Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Beginners Use One Rod, Veterans Set Up Stalls

The time arrived at the fifty-second day.

The morning chill was more intense than usual. Lin Yu’an woke up early, added new firewood to the stove, and then quickly walked towards the newly constructed netting platform by the lake.

He stood on the platform, his eyes fixed on the float line.

The line was still, showing no signs of fish shoals hitting it.

He picked up a long wooden stick, carefully dipped it into the water, and gently stirred the stinging net.

The feeling in his hand was slack, with no sense of struggle coming through.

“Looks like, once again, there’s nothing gained from last night.”

A hint of disappointment flashed across Lin Yu’an’s face, but he quickly regained his composure.

He was mentally prepared; the passive fishing method of the stinging net was inherently unpredictable.

“Perhaps it’s because the temperature has dropped recently, altering the range of fish activities, or it’s just bad luck.”

“However, we can’t just wait around. We need to take the initiative and attract the fish over.”

He returned to the shelter and fetched the strong-smelling blood bait in a clay jar.

Using a wooden spoon, he scooped up a clump of sticky blood bait, added some fine sand to help it sink, and then threw it forcefully about one or two meters in front of the stinging net.

“Plop!” With a few sounds, the blood bait dispersed in the water, the strong smell likely spreading through the calm waters.

“Hopefully, the bait will work! I’ll check again in the afternoon to see if there’s any harvest.”

After completing these tasks, he went to check the tanning pool where the deer hide was soaking.

The deep red-brown tanning solution seemed to have lightened a bit, which he knew was the result of the hide absorbing the tannins.

He fished out the deer hide, turned it over, added some of the previously boiled tanning solution to the pool, and submerged it again.

Returning to the stone house, Lin Yu’an didn’t commence the day’s routine of collecting firewood.

While standing on the fishing platform, a thought had struck him.

“Folks, there’s an old saying in China, a novice uses a single rod, while an expert sets up a stall.”

“I’ve been hand-lining fish before, which works, but lacks a bit of control.”

“It’s said that every newly made fishing rod comes with a new rod’s aura! I’ve decided to make myself a wilderness version fishing rod! Hopefully, there will be the new rod’s aura!”

He re-entered the forest, which he had become quite familiar with, embarking on an even more rigorous search for materials than ever before.

“Crafting a rod that can withstand immense tension, the choice of its shaft is paramount, as it must meet several near-exacting conditions.”

“Lightness, resilience, excellent elasticity, and a perfect natural taper from base to tip.”

He initially ruled out tree species with fast growth and loose wood.

In order to make a rod capable of battling large trout or pike in the depths of Chilco Lake, ordinary birch or willow branches were far from sufficient.

In his mind appeared a tree species in North America considered by the local indigenous people to be “sacred” — the Pacific Yew.

The wood of the Pacific Yew possesses unparalleled elasticity and resilience, making it an excellent natural material for crafting top-grade longbows and fishing rods.

As Lin Yu’an searched the gully, he explained to the camera: “It typically grows in the understory of coniferous forests, grows rather slowly, and finding a perfectly shaped ’rod material’ requires a bit of patience and luck.”

Finally, on a shady and damp mountainside sheltered by tall firs, he locked onto an ideal target.

It was a young Pacific Yew tree growing remarkably straight upwards to vie for limited sunlight.

The base diameter was about three to four centimeters, with almost no lateral branches, and the length was just around three meters.

Lin Yu’an tapped the yew’s dark red trunk with his fingers, hearing a dull yet solid echo.

“It grows slowly, resulting in extremely dense wood fiber; its trunk is full of incredible resilience. This is the top-grade rod material I was seeking.”

Using his homemade chainsaw-chain hand saw, he sawed it down near the base and carried it back to the camp.

He first carefully shaved off the thin outer bark of the yew rod to reveal the tough reddish-brown wood beneath.

Placing the debarked yew rod above the flame, he slowly and evenly rotated it, conducting an initial straightening and stress relief to ensure the rod was as straight as a line.

Once the rod had completely cooled and set, Lin Yu’an began the most critical shaping process.

He took a piece of rough sandstone he had previously found by the river and started sanding from the rod’s base towards the tip.

He sanded diligently, the sandstone making a soft “shhh” sound against the hard yew wood, with wood shavings falling down.

It’s not just about making the rod smooth, but also about slightly adjusting the taper during sanding to form a smooth and natural transition from the robust handle to the slender tip.

As he sanded, he explained to the camera: “The soul of a good fishing rod lies in its perfect taper.”

“This allows the force to be evenly transmitted and distributed from the rod’s tip to the handle, maximizing the rod’s resilience.”

When the rod had been finely sanded to his satisfaction, he then moved on to the final step of performance enhancement.

Placing the finished smooth rod above the flame again, he slowly rotated it to apply a second even heating.

“Now that the rod’s shape is fixed, this second roasting isn’t for shaping.”

“It’s to open the microscopic pores on the wood’s surface in preparation for the oil treatment, allowing the oil to penetrate deeper.”

Once the yew rod was slightly warmed and its color deepened, he dipped some previously prepared pine resin oil from a ceramic bowl and applied it all over the warm rod.

“The wood is hungrily absorbing the pine resin oil.”

“The oil penetrates deep into the wood fibers, significantly enhancing its resilience and waterproofing.”

This process of fire roasting and oil application was repeated three times, until the entire yew rod presented an oily and deep reddish-brown hue, like an enlarged magic wand.

Next came the treatment of the tip’s line attachment structure, one of the most critical parts of a hand rod.

“Without a reel and guide rings, all the force will be transmitted through this small rod tip to the fishing line.”

He used the tip of a multi-tool knife to carve a shallow annular groove about one centimeter from the rod tip.

“Now, we’ll make a permanent ’tip knot’ here.”

He soaked nylon thread in pine resin and began spirally winding it, one circle pressing against the next, from below the groove toward the rod tip.

When winding reached the groove, he wound several extra circles to form a slightly protruding strengthening ring.

Finally, he secured the end of the thread with a slip knot, cut off the excess thread, and applied a thick layer of pine resin.

The solidified pine resin and nylon thread would form a hard and smooth whole.

The small groove would perfectly retain the main fishing line tied above, ensuring it wouldn’t slip off under high tension.

Finally, he wrapped a willow bark thin rope around the handle not only for non-slip purposes but also to further protect the wood of the handle section.

After a whole day of meticulous craftsmanship, a brand new wilderness version “fishing rod” with an oily, deep reddish-brown rod was finally completed!

Lin Yu’an held the rod with both hands, swung it a few times in the air, the rod cutting through with a “whoosh,” the tip vibrating nimbly!

He forcefully bent the rod into an impressive curve, clearly feeling the strong and resilient rebound force from the Pacific Yew wood core transmitted through the rod.

Lin Yu’an showed an unprecedented confident smile, gently patting the solid rod.

“Now, I have absolute confidence in this rod’s strength! Tomorrow, there’s no way we’ll come back empty-handed!”

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