihu City's drinking water comes from the Qiantang River. The water quality of the Qiantang River is excellent. The daily water supply along the river is basically all from the Qiantang River. But there is an exception, which is when the tide is high. At this time, the tide carries a large amount of seawater back up, so the river water is salty at this time!"
"I didn't know that. I've really learned something new, Mr. Fang. Did you already know this all along?"
Mo Zhen looked at Fang Yang and asked, "When the tide comes in, what if a lot of sea fish come in with it? Do you think we might catch some lobsters or big blue crabs?"
Fang Yang shrugged. "You'll know once you try it. The first and fifteenth of every month, as well as the entire eighth month of the lunar calendar, are all times of high tide. Especially the eighteenth of the eighth month, which is a particularly high tide, especially since this section is the main section."
Mo Zhen scratched his head. "I really didn't notice that. I was so busy watching the tide that I didn't remember fishing. But now that you've said that, I have an idea. Anyway, our dike is high and sturdy, so we're not afraid of the tide coming in."
Fang Yang sneered, "You call yourself an old angler, but you don't even know that big fish can be caught in big waves? You're just a half-baked angler. You'd better stop bragging in front of me in the future!"
Mo Zhen patted his head for a moment, then sighed in despair. He had little experience and hadn't tried sea fishing much. He deserved to be discouraged.
Chen Chen smiled and remained silent. As a veteran angler, he naturally knew this principle. Moreover, he had lived in Shanghai for many years and was an old angler who occasionally went out to sea for fishing. How could he not know these things? He just hadn't experienced it. Who would fight against strong winds and waves if they weren't professional fishermen? Besides, ordinary fishing boats wouldn't dare to leave port in such big winds and waves!
In the end, Mo Sang, who had been keeping quiet, caught his second fish. It wasn't a big one, just over two pounds of silver carp. It was good enough to make fried fish pieces.
Mo Sang's first catch sparked a flurry of bites for the group. The initial bait started to work, and fish began to come and compete for it after the bait was spread out. That's why there are so few fish in the river. For more than half an hour, apart from Fang Yang's lucky catch of one fish at the beginning, no fish had taken the bait.
They fished until 7 p.m., then packed up their fishing rods. There were more than a dozen fish in the bucket, weighing about 20 kilograms, enough for them to have a hearty meal. Fang Yang had been craving this for a long time. Although he had eaten a lot of fish on the warship, the way it was cooked was different. Fang Yang was craving the sliced fish that Luo Cheng made, cooked in the Sichuan style with a perfect balance of numbing, fragrant, and spicy flavors!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com