HUN Chapter 36: Setting Nets in Deep Water

He took a deep breath, calming his excited mood, then turned his gaze to the gill net he had woven a few days ago in his space.

Lin Yu'an returned to shore, turned his back to the camera to take the gill net out of his space, then displayed it in front of the camera.

"Previously, because I didn't have suitable tools to go into the water and set nets, this gill net hasn't been able to be put to use."

"Now with 'Pioneer,' I can finally deploy it to ideal waters!"

Based on his previous observations from shore and his special spatial sixth sense, Lin Yu'an had already marked a location where the current was relatively gentle and might be a channel area for fish migration or gathering.

This area was about two to three meters deep, at some distance from shore, a place he couldn't reach on foot before.

While maneuvering the canoe slowly toward the target waters, he explained to the camera, "I need to find areas where fish might pass through, or edge areas where aquatic plants are abundant. This way I can maximize the catch rate."

After reaching the predetermined position, Lin Yu'an first positioned the bow into the wind, then began carefully setting the gill net.

"Positioning the bow into the wind keeps the hull stable and makes my operations more convenient."

"I already installed floats and sinkers when weaving this gill net. My task is just to move the boat smoothly and let the net expand vertically in the water."

He first tied one end of the gill net's headline firmly to a moderately sized stone. This stone would serve as the gill net's first "anchor point."

Its main purpose was to secure one end of the net to the bottom, preventing the entire net from being swept away by currents or dragged by large fish.

He gently threw this anchor stone into the water, feeling it sink to the bottom, pulling one corner of the gill net taut.

"The first anchor point is secured. Now I just need to move the boat, and this net will automatically deploy evenly into the water."

With one hand gently paddling to control "Pioneer" at an extremely slow speed along his planned intercept route, his other hand methodically released the gill net bit by bit from the gunwale into the water.

As the gill net entered the water, those lightweight aspen wood floats evenly tied to the gill net's headline immediately took effect.

They floated like strings of small white lighthouses, buoyantly supporting the net's upper edge clearly.

Meanwhile, those carefully weighted small stone sinkers evenly tied to the footrope used their own weight to effectively and steadily pull the net's lower edge toward the bottom.

During the boat's smooth movement, the gill net almost automatically expanded vertically in the water due to the ingenious balance of its floats and sinkers.

It formed a barrier extending from the water surface all the way down near the bottom.

When the entire gill net was deployed, he also tied a similarly sized "anchor stone" to the other end of the gill net's headline and sank it to the bottom.

"Even though the anchor stone sinks into the water, the gill net's headline will still float on the surface due to sufficient floats and won't be pulled down by the anchor stone."

To facilitate later location and retrieval, he attached a longer marking rope with a conspicuous float made of reeds to this second anchor stone's rope.

"Alright, the fishing net is deployed!"

Lin Yu'an clapped his hands, looking at the gill net area that only showed a row of small aspen wood floats and the marking float on the water surface, his face showing anticipation.

"Next, we'll see if the fish will 'honor us with their presence.' Hopefully there will be some harvest tomorrow morning!"

As the sky gradually darkened, Lin Yu'an turned the bow around and paddled "Pioneer" back to the shallow area near his shelter, carefully dragging the boat ashore and securing it.

Returning to the warm stone shelter, Lin Yu'an simply ate some leftover smoked beaver jerky and roasted sunchokes.

With the fire blazing and the stone house warm enough to wear just a sweater, he maintained and cared for his tools while mentally calculating tomorrow's possible harvest.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Yu'an was awakened by a series of water bird calls.

After a simple wash, not even bothering with breakfast, he eagerly put on rain pants and pushed "Pioneer" into the water again.

Following yesterday's markers, he carefully paddled toward the area where he had set the net.

Morning mist hadn't completely dispersed yet, and the lake surface was like a huge blue mirror, tranquil and mysterious.

When he approached that familiar row of floats, he immediately noticed some unusual signs!

The gill net underwater no longer seemed to be in yesterday's flat and relaxed state, but several places were obviously being pulled downward!

"There's activity! Fish are definitely caught in the net!" Lin Yu'an's voice was filled with irrepressible excitement!

He paddled the boat to one end of the gill net, untied the rope from the "anchor stone," then began carefully lifting the gill net section by section.

The gill net was obviously somewhat heavy! As the net gradually emerged from the water, surprises followed one after another!

"Wow! The first one!"

A wet net section was pulled from the water, revealing a northern pike covered in dark green spots, quite large in size with a mouth full of sharp teeth, firmly stuck in the mesh with its gill covers caught by the nylon line, its body still futilely writhing!

This northern pike was about fifty to sixty centimeters long, weighing about six to eight pounds!

Lin Yu'an quickly freed it from the net and threw it into the cockpit lined with birch bark.

He continued retrieving the net.

"The second one! Another pike! This one's even bigger!"

"My goodness! Here! There's another one here! It's a rainbow trout!"

Surprises came one after another! The gill net was like a perfect trap, precisely intercepting fish trying to pass through these waters.

When the entire four-meter-long gill net was completely lifted from the water, the cockpit already held a full five northern pike and two beautiful rainbow trout!

The largest pike was nearly eighty centimeters long, estimated to weigh about fifteen to sixteen pounds! The other pike were all around six to eight pounds each, while the two rainbow trout each weighed about four to six pounds.

"Big harvest! This is definitely a big harvest, folks!"

Lin Yu'an looked at the lively catch in the cockpit and cheered excitedly to the camera!

"One small gill net, one night's work, and it brought us so much protein! Now I have food secured for the next week or even longer!"

He roughly calculated that these fish together weighed at least sixty to seventy pounds! For someone surviving alone in the wilderness, this was simply enormous wealth!

"The combination of Pioneer and the gill net is simply the fishing magic weapon of Chilko Lake! Once I repair the fishing net, I'll continue setting nets!"

Lin Yu'an stroked the gunwale, his eyes full of pride in his creativity. Of course, he also understood that without the support of his special spatial sixth sense, he wouldn't have been able to locate where fish might pass so easily.

Loaded with abundant catch, Lin Yu'an piloted "Pioneer" through the morning light, cutting across the calm lake surface toward shore.

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