Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

     Chapter 67 Fishing for Yellow Eels

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he was about to turn around and go home, but Ah Zheng held him back. "Why are you in such a hurry? Don't we know that when the water level rises, we can't see the holes? Little Xiao said he went to the paddy fields yesterday to inspect the drainage and noticed many newly dug yellow eel holes along the edge of the ridge furrow. It's probably because the fields got flooded, so the eels found new holes. He figured that since the typhoon had just passed, everyone must be busy cleaning up at home, so he waited until now when the sun isn't so strong to come and get us."

"That makes sense. Did you bring the hooks and earthworms?"

"Yeah, we brought them. Do you even need to ask?"

"Well, wait for then. I'll go change into a pair of rain boots and grab a bucket."

He hadn't caught yellow eels in decades, so he was quite interested. It was one of the few hobbies he had as a countryman.

After they set out, he curiously looked at Little Xiao and asked, "Were there many fish in your paddy fields yesterday?"

"It was alright. We had crucian carp, common carp, and grass carp. The grass carp were pretty big, but the other fish were quite small. I don't even know where they came from. Do you guys want them? If you do, come to my house and take them. They're so tasteless, I don't know why my dad bothered bringing them home."

Everyone shook their heads. At this time, people from the coastal areas didn't really like eating freshwater fish. They felt that the taste of freshwater fish was too earthy and strong.

Only Ye Yaodong boldly said, "If you don't want them, I'll take them. I'll come to your house later to get the grass carp and crucian carp, but I don't need the common carp."

He didn't like eating common carp. He preferred braised crucian carp and crucian carp tofu soup. Braised grass carp was also good.

Yesterday, his brothers went to the fields to inspect but didn't mention catching any fish to bring back. They probably thought the fish were too small, and they were also accustomed to eating seafood, so they didn't find freshwater fish tasty.

The group of people strolled leisurely onto the road and continued walking in the direction of Dongqiao Village. The fields of their village were located at the junction with Dongqiao-Baishan.

It was just early July, and the rice seedlings hadn't been transplanted yet. The fields were empty and barren. The late-season rice wouldn't be transplanted until the middle to late July.

Walking in the muddy field, Ye Yaodong looked at the mud on his shoes and was glad he wore rain boots.

Actually, May is the best time for catching yellow eels. During that period, the weather warms up, and the water temperature rises. The eels emerge from their winter burrows and gather in the fields, ponds, and shallow water areas to search for food and fatten up. Their appetites are strong at this time, making it the best season for fishing.

Little Xiao set down the bucket. "You guys take care of the fishing rods and earthworms. There are empty bottles in the bucket. Pour some earthworms into each bottle and distribute them among yourselves."

Their fishing rods were very basic, just something they made themselves. It was a small wooden stick tied with a line and a fishhook. Despite its simplicity, it could still be used multiple times.

Ye Yaodong took one of the small wooden sticks from their bucket and threaded an earthworm onto the hook at the end of a bamboo stick. The earthworm was securely hooked without exposing the tip of the hook. The others also started threading their earthworms and began searching for a good spot to start fishing.

"Let’s act separately."

"As per the usual rule, let's see who catches the most. The person with the fewest catches will have to drink and wash the dishes next time!"

Oh, so there's this rule too. He almost forgot about it.

In the water, yellow eels usually make holes in the soft mud or inhabit natural mud or stone holes. So, to catch yellow eels, the first thing you need to know is how to find their holes.

However, not all yellow eels have ventilation holes because the mud not only houses yellow eels but also small worms and insects. Their holes are interconnected, allowing them to share the neighbors' ventilation. During nighttime feeding, they might not always come out from the same spot.

Sometimes, the eel holes can be obstructed by a patch of grass or when the water is not clear enough, with many little floating lotus leaves around.

However, there must be yellow eel holes along the muddy banks. At this point, you have to rely on your fingers to find them. Using your index or middle finger, insert your hand into the bank at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees, about 5 to 10 centimeters above the waterline.

Suddenly, it feels empty inside the hole. When you remove your finger, you can see water inside, indicating a large empty space where you can dig and fish. This means you have found the yellow eel's nest. Sometimes, there may be bubbles on top, and if there are bubbles, then it's the legendary "guarding nest”, the nest-protecting hole of the eel.

There are also visible holes that can be identified with the naked eye. They are located within an 8-centimeter range below the waterline, and with careful searching, they can be spotted.

Just as Ye Yaodong took a few steps, he noticed several smooth and round holes around the muddy bank at his feet. They were roughly the thickness of his thumb. He was about to put his finger into one of the holes when he heard Little Xiao exclaim, "I've caught one!"

"Oh? It's quite big. Looks like it weighs around half a jin!"

Ah Wei also exclaimed with joy, "I've caught one too! It seems a bit small."

"I've caught one too!"

While everyone was having a successful catch, Ye Yaodong remained calm. With the tip of the hook pointing downward at the mouth of the hole, he teased the eel for a while. He could clearly see water flowing in and out of the hole, and he even heard a faint "pop" sound.

It's hooked!

He managed to catch an extra-large yellow eel, estimated to be around seven taels in weight. It looked incredibly thick.

Typically, wild yellow eels have a size of around two or three taels. It is rare to come across yellow eels weighing four taels. This one he caught is truly exceptionally large.

After several decades, due to the pollution and destruction of the environment caused by human production and livelihood, wild yellow eels in rural fields have become increasingly scarce. Eels of such a large size are usually bred in captivity.

Luck was on his side as he managed to catch such a large one on his first attempt. Ye Yaodong was instantly filled with excitement. He placed it in the bucket and continued baiting, moving on to the next hole.

At this time, there were plenty of yellow eels in the fields, making it easy to catch them. It didn't require much effort, and many of the holes along the ridges and ditches were newly formed. Some even had traces left behind by eels searching for food, making them easy to identify.

After catching only two, Ye Yaodong already spotted two nesting eel holes, as evidenced by the presence of foam at the entrance.

He didn't bother baiting these particular holes because after catching the yellow eels, the eel eggs inside the holes or the newly hatched baby yellow eels would eventually die off. 

Sustainable development!

Why eliminate future generations?

In the future, wild yellow eels will become increasingly scarce!

He slowly moved to a new spot, and the yellow eels in the bucket kept increasing in number. There were large ones and small ones, with the largest belonging to his first catch, while the smaller ones weighed around two or three taels each.

After using up all the earthworms in the can, he straightened his back and stretched, feeling a bit lazy. The sun was also about to set.

Shouting to his friends squatting or standing not far away, "Hey, the sun is setting, let's call it a day and go home for dinner!"

"There are only two earthworms left, let me finish fishing!"

Ah Guang yelled and continued squatting down. The others, regardless of whether they had finished fishing or not, started heading out.

"How many did you guys catch?"

"15!"

"16!"

"13!"

"Oh~ you wash the dishes! I caught 18!"

"Really? Let me see... It seems like you caught more than us. If I had known, I would have taken a couple more earthworms!" Ah Zheng sighed.

"Don't worry, there's still Ah Guang." Ah Zheng called out to Ah Guang, who was standing up in the distance. "Ah Guang, how many did you catch?"

"With these two, I’ve caught 16!"

"Alright, I'll do the dishes next time."

Honor the bet and accept defeat!

"Hurry up, let's head home for dinner. We're all starving, and it's perfect to cook them in a stew."

This bucket already weighs 5-6 jin. Ye Yaodong quietly counted the number of people in his mind; there are 17 people in the family, just enough for each person to have one, and there will even be one left over.

(end of this chapter)