Su Wei put on his heavy winter clothes again, carried his ice fishing rod and tackle box on his back, held an ice drill in one hand and a small folding bucket for sitting in the other.
He didn't bring an ice tent because snow could come at any time.
"Let's go, Cotton Candy, let's get something delicious."
The little fox cried out excitedly and followed closely behind him.
The man and the fox walked along the newly cleared path, their steps uneven, towards the frozen lake in front of the door.
The short distance of about 200 meters was extremely difficult to traverse through the thick snow.
Finally, he stood on the shore of the lake.
The entire lake was covered with a thick layer of white snow, almost blending seamlessly with the land on the shore, making it impossible to discern any boundary.
When walking on ice, safety is the top priority.
Su Wei did not rashly step onto the lake.
He walked to a spot on the lakeshore that he remembered was relatively shallow, and used the ice drill bit as a chisel to hammer it down forcefully.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
After a few moments, the snow was broken open, revealing the bluish-white solid ice underneath.
He put down the ice drill, picked up the small axe he had brought, and began to chop and chisel with all his might.
Ice shards flew everywhere, and soon he had chiseled open a hole the size of a bowl.
He used a shovel to scoop out the broken ice and carefully examined the cross-section of the ice layer.
The ice was clear and hard, and its thickness appeared to be over thirty centimeters.
With a thickness of that, not only could a person walk on it, but even a pickup truck could drive up it without any problem.
Safety has been confirmed.
Next, it's time to find a suitable fishing spot.
On such a large lake, if you just randomly cast your line anywhere, you might not catch anything all day.
Rainbow trout and Arctic grayling, these cold-water fish, congregate in specific areas with higher oxygen levels and food sources during the winter.
For example, places with special underwater structures, or the boundary between shallow and deep water.
Su Wei stood by the lake, carefully recalling the topography of the lake.
The other end of the lake connects to the Pilan Creek, where fresh water should flow in, resulting in a higher oxygen content.
But the distance is too far, and it would take a lot of physical effort to walk there.
His gaze swept across the snow-white lake surface.
Beneath this vast expanse of white, where can the fish find refuge?
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
The Gathering Module can sense living plants.
Fish in winter mostly need oxygen, warmth, and food.
This is the best choice.
Of course, it's the inlet, the place where the lake meets the Pilan Creek.
But that place was too far away, so the Su Wei didn't consider it.
Secondly, there are areas where there is a significant geological difference between steep slopes and the edges of deep water areas.
Here, fish can more easily float, allowing them to quickly evade predators and easily forage in shallow waters.
Such a place would be difficult for even the Su Wei to find.
Finally, there are areas with remaining vegetation or fallen trees.
That is, places where plants are abundant.
His Gathering Module could obviously try to find such places.
Although it's uncertain whether it will succeed, it's worth a try.
Su Wei concentrated and silently recited the mantra in his mind.
"Activate Gathering Module."
[ The Gathering Module has been activated, with a scanning radius of 30 meters.]
He moved slowly along the lakeside. His pale blue field of vision was empty, except for a few withered trees on the shore that showed faint gray information.
It still didn't work, huh?
Just as he was about to give up and try to find the deeper water based on his experience, a faint, almost imperceptible pale green halo suddenly flashed at the edge of his field of vision, about twenty meters away from the center of the lake.
The halo was blurry and small in area, like a cloud of mist underwater.
[Charachium: An ancient, large aquatic algae, considered aesthetically pleasing. Value: Extremely low.]
Chara?
Su Wei's heart skipped a beat.
He took a few steps in that direction, and the pale green halo became a little clearer.
It's true!
A large area rich in algae, including not only charophytes but also various other types of algae.
There's a good chance there are fish here!
He suppressed his excitement, adjusted his breathing, slung his equipment over his shoulder, and walked step by step toward the location of the halo.
The snow boots crunched and squeaked on the thick snow, the sound particularly clear on the silent, frozen lake.
He finally stopped directly above the green halo.
This is it.
Su Wei put down all the equipment on his back, unfolded the small folding bucket, and placed it aside.
He took off his gloves, rubbed his hands which were stiff from the cold, and then gripped the two handles on top of the hand-cranked ice drill tightly.
The cold, metallic touch came from my palm.
Su Wei stood firmly with his legs apart, pressing the sharp spiral drill bit of the ice drill vertically against the snow beneath his feet and pushing it down forcefully.
The drill bit easily pierced through the soft snow, its tip touching the hard ice.
Chapter 46 Hunting Under the Ice, Fishing Module Activated
The spiral blade of the hand-cranked ice drill bit into the ice surface.
Su Wei clenched his fists and began to exert force.
Click, click.
The sound of metal drilling into ice was piercing and carried far across the snowfield.
Ice shards flew out and landed among the snow on the frozen lake.
This ice drill is purely mechanical; Su Wei had it polished beforehand.
This means it doesn't have the problems of being electric, but its drawbacks are also obvious.
That's really hard work.
With each rotation, Su Wei had to use the strength of his waist and abdomen to fight against the resistance coming from deep within the ice.
After running around for less than twenty times, Su Wei's vest became slightly damp, sticking stickily to his back. It was cold on the outside but hot on the inside, making him feel uncomfortable and somewhat restless.
Cotton Candy squatted in a snowdrift half a meter away.
It cleverly tucked its large tail under its rump, tilted its head, and stared at the spinning metal rod with its blue eyes.
Occasionally, it would extend its claws to poke at the ice shards that flew in front of it, slapping them back and forth.
They played by themselves, oblivious to everything else.
Su Wei didn't have time to deal with it.
He adjusted his breathing, pressed down hard on the handle with his left hand to keep the ice drill vertical, and cranked the crank at a steady pace with his right hand.
Twenty centimeters.
Thirty centimeters.
The resistance in my hand suddenly disappeared.
With a thud.
The ice drill suddenly sank downwards, and black lake water surged up along the drill bit, filling the entire ice cave.
It's connected.
Su Wei finally relaxed her tightly pursed lips and exhaled a large puff of white breath.
He didn't dare to delay, so he immediately picked up the ice drill and the colander next to him, and quickly scooped up all the broken ice from the hole.
Here it's -30 degrees Celsius. If the ice crystals aren't cleaned properly, they'll refreeze in a few minutes, making it easy to break the fishing line while fishing.