Studying at Western University starts with a knife-forging competition

Chapter 89

Lin Yuan adjusted the reeling rhythm, lowering the lure's depth from two to three feet to one to two feet. Fish in shallower water are more active and bite more decisively, but require more precise control to prevent the lure from floating above the surface.

The eleventh cast. After the lure hit the water, he waited a moment before reeling it in, the pause in his wrist more pronounced than before, causing the lure to trace an irregular zigzag path in the water. The float traveled about three meters before suddenly sinking.

The pull came from the rod tip, not strong but crisp, like a fish turning and diving into deeper water immediately after biting the bait. He steadied the rod, letting the line out of the spool. The spool hissed for a brief two seconds before stopping, and he began reeling in the line. The fish didn't struggle much underwater and was pulled directly into the shallow water.

It was a largemouth bass, just over a foot and a half long. Not particularly big, but Lin Yuan needed quantity. He put the fish in the fish basket and made a note in his notebook: the seventh one.

The twelfth cast. The lure landed closer to the willow roots than before, where a slight backflow had formed, causing the lure to float on the surface for a longer time before sinking. He began reeling in the line; the first few turns were uneventful, but on the fifth turn, the rod tip suddenly dipped.

This time the pull was stronger than before. It wasn't the deep, heavy drag of a three-foot giant, but a high-frequency, rapid surge; the spool hissed for several seconds before stopping. He reeled in the line for almost three minutes before the fish was finally pulled to shore. Robert came over with a landing net to help, and as the fish flipped over, its dorsal fin ripped through the water—it was another largemouth bass, nearly two feet long.

Article 8.

Lin Yuan took a sip of water and rebaited the bait. He noticed some small ripples appearing on the water's surface—not from fish jumping, but from the wind. The clouds were thicker than in the morning, and sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting moving patches of light on the river's surface.

The thirteenth cast. After the lure hit the water, he waited longer, letting it sink to near the bottom, before slowly reeling it in. After a few turns, the float paused briefly, then began to move sideways. He lifted the rod tip; the pull wasn't strong, but it felt heavy, like holding a soaking wet rag.

When he reeled it in, it wasn't a fish, but a rotten tree branch. He picked the branch off, threw it back into the water, and rebaited his line.

This was his fourteenth cast. After the lure hit the water, he adjusted his reeling speed, slowing it down to the slowest setting. The float traveled about six meters on the surface and then stopped. It wasn't a pause after a bite; it just stopped completely still. He waited two seconds, but the rod tip didn't move. He waited another two seconds, still nothing.

As he prepared to reel in the line and cast again, the rod tip suddenly bent sharply downwards.

The pull came from underwater, strong and heavy, with a low-frequency vibration—exactly the same feeling as when he landed his first fish that day. He steadied the rod; the spool hissed for several seconds before stopping, and then he began to reel in the line. The fish moved slowly underwater, neither lunging nor flailing its gills, simply remaining at the bottom and refusing to surface.

It took him almost four minutes to pull the fish into the shallow water. Robert stood by the water's edge with the landing net, waiting for the fish to flip over before scooping the net around its tail. The fish landed on the grass, flicked its tail a few times, and then became still.

It was a largemouth bass. It was slightly smaller than the first one, but the width and thickness of its back were considerable, and it looked to be at least five years old.

Article 9.

Frank walked over from upstream and looked at the number of fish in the basket. "Nine now. One more to make ten." When he said this, his tone was no longer joking, but more like that of a veteran angler witnessing a newcomer setting a record on his home turf.

Lin Yuan re-baited the lure, took a deep breath, and cast it into the deepest part of the willow tree's shadow.

The lure hit the water very softly, almost inaudibly. He let it sink to the middle of the water and then began reeling in the line at the slowest possible speed. The pause in his wrist was slower and more steady than ever before, allowing the lure to drift in an almost still path in the water.

The float moved slowly on the water's surface, going about five meters without moving. It went another two meters, still nothing. He was about to reel it in and cast it again when the float suddenly sank less than two meters from the shore.

The moment the rod tip bent downwards, a pull came from underwater—not strong, but with a rapid, unstable vibration. He steadied the rod, not rushing to reel in the line, but letting the fish swim for a few seconds. The fish circled underwater, then began to dive into deeper water; the spool hissed for three or four seconds before stopping.

He began reeling in the line. The fish didn't struggle much and was pulled directly into the shallows. It was a largemouth bass, just over a foot and a half long, its scales gleaming an olive-green sheen in the morning light. He removed the hook, lifted the fish to examine it, and then placed it in the fish basket.

Article 10.

The side quest "The Fisherman's Path" has been completed. Rewards: 5 high-quality baits, 200 fishing experience points, and 1 random fishing accessory.

[Premium Bait: A mimicry soft bait designed specifically for largemouth bass. It exhibits a natural swimming motion in the water, moderately increasing the catch rate. Quantity: 5/5.]

[Random fishing accessory has been distributed: titanium alloy leader, bite-resistant and wear-resistant, 30cm in length.]

Lin Yuan turned off the control panel, tightened the fish basket's mouth rope, and sank it back into the water. He leaned back in his fishing chair, picked up his cola, and took a sip.

Peter walked over from downstream, squatted down next to the fish basket, counted the fish, stood up, and dusted off his knees. "Ten largemouth bass."

Including two smallmouth bass, that makes a total of twelve. You didn't break last week's record today, but this number would still put you in the top three at any amateur tournament in the area.

"Last week was just luck," Lin Yuan said.

“Not this week.” Peter pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and put it in his mouth without lighting it. “That three-foot giant you caught last week was unrepeatable; there are probably only one or two largemouth bass of that size in this river. But today’s result—a stable, sustainable catch rate—is more convincing than last week’s accidental giant.”

Frank walked over, holding his fishing rod with a spinner lure on the tip. He glanced at Lin Yuan's fish basket, removed the spinner lure, put it back in the box, and reeled in his rod. "I'm not fishing with you next week. The fish all swarm towards you as soon as you sit down; the rest of us just stand there like idiots."

"Frank says the same thing every time." The man in the gray jacket came down from downstream, his fish basket containing only three smallmouth bass and one sunfish. "He said the same thing after you fished last time, and he's back again this week."

Several people laughed. Robert squatted by the water's edge, lifted his fish basket to take a look, and saw two small black bass lying inside. He turned the basket over, poured the fish back into the water, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his bag.

Frank stubbed out his cigarette, walked to his car, and opened the trunk. He took out something carefully wrapped in foam and a thick cardboard box, held it gently in his hands, and walked up to Lin Yuan.