Crowing cock and returning from fishing in the wild

At the end of summer, chickens crow on the rocks, and wild fishing is done by the Qujiang River. After being away from fishing for more than ten years, I finally couldn't help but go fishing once, and I couldn't help but write about this fishing trip.

This time, it was purely a coincidence. On the last Monday in July, I took advantage of my compensatory day off to go back to my hometown to pick longans. I also visited my grandma, parents, and two lovely nephews. Unexpectedly, before he had time to properly visit his elders, he was happily taken away by the two little guys. They insisted on dragging me to see their new toys.

Ha! It turned out that their mother had given them a set of fishing gear: two fishing rods and a "fishing hook." "Laoqiao" is hometown slang, referring to the fishing net bag tool used to catch shrimps or other animals (such as butterflies, dragonflies, cicadas). It is called "Douqiao Net" in Baidu Encyclopedia.

This is really a "strange" fishing gear: only the fishing net and two fishhooks were newly purchased, the fishing rod and "drip net" handles were all made of worn-out small bamboo, and the fishing line was used by my mother. Cotton thread for mending clothes! And it’s still tan! Not white nylon fishing line! There isn’t even a matching fish float! Is this meant to be funny? Can I catch fish? Although the two dolls are naughty, the mother is too perfunctory!

? "Uncle, take us fishing quickly!" "Uncle, take us fishing big fish quickly!" - I was still sighing and sighing, but my nephews couldn't wait to shout. I laughed when I thought that what they mysteriously pulled me over to "show off" to me was such "dirty" fishing gear. Looking at their excited little eyes and chubby little round faces, I couldn't help but sigh at the cuteness of children's faces, the fun of children's words, the innocence of children's heart, and the beauty of childhood.

"Okay! Put on your shoes quickly, bring a pot of tea, and let's go fishing with uncle!" - My brother and sister-in-law are both at work, and I don't have time to call for instructions. This time it's really It’s time to be willful and walk freely!

So I took my nephew out. Everything is ready except for the east wind, and all we need is bait. Earthworms are the original and most effective bait, and they are also the easiest to find in the countryside - at least that's what I've always thought. However, the reality is cruel, we have found nothing in our own backyard! I swung the hoe dozens of times, but I couldn't dig out an earthworm from the small forest in the backyard! I really didn’t expect that it’s hard to find even earthworms these days, and this guy has become a rarity!

If the tree is moved, it will die, but if the person is moved, it will live! I quickly led my nephew to change the venue and came to the garden that my uncle cultivated intensively. Sure enough, under my uncle's longan tree and lychee tree, along the fertile and moist soil, I swung the hoe down, and every swish was accurate! In less than a few minutes, you’ve dug enough! There are more than a dozen of them!

"Did you see it? These are earthworms like this, which can be used for fishing!" - I patiently taught my nephews the common sense of fishing. This is really full of knowledge points for them who are fishing for the first time! They nodded excitedly, and the three of us finally relaxed and took a sip of water, then continued our non-stop rush to the village's holy fishing spot - Chicken Crow Rock!

Chickens crow on the banks of Qujiang River. At 3:30 in the afternoon, the weather is sunny and the wind is gentle. We were brave and high-spirited, swinging our poles quickly and throwing them to the river bank. This is Qujiang River, also known as Xiaohai River, the most famous natural fishing ground: the water and grass are luxuriant, and the stream is deep and fish-rich. On both sides are lush wild bamboo forests and wild banana forests on the river bank, and on the opposite bank are the majestic Crying Rocks, the beautiful Shuikou Ridge, and the thousand-acre fertile "Gaofeng Village" plain! It can be said to be a geomantic treasure land where "the light of the mountains pleases the birds, and the shadows of the ponds empty the hearts of the people"! It's really a wonderful place.

What’s even better is that after the first cast, I was so scared! There was no time to even take a breath, one after another! In less than fifteen or twenty minutes, without a float and just relying on experience and feel, I caught seven fish! The two nephews were also shocked! All of them are tilapia (African crucian carp)! There are some as small as one or two fingers, and some as thick as four fingers, but the largest one is still a small fish! Didn't my cousin tell me that he caught a "big fish" weighing one or two kilograms here last month? !

Is my hook too small? I don’t believe in evil, I hope that a small hook can also catch big fish! Unexpectedly, there were fewer and fewer earthworms (fish bait) in the bucket, leaving me with few opportunities! It turned out that the nephews had been wasting the bait and were too distracted by their first fishing trip! They are just here to play! The eldest nephew is only eight or nine years old. He was very interested in it at the beginning, but he has never been able to achieve zero breakthrough. Then he became discouraged. My nephew is even younger, only four or five years old. He has been dragging his brother to play with earthworms, mud and sand by the river, and the group of crucian carp I caught swimming around in the bucket.

I had no choice but to scold them in a low voice and keep an eye on their safety. I didn’t dare to let them get too close to the river bank, nor did I let them play with crucian carp and hurt their fingers. I also have to keep an eye on the movement of the fishing line and fishing rod. Unfortunately, in the end, all the bait was used up, and only one crucian carp and a very small yellow catfish (yellow bone fish) were added.

In this way, the fishing in the rocky field, which lasted for about sixty minutes, came to an end. It could not be said to be a fruitful return, let alone a vigorous and exciting one. However, through this interactive mode of "free-range" in the wild, I was finally able to "educate through fun and learn from each other", and I grew up with my nephews.

For them, this is a good "first" fishing experience, the first time in life, and an unforgettable childhood fun. They improved their hands-on skills with me, mastered the basic skills of fishing, understood that earthworms can be used as bait, and became familiar with African crucian carp and yellow catfish, and experienced the charm of fishing for the first time.

For me, this wild fishing trip had mixed feelings.

From before going out to going out in the wild, I deeply felt the trust my nephew had in his uncle, and I was moved by that innocence. If there is something delicious, fun, and beautiful to look at, they are willing to share it with me as soon as possible. They are young, but they are also well-behaved, smart, lively and cute. This is a blessing for our family.

I am very happy to have the honor to accompany and witness their growth this time. I also benefited a lot. Not only did I enhance my self-confidence through a long-lost wild fishing trip, but I also enhanced my ability to communicate with nature and my own heart. This human skill that has been flourishing for thousands of years is indeed a way for people to "observe the mysteries of nature and understand the unity of nature and man".

But I was also worried, because through this wild fishing, I finally discovered that even earthworms are hard to find in the countryside; the mother river in my hometown, Qujiang Water (Xiaohai River), not only has fish The diversity of species is gone, and even the dominant species, the African crucian carp, cannot "chat" well and grows up quietly. Over the years, illegal activities such as "electrocution, poisoning, and frying" fish have made the water environment in my hometown fragile and in danger!

My father’s generation and my contemporaries were still lucky enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery and enjoyable things such as “fish swimming in the spring water, swarms of river fish, and cormorants fishing” at their doorstep, and they also had many kinds of wild fishing. The delicious river food; my nephew's generation, and their next generation, may not have the opportunity to experience and enjoy it...

After returning from wild fishing, my mood could not be calm for a long time. In the blink of an eye, it’s already August 7th, hey! Is it the beginning of autumn? I made an appointment with my nephew to return to the "frontline" in the fall and go fishing together! Now, I can't bear to go because I believe that my skills will not deteriorate, but the fish in the Qujiang River will only become fewer and smaller. Almost none of them live long or grow big. How can I bear to waste the natural resources again!