116: The fish in The Old Man and the Sea

Sailfish, also known as banana fish, are one of the fastest swimming fish in the ocean. Its dorsal fin extends and retracts like a sail, and at its widest point, the dorsal fin can be twice the size of its body.

Its upper jaw and nose are exceptionally prominent, forming a long, sword-like rostrum that is very hard.

Sailfish meat is tender and succulent, with muscles of varying colors, including white, light red, and bright red, making it a high-grade culinary ingredient.

Furthermore, due to its extremely fast swimming speed, it is difficult to catch, making its price very expensive.

The market price of chilled sailfish typically ranges from 100 to 500 yuan per jin, depending on the fishing method, the quality of the meat itself, and the size of the individual fish.

Some exceptionally high-quality, large individual sailfish can even sell for thousands of yuan per jin.

Sailfish meat is white with many tendons, sweet in flavor, and highly nutritious. It is suitable for high-grade sashimi, pan-frying, and processed products.

Those who have read "The Old Man and the Sea" may remember the fish described in the book that dragged the old man everywhere, with a slender, sword-like rostrum—that was a sailfish.

It is rare to see people selling large quantities of sailfish on the market; usually, fishermen sell them directly at sea after catching them. Fresh, live sailfish can sell for tens of thousands of yuan each.

A dense swarm of flying fish passed under the setting sail, and many flying fish flew out of the sea to escape, with many falling onto the deck in their panic, flopping around noisily.

Close behind them was a group of large sailfish, mouths agape, each acceleration allowing them to swallow several flying fish.

For a sailfish with a body of three or four meters, these few flying fish going down its belly were merely a snack to fill a corner of its stomach.

Four or five sailfish noticed the slowly sinking frozen bait. While chasing the school of flying fish, they casually ate several pieces of frozen bait.

"Damn, the taste isn't great!"

"Oh, there's food right here, no need to swim so hard to snatch food."

"Forget it, forget it, let's just eat this, shall we? At least it's not as tiring."

"I'm just going to eat this; whoever likes to work hard can go chase!"

"Bah! Junk food, not tasty, but it saves effort. Eat a little first, then we'll see!"

Just like people, they always find reasons to convince themselves. These few sailfish then slowed down and began to chase and eat the sinking frozen fish.

One after another, they unknowingly slowly approached the setting sail.

They didn't notice that the school of flying fish in front of them had disappeared; suddenly, they found a few flying fish struggling and wriggling awkwardly ahead.

They were clearly injured and unable to swim.

Who the hell could resist that!

A few large sailfish flicked their tails, and their speed shot up, reaching the flying fish in the blink of an eye.

They swallowed the flying fish in front of them in one gulp, and due to inertia, their bodies didn't slow down, continuing to rush forward.

Yang Qi used his golden finger to see that one of the large sailfish had bitten onto the professional-grade Tuna boat fishing rod that Zhang Jun had given him.

Along with the large hook on the flying fish, it fiercely pierced the corner of its mouth, getting tighter and tighter. The fishing line pulled the rod, instantly bending it into a large arc.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak"… "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"…

As the underwater sailfish fled, the sound of the large fishing line cutting through the water, and the sound of the large drum reel letting out line, rose and fell, creating quite a lively scene.

It turned out that Zhang Jun and Zhang Fei, the two brothers, also had fish on the line. It seemed the power of the sailfish was greater than the power of the electric reel, and the fishing line kept slowly going out.

Three rods hooking large fish almost simultaneously created a lot of commotion.

Last time, while fishing in the Nan You Fishing Grounds, when Zhang Jun caught a Yellowfin Tuna weighing over two hundred jin, his electric reel was in much better condition than it was now.

"It's definitely over two hundred and fifty jin."

At this moment, Zhang Jun, in the middle, spoke, "This… this… otherwise, I'll just cut the line here, to avoid getting tangled later."

It was clear that Zhang Jun was gritting his teeth when he said this, as if he had made some kind of decision.

"Second Brother, let me cut the line! It's rare for you to encounter such a giant. This is your dream."

Zhang Fei responded from the side.

At this moment, Yang Qi spoke:

"You two don't cut the line yet. Our rods and lines are definitely fine."

"As long as we control the escape direction of the giants and prevent them from meeting, we can avoid tangled lines."

The two also recovered from their panic, checked the condition of their respective fishing rods, and their hearts immediately calmed down.

"Bai Lang, reel in your line and let me use your rod holder."

Yang Qi had already looked into the sea. Because three large sailfish were hooked at the same time, the commotion from their struggles to escape was too great, and the other sailfish were startled and had already fled.

"Okay, Brother-in-law, I'm already reeling in, you can come over to my side right away."

Hearing Bai Lang realize he hadn't hooked a fish and was already preparing to make space for them, Yang Qi smiled without speaking.

However, he felt a sense of relief in his heart. Everyone on the setting sail could consider others, which was really good.

Especially this kid Bai Lang, who seemed carefree, but had a good character.

Many people who go deep-sea fishing in groups have encountered such situations:

When a large fish is caught, due to people nearby not actively reeling in to make space, or several people hooking fish at the same time and no one is willing to cut their line to make space.

This leads to tangled lines, lost fish, and unpleasant arguments.

Yang Qi placed his fishing rod on Bai Lang's rod holder and began to try reeling in.

Damn it, couldn't reel it in. Forget it, no hard pulling. Let the fish run for a while! Get through the first burst of power first.

This kid Bai Lang was smart; he suggested:

"Brother-in-law, I'll move your rod holder to the front deck for Fei Ge to use! That way, the three of you will be even further apart."

"Alright, you have good ideas. I didn't even think of that."

Yang Qi immediately looked at this kid in a new light.

A minute later, Bai Lang's voice came from the front deck:

"Fei Ge, loosen the brake and move your rod over here. That way, the distance between you and Brother Jun will be greater, and the rod holder is ready for you."

"Oh, wow ~ Thank you! Bai Lang, you're so smart. Why didn't I think of that!"

Zhang Fei's voice came. It was clear he was very happy, after all, anyone who catches a giant fish, if there's even a little chance, wants to bring it in.

The three of them were now holding their rods, pulling occasionally when they had a chance, and reeling in a few times with the electric reel. If the force felt too strong, they stopped; if they had a chance, they reeled in.

Bai Lang was seen carrying four fighting belts, walking over and giving one to each of them. He then naturally tied the last one around his own waist.

"If any of you can't handle it later, I'll take over!" Bai Lang said, patting the fighting belt on his waist.

"Hahaha! Alright!" Yang Qi couldn't help but laugh, looking at his serious expression.

"Bai Lang, later, I, Fei Ge, will definitely let you have a good time. Don't worry!"

Zhang Fei agreed with Bai Lang.

"Okay, Fei Ge, thank you! Is there anything you need my help with? Just say the word anytime!"

Immediately after, Bai Lang ran subserviently towards Zhang Fei.