usenovelonline Chapter 417 Artificially Creating Schools of Fish for Baiting
Chapter 417 Artificially Creating Schools of Fish for Baiting
Chapter 417 Artificially Creating Schools of Fish for Baiting
The two laughed and joked around in the warm tent for a while, then Lin Yu'an sat back down in the folding chair that resembled a commander's throne, his expression becoming focused once again.
"Alright, Noah, it's time for us to get down to business."
He took out the old shrimp paste and wheat bran lump that the Northeastern brother had given him, which was wrapped in a plastic bag.
As soon as it was opened, a strong odor filled the air again.
"Take a deep breath, Noah, this is the smell of victory," Lin Yu'an joked to Noah, who was wrinkling her nose.
Instead of throwing the whole block down, he used the tip of his ice pick to chip off a small piece, about the size of a fist, from the ice block.
He put the dark brown bait in a fine mesh bag, tied it about half a meter above the sinker, and then lowered the line back into the ice hole.
This time, he didn't immediately put the bait into the intended fishing depth, but stopped at a depth of about 200 meters and waited quietly.
His gaze was fixed intently on the high-definition screen of the Lowrance Active Target 2.
Time passed by, second by second.
Five minutes — Ten minutes —
At first, the screen was a silent, pale blue, with only faint plankton drifting by like dust.
But soon, changes began.
At the edge of the screen, some small, fast-moving dots of light appeared first.
"Look, the first batch of guests has arrived." Lin Yu'an pointed to the screen and explained, "These are Arctic cod. They are the scouts of this waterway, most sensitive to smells, and also the most voracious."
Sure enough, swarms of Arctic cod, like piranhas drawn by the smell of blood, gathered from all directions, forming a dense wall of fish around the bait.
Then, a larger outline began to appear.
"Those are red snapper, probably weighing between five and ten kilograms," Lin Yu'an said calmly. "They have a strong sense of territory and were attracted by the commotion of the cod."
On the screen, several larger spots of light forcefully broke apart the cod school and occupied more advantageous positions.
Then, at the bottom of the screen, near the seabed, several long, slowly moving shadows appeared.
"Wolffish — it looks ugly, but its flesh is good."
That tiny clump of shrimp paste was like a piece of bloody meat thrown onto a calm grassland, completely stirring up this dormant deep-sea ecosystem!
On the sonar screen, a lively scene unfolded as light spots of various sizes moved back and forth, creating a vivid underwater "Animal World".
The viewers in the live stream were stunned.
Holy crap! This bait is incredible! Did it stir up a swarm of fish?!
This is practically a fish-summoning device! This guy from Northeast China is awesome!
[Hurry up and cast your line, streamer! You're going to catch a big catch any one of these!]
However, Lin Yu'an's brows furrowed slightly.
He observed for a full twenty minutes, scanning a fan-shaped area with a radius of fifty meters centered on the ice cave with his sonar, attracting many fish.
But none of them were any size comparable to the first one he caught, or Nanook's. They were all small creatures.
The real behemoths, those old guys who had lived for thirty or forty years, did not appear.
Just then, the image of Nanook flashed through his mind, along with the words he had spoken to him.
"Your hunting methods rely too much on those glowing screens—"
A bold idea sprouted in Lin Yu'an's mind.
He wanted to try it.
He wanted to set aside these modern tools and use the most primitive methods to have a dialogue with the real "sea gods".
"Noah, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."
"Where to?" Noah asked, puzzled.
"Go buy some traditional tools." Lin Yu'an smiled mysteriously.
He unzipped the tent and walked once again toward the bustling ice market.
This time, his target was no longer food, but the traditional tools that most modern anglers have forgotten.
Sure enough, there were several fishing tackle stalls around the competition venue catering specifically to tourists who lacked proper equipment.
The stalls were filled with all kinds of modern fishing rods, reels, and colorful lures, and the owners were enthusiastically promoting them to tourists.
Lin Yu'an bypassed the glamorous stalls and walked to a corner where almost no one paid any attention.
Here, an elderly Inuit man wearing a heavy sealskin coat sits on a small wooden box, silently mending a fishing net with a small knife.
In front of him lay only a reindeer hide, on which were scattered some traditional fishing gear made by the locals.
Lures carved from walrus ivory, feather hooks made from bird feathers, and several pieces of wood that look like firewood.
"I need a set of hand fishing gear to catch flounder," Lin Yu'an said directly in Greenlandic as he stepped forward.
The old man raised his head, his cloudy eyes, as if covered in frost, looked him over, then put down what he was doing and slowly took out a complete set of tools from the box beside him.
Lin Yu'an pointed his phone camera at the equipment, allowing viewers in the live stream to clearly see this "antique" device.
's true face.
"Brothers, look, this is the kind of traditional deep-sea weapon that Grandpa Nanook used."
What comes into view is a Y-shaped hand crank made of driftwood with smooth edges.
Its main body is a wooden handle about forty centimeters long, which is convenient to hold with one or two hands.
At the top of the wooden handle, two huge "Y"-shaped supports, resembling bull horns, branch out, densely wrapped with hundreds of meters of thick nylon thread.
"Look at this design," Lin Yu'an explained to the live stream audience, "this Y-shaped structure is the oldest type of cable reel."
"When reeling in the line, wind it up in circles with your hand. When letting out the line, simply turn the hand crank to the side, and the fishing line will slide off the holder without any obstruction."
"And look closely," he said, pointing to the end of the wooden handle, "there's a groove here. When fighting fish, you can wedge it against the gunwale or the edge of an ice hole to gain leverage. It's very clever."
The old man handed over another heavy object—a lead weight.
It wasn't a regular shape produced in a factory, but a carefully polished, long strip of stone, estimated to weigh over a kilogram.
Holes were drilled at both ends of the stone to tie the line. The density and weight of this natural stone are sufficient to carry bait quickly through the depths of the sea, up to 500 meters.
Finally, and most importantly, the fishhook.
The old man took out a huge fishhook from a leather bag, which made everyone in the live broadcast room gasp.
The hook was shaped like a "J" and was longer than Lin Yu-an's palm!
Its hook shank is meticulously crafted from a single piece of incredibly hard walrus ivory, giving it a unique milky-white luster.
At the tip of the hook, a sharp barb forged from modern steel, gleaming with a deadly cold light, is cleverly inlaid.
"Did you see that?" Lin Yu'an's voice carried a hint of admiration. "This is simply the most perfect combination of tradition and modernity."
"The walrus ivory hook is strong enough to withstand the bite of a huge creature without breaking; while the modern steel hook tip ensures unparalleled penetrating power."
"Once this thing pierces the hard upper jaw of a flounder, there is absolutely no chance of it getting off."
"One set, 200 crowns," the old man said succinctly.
Lin Yu'an readily paid the money and took the set of equipment that looked like it had stepped out of a museum.
He weighed the heavy hand crank in his hand, feeling the rough nylon thread, more than 1 millimeter in diameter, rubbing against his fingertips, and a surge of unprecedented pride welled up in his heart.
He knew that what was about to happen was a battle of strength between hunter and prey!
Back in the tent, Noah curiously took the old-fashioned set of equipment; she was very familiar with these tools.
"An, are you really going to use this?"
"It might not be good enough," Lin Yu'an said as he opened his equipment box.
"But it gave me a completely new idea, so I need to make a small upgrade to it."
Lin Yu'an first picked up the Y-shaped hand crank covered in thread. He examined the nylon thread on it and shook his head.
"This wire is about 1.2 millimeters thick, and its tensile strength is estimated to be around 100 kilograms. If we encounter a giant object weighing more than 150 kilograms, it will be our weakest link."
As he spoke, he took out a spool of dark blue fishing line coiled on a large reel from his equipment box.
"This is Varivas' ultra-high molecular weight nylon line specifically for deep-sea fishing. It has a diameter of 2.0 mm and a nominal straight tensile strength of 400 pounds."
As he explained, he quickly untied the original thread from the hand crank and then rewound the nylon thread, which was comparable to a "cable," around and around.
The live stream chat was immediately filled with questions:
[Wait, streamer, I don't quite understand. You're changing your lane too, so why did you spend 200 crowns on this set of equipment? Just for this wooden frame?]
"You've hit the nail on the head," Lin Yu'an answered the question first.
"What I bought was not the equipment itself. What I bought was an idea."
He raised the bare, Y-shaped hand crank.
"This wooden frame represents a completely different fishing philosophy, abandoning all levers, gears, and electronic aids, relying solely on your hands to engage in a power-and-move dialogue with your prey."
"So, I need this platform" (the hand-cranked board), but I must ensure the sturdiness of the fishing line, hooks, and sinker connecting me to it.
"Simply put, I bought an admission ticket. As for what weapon I use to get in, I'll use my own, of course!"
Fine, whatever you say. Money talks.
I still think the streamer is being a bit pretentious; he's using perfectly good tools and forcing himself to endure hardship.
That's not entirely true; wouldn't it be more challenging to pull by hand?
Having cleared up the audience's doubts, Lin Yu'an then began his arming process.
After changing the wire, he picked up the long, thin soapstone lead weight.
"Stone lead weights are very clever, but their drawback is that they are not dense enough. For the same weight of one kilogram, their volume is almost twice that of lead."
"At a depth of 500 meters in the ocean, the larger volume means greater water resistance, which will affect the accuracy of my fingertip perception."
He took out the tungsten steel sinker he had brought from the box.
This lead weight also weighs one kilogram, but its volume is only half that of the stone, and its shape is designed to be as perfectly streamlined as a bullet.
"Tungsten steel has a density 1.7 times that of lead and several times that of stone. It ensures that the wire assembly reaches the seabed at the fastest speed and the most vertical angle, minimizing interference from ocean currents."
Finally, he picked up the mixed fishhook made of walrus ivory and steel tip.
"This hook is a work of art," he exclaimed sincerely. "Its design concept is fantastic."
However—its hook point size is still too small.
"This hook point size is sufficient to pierce fish weighing 60 or 80 kilograms."
"But if it's an even larger creature, the thickness and hardness of its upper jawbone would be more than three times that of an ordinary large fish!"
"Ultimately, the hook tip may come off due to insufficient penetration depth, or even break off completely."
He took out a huge fishhook and showed it to the camera: "BKK MonsterCircleHook, 16/0"
Number."
When this hook is placed side by side with that traditional fishing hook, the size contrast is striking.
This all-steel ring hook from BKK is not only larger in overall size, but the steel used for the hook body is also nearly twice as thick.
Especially the hook tip, which resembled the talons of a raptor, gleamed with a chilling light.
Lin Yu'an removed the relatively slender steel tip from the traditional fishhook and then perfectly attached the BKK monster to it.
Holy crap! Holy crap! I'm totally stunned! This hands-on skill—
This is a complete overhaul! The line, weight, and hook—all three core components have been replaced?
[This hook—is that a medieval ship anchor? It'd be good enough to catch the Loch Ness Monster!]
Lin Yu'an looked at the ultimate weapon in his hand, which he had personally armed to the teeth, and nodded in satisfaction.
He tied up the new cables, then took a deep breath and said to Noah, "Noah, keep an eye on the screen for me."
Noah nodded and focused her attention on the Lowrance display screen.
"Brothers, from now on, let's do something different."
Lin Yu'an pointed the camera at the hand crank in his hand and the menacing giant hook, a hint of eager excitement on his face.
"I'll keep the sonar on. After all, we're here to break records, not to experience the Air Force."
He explained to the live stream with a smile, "But I will try to use the method taught by Grandpa Nanook to judge the underwater conditions by touch and see just how amazing this ancient technique is."
[Haha! Is the streamer going to do scientific research?]
[Place the standard answer next to you, then guess the answer again and check it against your own.]
I bet five packs of spicy strips that the streamer will come up empty-handed.
Amidst a barrage of teasing comments, Lin Yu'an knelt beside the ice cave and hung the richest piece of narwhal skin on the menacing giant hook.
"Let's get started!"
He tilted the hand crank to one side, and the 2.0 mm nylon line, carrying the heavy tungsten steel lead weight, roared into the bottomless ice cave!
"Hiss hiss hiss"
That was the sound of thick nylon threads rubbing against the leather of the gloves at high speed.
"Holy crap! This feeling—it's definitely a completely different experience from using a fishing rod!"
He closed his eyes, focusing intently on the signal impact emanating from his fingertips, while simultaneously comparing and contrasting this tactile sensation with the images displayed on the sonar screen beside him.
"Brothers, this is amazing!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I could clearly feel the weight being pushed and shoved by the undercurrents at different water levels as it fell!"
"The sonar showed that there was indeed a fast-moving ocean current at a depth of 200 meters, and my feeling in my hand matched it perfectly!"
He was no longer as confused as before, but consciously tried to discern the source of each vibration, to understand what Nanook called "the breath of the sea" and "the pulse of the water".
Just then, his fingertips suddenly felt the dangling of the thread stop abruptly.
"We've reached the bottom!" He opened his eyes instantly.
Noah also reported at the same time: "The sonar indicates that the sinker has reached the bottom, at a depth of 498 meters."
Lin Yu'an gently lifted the thread up and down, a knowing expression on his face.
"That's right, it's that soft yet slightly elastic feel! Nanuk is absolutely right, the seabed here is covered with a thick layer of silt."
He slowly raised the line about two meters, allowing the bait to suspend in the most suitable position.
Then, the groove of the hand crank was firmly secured to the metal support at the edge of the ice cave, and the index finger was gently placed on the line.
"Alright, guys, the mock exam is officially starting."
He glanced at the sonic screen, which was empty; there was no trace of the big fish.
Then, he closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the connection between his fingertips and the thread.
Time passed by, second by second.
Ten minutes — Two minutes — Half an hour —
The tent was so quiet that the only sounds were the faint hiss of the stove burning and the occasional soft rustling of Noah turning the pages of a book.
However, Lin Yu'an's fingertips remained as still as a stagnant pool.
Apart from the steady and rhythmic "breathing of the sea" (ocean currents), he sensed no other signs of life.
He opened his eyes and glanced at the sonic screen.
On the screen, there was still a deathly, dark blue.
The cod and red snapper that had been attracted by the shrimp paste seemed to have gradually dispersed due to the lack of new stimulation over the long period of time.
The entire Sea Monster Highway has transformed into an underwater ghost town.
"No way." Lin Yu-An frowned. "It's too quiet. Nanuk said Sila would favor newcomers, but it seems this goddess isn't working today."
Noah put down her book and asked with concern, "Should we... switch back to our original fishing method?"
"No need." Lin Yu'an shook his head, a resolute glint in his eyes. "If we're going to play, let's go big."
'
He first retrieved the heavily modified hand-cranked fishing line set, and then he also retrieved the Guangwei fishing rod set equipped with the Yikuda electric reel.
Then, he took out the "aged shrimp paste and wheat bran lump" that his brother from Northeast China had given him, and used an ice pick to chip off a full half of it!
[Holy crap! What is this streamer up to?! He's really going all out!]
[Half?! If this continues, won't fish grow for miles around?]
Is this a treat or a massacre?!
Ignoring the shock of the comments, Lin Yu'an opened the expensive refrigerator again and took out the last piece of narwhal skin with fat attached!
They were stuffed together into a bait bag with a larger mesh.
One is a fermentation technique originating from ancient China, with an incredibly strong flavor. The other is a top-quality, high-calorie delicacy from the Arctic Ocean, with an irresistible aroma of oil.
When these two baits, representing the ultimate stench and the ultimate oily aroma respectively, are placed together.
The flavor they create is an irresistible, deadly temptation that no deep-sea creature could resist!
He directly and firmly tied this huge net bag, which was a mixture of shrimp paste and a whole piece of narwhal skin, to the shank of that terrifying size 16/0 BKK giant hook!
"An, what are you doing—" Noah looked at his frantic actions, "Isn't this going too far? Won't the small fish's attacks create 'false signals,' making it impossible for you to judge?"
As Lin Yu'an slowly lowered the enormous bait bag into the ice cave, he explained, "It will! And it will be extremely disruptive!"
"But that's exactly what I'm aiming for! Whether we can break the record depends on this. If this doesn't work, we'll pack up and go home."
He explained his simple and brutal ultimate tactic to the viewers in the live stream: "Brothers, how do you think the King Fish hunts? Its favorite thing isn't picking up scattered food, but charging into the chaotic school of fish to enjoy a grand buffet!"
"What I need to do now is to artificially create a feast that it cannot refuse!"
"This super bomb will immediately attract hundreds or even thousands of small fish to attack frantically, forming a huge, chaotic ball of fish around my hook!"
"This chaos is dangerous for the other fish, but for the true king of fish, it's a signal that it's time to eat!"
"It will be drawn in by the massive gathering of fish and their overpowering aroma. It will assume that this is a perfectly safe feast!"
[Holy crap! I get it! The streamer's setting this up!]
Using fish as actors and scent as the script—that's a great idea!
[That's certainly true; every air force veteran has countless ingenious ideas.]