“The basin is convenient, we’ll need to hook it later. I’ve organized the main line and branch lines, five sets in total. I’ll teach you how to coil the last set on the boat, it’s a technical skill.”
"Okay, I'll listen to you today."
As he spoke, Ye Cheng jumped onto the tricycle with the 50 fish traps and special bait he had exchanged with points. Only then did he notice a large, soft plastic bag at his feet, emitting a strong smell.
"Uncle Duan, what's this again?"
"This is the bait. I've gathered some earthworms and some cheap small fish. I'll chop them up and hook them in a bit."
"Okay, this bait is good. I can smell it from 800 meters away. Tonight is bound to be a big harvest."
"Hahaha, every time I go out to sea with you, it's a huge success!"
After calling Xiaohu, the three of them arrived at the dock. The trawl net on the small boat hadn't been repaired yet, so this time they would use a ground cage and longline fishing.
The small boat set sail. The three men had little to do at sea, so they chatted and smoked, and time flew by.
This time, Duan Chunsheng had Ye Cheng drive to the vicinity of the island where coconut crabs are caught, intending to set up nets there.
Ye Cheng first stopped the boat, and then the three of them together put bait into the fish trap.
Duan Chunsheng looked curiously at Ye Cheng's special bait.
"Cheng, what is this thing you made of? It has no taste at all. Is it even good?"
"Uncle, don't worry, this is a secret recipe, it's no worse than your rotten fish and shrimp."
"So what if the fish and shrimp are rotten? Let me tell you, I even let them sit for a while, and the smell is even stronger."
Ye Cheng smiled.
"If we're talking about strong flavor, I feel like next time we should just hang up Little Tiger's socks, that would definitely be stronger than yours."
"Bro, you're resorting to personal attacks again."
"I'm just telling the truth. Tell me, do your socks smell bad?"
It's quick for three people to set up 50 traps.
After setting up the fish trap, Duan Chunsheng brought over the longline fishing rod that wasn't finished.
"Come on, let me explain how to do it."
"Look, this is the main line, and these are the branch lines. We need to coil the main line and put it in the basin. And these branch lines all have fishhooks on them. We need to hang the fishhooks outside the basin."
As he spoke, Duan Chunsheng took a few more floats and explained,
"This is a float, used to control the depth of the hook. Today we're fishing for bottom-dwelling fish, so the float needs to be light to let the hook go down. Next time, if we plan to fish in the middle or upper layers, we'll need to use a larger float. You understand?"
"I understand, it's just like a trawling net, except how long is the main line? I think it's several hundred meters long." Ye Cheng felt a chill run down his spine looking at the basin full of main line.
“Your line-lifting machine is broken, so I made the shortest line possible. This set of lines is 300 meters long. When fishing for bottom-dwelling fish, the spacing should be larger, 3 meters per ditch. So, one set of lines has 100 hooks.”
If you're fishing for surface-dwelling fish, you can space the hooks even closer together, about one hook every 1.5 meters.
As Duan Chunsheng spoke, he picked up a plastic basin and demonstrated to the two of them.
"This time, the 300-meter section can be placed in a basin, but the 500-meter section will need to be placed in a basket, otherwise it won't fit. The main line needs to be wound around and around, don't rush, make sure it's neatly arranged, otherwise it will get tangled up and cause a huge headache."
He explained very carefully, and Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu listened attentively.
Actually, you don't need many skills; what you need more of is attentiveness. After Duan Chunsheng finished explaining, Ye Cheng basically understood.
It's a bit of a hassle, not as convenient as kicking the cage open.
There are a total of 6 sets of lines. After winding the lines, you add the bait.
This is real work; there's no way to cut corners. You just hang things on hooks one by one.
There are 6 sets of lines and 600 hooks. The hooks aren't very big, and after hanging them, they can't be messed up.
Damn it, after hanging it up, Ye Cheng felt his eyes were blurry and he could see double.
"Uncle, this longline fishing is so troublesome, isn't there an easier way?" Xiao Hu couldn't help but complain.
“We’re fishermen, we’re here to fish. There’s no such easy way. If there were, everyone would be rich, and we wouldn’t have to work so hard,” Duan Chunsheng said.
Fishermen have never been a wealthy class, but Ye Cheng remembered watching some documentaries before. The fishing boats of foreigners in the Arctic were very impressive. They were all automated and didn't need many crew members. However, they would be at sea for almost a month at a time, braving the wind and waves. They looked incredibly awesome.
When I have more money in the future, I'll see if I can get automated equipment. Automation is better; manual is just too damn tiring.
The three of them managed to hang all 600 hooks and then attach floats.
Duan Chunsheng told Xiao Hu to drive the boat slowly, not too fast.
He and Ye Cheng stood at the stern and began to cast the line. Casting the line was easy; after throwing down the float at the end of the line, the coiled line was then lowered into the sea.
"Look, don't go too fast. If you go too fast, it will cause problems if you pull too quickly. If it gets stuck when you log off, just pull it with your hand." Duan Chunsheng explained patiently.
The second set of lines was Ye Chengfang's. Although he was a little nervous, it went relatively smoothly, mainly because Duan Chunsheng's lines were well-arranged.
After placing three sets, Duan Chunsheng had Xiaohu turn around and place three more sets outside the three sets of lines, parallel to each other.
"Alright, the line is all laid out. Get a hook tomorrow, just grab the float and pull it up. Oh, and it would be best to fix the rope-lifting machine, otherwise it'll be a bit difficult to pull it up by yourself."
"Okay, I'll have the repair shop come and fix it tonight. There should be enough time."
After setting out the line, it was time to set the fish traps, which was relatively simple. Duan Chunsheng suggested setting them near the island, and Xiao Hu did as he was told. The two of them then threw them all into the sea at equal intervals.
That's all done. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning.
So, although the preparation for longline fishing is a bit tedious, the fact that you don't have to wait in the middle is quite good.
The three of them sailed back to the dock, a little after dinner, neither too early nor too late.
Xiao Hu went to the dock repair shop to urge them to fix it, while Ye Cheng and Duan Chunsheng rode their tricycles back to the village.
When Ye Cheng returned to the village entrance, he took a special look and found that no one was gathered together. That damned Li the Cripple probably hadn't posted the notice yet.
Who cares? Anyway, I still have a few copies left. If Li the Cripple doesn't put them up, I'll put them up myself.
After dinner, Ye Cheng called Duan Yong and Yuan Jiansheng over again to go see the crayfish.
"Brother, look, we've already put these juvenile shrimp into the nursery pond, and they're growing very well." The two men led Ye Cheng on a tour.
Ye Cheng turned on his flashlight and looked around. The pond was covered with a lot of aquatic plants, and there were many crayfish attached to those plants.
These aquatic plants provide them with shelter, and the shrimp usually climb on them.
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