101-091 Fishing (5)

But you got more than you bargained for.

Yes. I was expecting to get some, but it was more than I expected.

We don't eat crabs and shrimps every day, and today's catch is enough to last us for a month or two.

If we continue for two more days, we may be able to have a good meal for the time being, even if the catch decreases a little.

You're going to set up the basket again, right?

Yeah, we'll taste it at lunch and if it's good, we'll set it up.

That's right. It would be a pity if we brought back a lot of food and it didn't taste good.

It would be better to leave them for a few days in order to remove the mud, but we should try to taste them considering the muddy smell.

Yuki was right, it would be very hard to waste the effort because of the high expectation.

Let's try our best to catch landlocked salmon, which are known to be delicious. Nao, lend me your fishing rod and hook.

You can use any of them you like.

I brought a total of six fishing rods, including a spare. The rods are simple ones made of bent branches that have been lightly shaved, but from what I saw yesterday, they're not too bad for catching landlocked salmon.

Toya and I had made three hair hooks each, and we handed them to Haruka and the others.

If you put the hooks upstream in a place where the current isn't too fast, you should be able to catch them.

As an example, I threw a hair hook.

After a few times, a landlocked salmon bites, so I pull the hook in and pull it in.

When it bites, hold up the rod and scoop it up with the net. Easy, right?

"Yes, sir. I guess anyone can do it.

Yes, I think so. I'm just an amateur who did it for the first time yesterday. Is there anything else, Toya?

No, not really. I've just been doing it randomly.

I was just doing it." Amateurs are amateurs after all.

The only thing we know is what Tommy told us.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.

It was a hassle to make the nets because I didn't know if Haruka and the others would be interested in fishing, so I only made three nets: one for me, one for Toya, and a spare.

Compared to poles, which are easy to make, taro nets require a lot of time to weave with string.

We'll have to split into three groups. Goo, chop, and par.

Right. Goo, choki, par!

In unison, Toya played goo, Natsuki and I played par, and Yuki and Haruka played choki.

Since we were nicely divided at the first time, we took the nets one by one and split them up.

Natsuki and I climbed up on the rocks in the middle of the river, Natsuki targeting landlocked salmon in the slower current, and I using a lure in the faster current.

"Nao, are there any fish that will bite such a big bait?

"No, this lure is not biting. No, these lures don't bite. They make it look like it's swimming, and then they hook the fish that attack it to scare them away. ......

Of course, I'm just taking your word for it.

It's not like they're going to bite you, so how do you think they're going to hook you?

That sounds difficult. ......

Yes, it does. If it doesn't work, maybe I'll try bait fishing.

There are ordinary fishing hooks, so if you dig up some worms, you can probably catch something.

But since I took the time to make it, I'd like to see some catches.

I threw the lure downstream and pulled it upstream, as if it were swimming.

It's a bit awkward, but if you look at it from the perspective of the creator, it looks like a fish. ...... Yeah, that's pretty subtle from a patronizing point of view.

But you can't give up right away.

While adjusting your movements, throw and pull up, pull up and throw again.

I'm a little impatient because Natsuki is already catching a lot of fish behind me, but...

It's coming!

I feel a sensation on my rod, and I quickly adjust the line.

The line is jumping and jerking.

"Here you go!

I put the net into the river, which Natsuki quickly offered to me, and pulled the rod.

The shape of the fish on the surface of the water is quite large. You quickly put the fish in the net and pull it out.

"Yes!

I place the net on a rock and breathe a sigh of relief.

"You did it!

Natsuki smiled and clapped her hands.

The fish in the net was over 30 centimeters long. Its shape was clearly different from that of a landlocked salmon.

"Yes!　Ayu!　...... though it's kind of big.

It's a little different from the ayu fish I know, but since the [help] page says so, I'm sure it's ayu-like fish.

I've never seen a sweetfish this big, although Japanese ayu fish can grow up to 30 centimeters. It seems to be worth eating.

Well, as long as it's big, there's no problem.

Yes, because when they're small, there's nowhere to eat them.

If you can catch a lot of small fish, you can make tsukudani, but you won't be able to catch that much unless you use a net. First of all, you can't make tsukudani without soy sauce and sugar.

But for efficiency, landlocked salmon is better.

That's right.

While we were talking about this, Natsuki's rod was hit.

Natsuki pulls it in, and I hold out the net and scoop it up.

Thank you very much. It's about 25 centimeters.

As you can see, you can consistently catch quite large landlocked salmon, so from the point of view of securing food, it is more efficient to target landlocked salmon.

...... Well, it's better to have various kinds of fish, right?　We're here for leisure.

Yes, even if you can't catch anything, it's okay to have fun.

"Ugh.

Natsuki said sternly with a smile. No, it's not that he's stern, it's just that he's Natsuki, so he's not being sarcastic. It's not like we're in dire need of money or food.

"Don't worry, you'll catch it!

At least, I could confirm that I could catch fish with the lure I made.

I cast the lure to a place slightly off from where I had caught the fish earlier.

Tommy told me that the lure is designed to catch fish by using their territory, so you can't catch fish in the same place continuously.

He told me that I should use a long rod, so I used a longer rod than the others, but it was still less than five meters long. I was told to use a longer rod than others, but it was still less than 5 meters.

I've been thinking about it.

Contrary to our expectation, we were able to catch ayu consistently without moving places.

The interval between catches became shorter and shorter, and we could catch one ayu while Natsuki caught four or five ayu.

We continued fishing until the sun reached mid-heaven, and then, at Haruka's suggestion, we paused fishing and returned to the camp.

"How's the fishing going, guys?

"I'm not so good.　I can't catch as many as yamame, but I can catch ayu to a certain extent. It seems that even a bad lure can help, right?

I agree with you. I feel the same way. If you're only thinking about quantity, landlocked salmon is better. ...... How are Haruka and the others doing?

We're doing fine. Hey, Yuki.

Yeah. We're catching fish like crazy!　It's funny when you catch this many fish.

Yuki holds out her tub and smiles happily.

When I looked into it, I saw more landlocked salmon wriggling around than I had caught yesterday.

I think the two main reasons why people find fishing boring or dislike it are the long wait to catch a fish and the need to attach disgusting insects. I'm sure most people will enjoy this place, but not those who find the fish disgusting.

But with so many fish, it's hard to prepare them.

Really. I wish I could put it in my magic bag.

I don't suppose it'll hold living things?

No. I've never tried .......

I've never tried it." Haruka twisted her head, wondering if she had just said it again.

It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web and also the web site.

There are definitely microorganisms attached to the items in the magic bag, aren't there?

There are also fruits and vegetables in there, but those are not bio-determined, so .......

Why don't you try it?

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. ......

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

Then he pulls out his hand and closes the lid.

It's in there, isn't it?

"Yeah. Let's get it out.

I open the lid, take out the bag that Haruka just put in, and put the landlocked salmon in the tub.

...... It's alive.

Is it possible that the biometric test is limited to mammals?

I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.

If we think of the exclusion process as a kind of sensor, it might be easier to determine if it is a mammal than to determine if it is an organism.

Either way, it's a system that works for us.

Absolutely. It'll save me from endless fish-handling duties.

There are about a hundred fish now. If we continue until the evening, we'll probably have more than two hundred.

No matter how good your cooking skills are, it's definitely a disgusting amount.

"But you know, it's the alchemy technique that limits them, right?　Isn't it?　So you think Haruka can make a magic bag with no restrictions?

I can't do that right now. If you want to put it simply, there is a difference between assembling a plastic model and designing a plastic model.

Okay, that's easy to understand.

If it's that different, it's impossible.

"Well, it's just convenient, right?　Let's put everything in it.

Yuki was about to put the fish into the bag, and I hurriedly stopped her.

"Wait a minute. It's better to put the fish in the water because it's not zero, just slow.

Even with the overcrowding, it's better than no water.

We transferred all the fish we had caught into barrels and put them in magic bags with lids on.

I guess we'd better start cooking some of the fish when we get back to town.

Yeah. Then you can freeze it and keep it in the bag for a long time.

With Haruka's magic and the magic bag, you can use it as a refrigerator or freezer.

The refrigerator in Aella's store is quite expensive, so this is a great help.

This will make our eating habits even better!　My dreams are expanding.