Chapter 14 Lure Fishing

Bai Ma Shan was very interested in Jia Wenjun's fishing method, which didn't require real bait, ground bait, or cause pollution, and involved constant movement. Seeing her reel in her line, he hurried over to ask for advice.

"Xiao Jia, how can you catch such big fish using these metal pieces and plastic?"

"Actually, what we see as metal and plastic, the fish see as 'small fish' when they move in the water. Carnivorous fish usually have a strong autonomous hunting ability. They don't rely on dead bait, only being interested in bait with a certain amount of dynamic movement."

Bai Ma Shan suddenly understood, "I get it, you're moving the whole time to make your bait look like a real fish."

"Yes." Jia Wenjun nodded. She was willing to say more to Bai Ma Shan.

In fact, from finding the fish and marking points to casting the line and the dragging, reeling, jerking, and pulling actions in the water, she had techniques. Following the movement patterns of fish, she tried to make the "dead bait" come alive, making the fake bait in the water appear to be frantically fleeing, struggling, injured and weak, or twitching rapidly, thereby attracting the target fish to attack.

Bai Ma Shan obviously realized that besides the different bait, she had other tricks, and asked, "How do you lure fish like that? Do you have to walk around?"

Seeing his interest, Jia Wenjun answered without reservation, "Lure fishing is actually a method of imitating weak creatures to trigger attacks from big fish. To make the fake bait swim like a real fish, the angler has to control the rod to give the lure different pulling and dragging forces in the water, making it show various forms such as fleeing, struggling, and convulsing to attract the target fish to attack. This fishing method emphasizes technique, requiring the comprehensive operation of the rod, bait, and reel. Throughout the process, as long as the operation is proper, the fish caught in this way will be larger than those hooked by stationary platform fishing."

"Why are the fish you catch bigger than with platform fishing?" Old Man Wang also joined in, wanting to hear why she could catch big fish.

Jia Wenjun patiently explained to everyone, "Because lures target carnivorous fish in natural waters. As the saying goes, big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp. Big fish are mostly fish at the top of the food chain. Lure fishing applies the laws of the natural food chain, simulating lifelike natural small fish, shrimp, insects, etc., in the water using wood, iron, and plastic to attract big fish to attack. So, if you hook a fish, it's mostly a big one."

Bai Ma Shan listened with increasing amazement, "This is really quite novel. I haven't heard of it before. I've really learned something today. Xiao Jia, you're quite impressive."

Jia Wenjun smiled, "As long as you practice enough, anyone can catch big fish. I've just practiced for a bit longer than you. If you practice a few more times, you'll definitely catch better than me."

"So that's how it is. Then if I use your fake bait now, I can catch big fish too?" Old Man Wang's eyes lit up, as if he had found a new way to catch big fish.

"It probably won't work. Fake bait needs to be paired with a lure rod and a specialized fishing reel."

Old Man Wang looked at her thin and short carbon fiber rod and sighed, "Forget it, I'm too old to play with this. It's too strenuous. I'll just sit down and fish honestly."

Jia Wenjun looked at the mackerel they had caught and said, "Actually, there's enough fish for dinner tonight. You don't need to fish anymore. These mackerel you've caught need to be bled immediately, or you can easily get poisoned from eating them."

"That serious? Then we'll throw any more mackerel we catch back into the sea," Bai Ma Shan said.

The old man was unwilling, "Fish caught are a gift from the sea. There's no reason to return them."

"Alright, you guys fish. I'll process these fish first."

She didn't bother trying to persuade them. Adults are rarely persuaded, let alone old people.

Jia Wenjun picked up the pile of mackerel on the splint, put them in a bucket, carried it to the stern, put on long gloves, filled her fishing box with seawater, and skillfully used a fish knife to cut small openings in the gills and tail of the fish before putting them into the fish box filled with seawater. The mackerel's struggles accelerated the flow of blood from their bodies, and in an instant, her fishing box was filled with red.

She didn't ask anyone to help her with any of this because she knew she couldn't get them to. For the owners, it was natural to feel that the property staff was there to serve them. Whether the toilet was broken at home or the corridor light wasn't working, they called them to repair it with confidence, not treating them as outsiders at all.

Now that they were on the boat, it would be too difficult to get these owners to condescend to do this smelly and tiring work. She figured that after some dry-mouthed mobilization, they would still give her some nonsense, and in the end, no one would be willing to come.

As for Gong Dalong and Lili, who were also property staff, Gong Dalong was busy bragging to a group of male owners, and Lili was trying her best to please the captain, Anna. Even if they did nothing, they wouldn't come to do this work.

So Wenjun had seen it all clearly. Instead of wasting time with them, she could process the fish sooner if she was quick herself.

For Wenjun, because she liked fishing, processing the fish was okay. It wasn't as uncomfortable as she had imagined. And because everyone was unwilling to come, she was happy to have some peace and quiet at the stern of the boat.

"Oh, Xiao Jia, you clean the fish so well. I haven't been able to clean fish as well as you in most of my life. You're really virtuous and capable. Whoever marries you will be lucky." Teacher Lin walked up behind Jia Wenjun at some point, staring at the fish she had cleaned with great praise.

Jia Wenjun smiled and joked, "Listening to you say that, I think so too. I just don't know where the lucky person is now, and why he hasn't appeared yet."

Teacher Lin also laughed, looking at Jia Wenjun, who was already sweating, and sincerely said, "Well, Xiao Jia, if you don't have a boyfriend, how about I give you my son's WeChat? You and my son can add each other on WeChat and chat. Young people have things to talk about. Even if it doesn't work out in the end, it's good to make a friend. My son's acupuncture skills are excellent."

Jia Wenjun smiled and politely refused, "Teacher Lin, I'm processing fish right now. My hands are dirty."

Teacher Lin insisted, "It's okay, it's okay. I'll just wait here for you to finish processing and then add you. I'll keep you company and chat for a while. When two people are talking, the work gets done faster."

Jia Wenjun saw Teacher Lin with her hands crossed, really staring at her work, and occasionally telling her where she hadn't cleaned well enough and that she should quickly wipe away any dripping blood. Wenjun thought to herself that if she really married into Teacher Lin's family, this mother-in-law would definitely be watching her work all the time. She had to do this work now because of her job, but if she still had to do this after getting married, wouldn't that mean she'd be working at work and working after work too?

Just thinking about it made her want to slip away.