Chu Mingcheng hadn't quite figured out what he'd do next.

He couldn't travel far right now, and his Aquatic Species Codex currently only unlocked hands and fishing gear as capture tools. This meant he could go foraging on the beach or try fishing, but renting a boat for commercial fishing was out of the question for now.

Maybe I should start by buying a fishing rod.

As a typical office worker, Chu Mingcheng's holidays had involved beachcombing and even some boat trips, but he had never tried fishing. He knew the hobby was dangerously addictive, and he worried he wouldn't be able to control himself if he started. Now that he had quit his job, however, fishing would likely become his main profession.

His lack of experience was a problem. After spending the night researching the basics, Chu Mingcheng decided to start with freshwater fish. Sea fishing was expensive, and as a complete novice, he probably couldn't handle it. Better to practice on freshwater fish first.

The next day, with no work to worry about, Chu Mingcheng slept until he naturally woke up. He picked up his phone and saw it was just past 9 AM. He usually woke up at 8:30 AM for work, so it seemed his body had adapted to that schedule. He didn't lie in bed long. After getting up and washing, he realized there was no food in the house.

"Ugh, looks like I need to go foraging for some grub."

Being self-employed meant unstable income, and the initial stage was especially tough. Chu Mingcheng decided to save wherever he could in the beginning. Once his income stabilized in the future, he wouldn't need to be so frugal.

He left through the back door and drove to get breakfast. His house was located further inland on the island, far from the cross-sea bridge, and most of the surrounding households were older folks, so there were no breakfast spots nearby. To grab breakfast, he had to drive for over ten minutes to get near the bridge. That area, closer to the island's beach, had many guesthouses and hotels, so there were plenty of breakfast places.

A sticky rice dish and a bottle of fresh milk cost him eight and a half yuan for one morning. Money doesn't last long these days.

After eating, Chu Mingcheng went to a tackle shop to buy his fishing gear. There was a perfect spot right on the island: a reservoir up in the mountains that wasn't managed by anyone. He decided to go there. His plan for the day was to catch some crucian carp and make a nice plate of beer-braised fish.

For catching crucian carp, the fishing line setup varied with the season. Since it was early autumn and temperatures were still high, a common setup was a 0.6-gauge leader line and a 1.0-gauge main line, using size 3-4 sleeve hooks. When temperatures dropped, he could switch to a 0.4-gauge leader and 0.8-gauge main line, with size 2-3 sleeve hooks.

Of course, the size of the crucian carp and whether they were in a farmed pond or wild also made a difference. Reservoir fish were usually free-range, and the reservoir on Yanmen Island wasn't specifically contracted out for farming, mainly because people here didn't particularly like freshwater fish. So the fish in it were all wild.

Chu Mingcheng wasn't sure about the size of the crucian carp there, so he bought one box each of 0.8-gauge leader line, 1.0-gauge main and leader lines, and 1.2-gauge main line—a total of four boxes. Each box contained eight spools, with each spool being 4.5 meters long. He bought size 3-4 sleeve hooks, which should be sufficient.

For bait, he bought the "old three essentials": Yezhan Lanjii, Jiu Yi Ba Yezhan, and Sugong 2. Since the temperature was still high, he bought the yellow-fragrance version of Jiu Yi Ba.

The fishing tackle shop had a complete range of baits. Following the owner's recommendation, he also bought two bottles of fermented rice grains and a bag of corn for baiting the fishing spot.

All these items cost him over one hundred yuan. Chu Mingcheng couldn't help but click his tongue. Even freshwater fishing was this expensive; sea fishing truly wasn't something ordinary people could afford.

"Boss, could you recommend a hand rod? I'm going to the mountain reservoir to catch crucian carp. A 4.5-meter one should do, something affordable." After a night of research, Chu Mingcheng had a basic idea of what kind of rod and line to use for different fish.

"Crucian carp fishing at the mountain reservoir, huh?" The boss pondered, then pulled out a dark blue hand rod. "This is the Han Ding Fourth Generation 28-tone hand rod. It's moderately flexible, quite suitable for catching crucian carp and other small to medium-sized fish in the reservoir."

"It's not expensive, just one hundred fifty yuan. Very suitable for beginners."

Chu Mingcheng picked it up and immediately liked it.

"Boss, can you give me a discount? How about one hundred thirty yuan?"

"Oh, this price is already very low; I barely make any profit. How about this: I'll include the float and safety cord for free, and you don't haggle on the price anymore."

Men, for the most part, aren't as good at bargaining as women. With the boss saying that, Chu Mingcheng felt a bit embarrassed to keep haggling. However, when he got back to his car and checked online, he slapped his thigh in annoyance. "Damn it, I got ripped off!"

The same fishing rod was only one hundred thirty yuan online. He had been overcharged by a full twenty yuan. What a loss.

But since the owner had given him the float and safety cord for free, he felt awkward going back to complain. Plus, buying online would mean waiting at least two days, making the time cost higher, so he decided to let it go.

He bought some vegetables and rice at the market, then went home to make lunch. In this day and age, a man without good cooking skills would be too embarrassed to even think about marrying.

He quickly cooked two simple dishes for lunch. Chu Mingcheng didn't rush off to fish right away. Instead, he took out his quilt to air and started cleaning the house.

It wasn't until around 3 PM that he had roughly cleaned the house. Then he began preparing his bait. The mixing ratio was crucial: Yezhan Lanjii and Jiu Yi Ba Yezhan were both 40%, while Sugong 2 was enough at 20%. The water ratio was hard to pinpoint, usually between 0.8 to 1.1. Sugong 2 should be added last to help bind the mixture.

Theoretically, this was correct. However, Chu Mingcheng stared at the overly watery bait and could only expressionlessly continue adding more bait until the paste thickened before stopping.

After letting the prepared bait sit for five minutes, he grabbed his fishing gear and a bucket and set off.

The reservoir wasn't far, located on the mountaintop, about a twenty-minute drive. When he arrived, he could see a few people already fishing by the reservoir, but the place was far from crowded.

It made sense; who fished for freshwater fish on an island? When he bought the fishing rod that morning, he'd seen many people fishing for sea fish from the reefs. Wasn't the thrill of catching aggressive sea fish better than freshwater fishing?

Moreover, many abandoned aquaculture ponds near the town's coast still held bass and mullet. Those who knew about them went there to fish.

Chu Mingcheng didn't go for sea fish because he wasn't sure if his rod could handle it. As a beginner, if he messed up, a broken line or lost hook would be one thing, but if the rod itself broke, he'd have to go back to the tackle shop for a replacement.

He'd start with crucian carp first to get a feel for fishing.

After parking his car, Chu Mingcheng carried his gear and found an empty spot where he could faintly see some weeds in the water—a place fish liked to hide. The reservoir was large and the anglers few, so finding a good spot was easy.

To catch fish, you had to lure them with food.

Chu Mingcheng's fermented rice grains and corn came in handy. He grabbed a handful of fermented rice grains and scattered them about five meters out into the water. His fishing rod was 4.5 meters, so this distance was just right.

Normally, you'd have to wait at least half an hour for the groundbait to take effect, but he didn't want to wait.

He tied on his fishing line and hook, set up his rod stand, and arranged the bucket and folding stool he had brought from home. Following the guides he'd read, he adjusted the float to show four marks above the water. He was just trying his best with this part. As for finding the bottom first and then adjusting the float, or figuring out the water depth mid-level, he couldn't grasp any of that right now. This would have to do.

He pinched off a bit of bait, rolled it into a ball about peanut size, divided it in half, and then put both portions onto the fishhook.

With a hand rod, there was no need for a complex cast. He just had to lift the rod, release the line he was holding, and the weight would naturally carry the hook out over the water. Then he just had to time it right and let the hook drop into the water.