13: Buy more fishing gear

Returning home, Yang Qi put away his gear and then rode his bike out again.

He wanted to buy another set of long-cast rods for catching big fish.

He didn't want to struggle with a small red reel set against a big fish like he did this morning.

Although when he caught that large Spotted Grouper today, the complex terrain limited the rod's performance, forcing him to brute-force it and nearly failing to land it.

But, to take a step back, if it had been a big game rod, he would have just pulled it in quickly and safely.

Moreover, with his Golden Finger, would he, a cheater, be afraid of not finding giant fish?

At that time, he would use the small red reel for regular fish and the giant long-cast rod for big fish, a two-pronged approach.

Who cares!

Soon, he arrived at "Fisherman's Home," the same place where he bought his equipment last time.

"You're here, little brother!"

The boss greeted him with fiery enthusiasm!

Offering cigarettes, lighting them, pouring tea, inviting him to drink tea—a combo that left Yang Qi overwhelmed!

He felt like it would be a huge sin not to buy something.

"I learned something!" Yang Qi thought to himself.

"Brother! What do you want to buy today? Don't worry, pick what you like, and I'll give you the biggest discount!" the boss asked at the opportune moment.

Yang Qi thought for a moment and said, "Today, I mainly need to get a long-cast rod for big game fishing. I don't know much about it, so could the boss give me some recommendations?"

"A long-cast rod for big game fishing, you say?"

The boss began to introduce them voluminously:

"Big game long-cast rods mainly include boat casting rods, super heavy-duty boat rods, surf casting rods, and rock fishing rods."

"Boat rods are specialized fishing rods for boat fishing at sea. These rods are short and thick, with strong bearing capacity; even if you encounter a fish weighing one or two hundred kilograms, they won't easily break.

They are usually only 2-2.7 meters long. They are used while the boat is moving, fixed on the aft deck to hang live fish, paired with large line cups or large drum reels, for trolling large aggressive fish in the sea.

The targets for trolling are large, powerful fish in the ocean, such as Sailfish, Swordfish, and Tuna."

"Super heavy-duty boat rods are generally fixed on the boat. The fishing reel is extra large, with a large line capacity, thick line, and large hooks, usually paired with an electric reel or a large drum reel, specifically for catching super large fish species weighing several hundred kilograms or more."

"And surf casting rods, as the name suggests, are specifically used on beaches. Because the beach has a small slope and shallow water, to fish deep, you have to cast far. These rods have very thin tips and come in lengths of 3.9 meters, 4.5 meters, and 5.4 meters."

"Then there are rock fishing rods and integrated boat-rock fishing rods. Rock fishing rods, as the mainstream rod for offshore float rock fishing, come in specifications of 3.6 meters, 4.5 meters, 5.4 meters, and 6.3 meters. They are made of fiberglass or carbon material. They can be used for long casting or close-range fishing."

"And boat-rock fishing rods are exactly in between boat rods and rock fishing rods, with sizes also divided into 3.0 meters, 3.6 meters, and 4.5 meters."

"If the line set is well matched, it can be said that it's suitable for large, medium, and small—basically all fish species."

"Boss, you're truly professional!" Yang Qi exclaimed sincerely.

Combining the boss's professional explanation, Yang Qi benefited greatly.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Boss, then please set me up with a 3.0-meter boat-rock fishing rod, with the line set and everything geared towards larger fish."

"Alright! You wait, I'll go and prepare it for you! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Soon, the boss returned with a pile of items. The total price came out to 3560 yuan.

After some haggling, the final price was 3500 yuan, plus the boss gave him some accessories, a spool of leader line, two antarctic shrimp bricks for chumming, a tackle bag, and a fish gripper with an electronic scale that Yang Qi had always wanted.

Both parties were delighted; Yang Qi got what he wished for, and the boss made a tidy profit of 800 yuan!

The boss diligently taught Yang Qi how to tie line sets, leader lines, and hooks.

After a while, Yang Qi, carrying his tackle bag, left "Fisherman's Home" with the boss seeing him off.

Checking the time, it was almost 11 AM.

He was too lazy to cook for himself, so he decided to grab a pig's trotters rice to deal with his hunger!

"But I have to add extra meat; not adding meat doesn't suit my style!"

After lunch, Yang Qi returned to his rented room and organized all his fishing gear and accessories, making them convenient for future outings.

He lay on the bed, played with his phone for a while, and then took a half-hour nap.

"How can I sleep in while alive? I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead!"

"Get up! Time to make money! Buy a boat soon!"

He slung the livewell over his shoulder, carried the tackle bag and large fish keeper, and trudged down from the third floor.

"Looks like I need to find a new place to live! My fishing gear is accumulating, and the third floor is just too inconvenient!"

Putting all his gear onto the electric bike, another thought sparked in his mind: "I also need to buy a tricycle. The two-wheeled electric bike is almost full."

First, he went to the market and bought a jin of farmed Shrimp for 28 yuan per jin. Yang Qi specifically bought the slightly smaller ones, as more small ones meant more bait, and he wasn't eating them himself anyway.

Opening the map, he found a relatively secluded cliff and reef area, not very large. It was about 15 kilometers north along the coastal road, belonging to Dapan Bay Town.

This was a fishing spot the old man had told him about yesterday, saying the road was difficult to traverse! He had come twice and then stopped coming!

It was only about a half-hour ride on the electric bike. After leaving the main road and passing through a village, he quickly arrived at the location.

It was a small, undeveloped bay with quite a bit of trash on the beach.

Upon climbing onto the reef, he saw there were only two fishing spots; other areas were too steep and difficult to stand on. A large reef blocked the view, so he couldn't see what was on the other side of it.

Yang Qi activated his ability to check the situation in the sea. It was indeed a good spot. Perhaps because this area was so remote and fewer anglers ventured here, the marine resources were better than in the previous places.

Yang Qi decided to christen his new rod first. He quickly assembled the rock fishing rod, pulled out a live shrimp from the livewell, hooked it, and cast it into the school of fish.

As the Shrimp darted around, it immediately caught the attention of several fish, who rushed over to snatch it. The largest one, being strong, swam the fastest.

It reached the small shrimp first, swallowed the Shrimp in one gulp, and then... there was no 'then.'

It just got a free plane ticket! Plus a complimentary 38-liter large fish tank!

"Wow, this new rod is really powerful!" Yang Qi shouted excitedly.

This fish, estimated to be about three jin, was a Sea Bass. He skillfully put the fish into the livewell, re-baited, and cast again.

The fishhook, carrying the Shrimp, slowly sank.

Halfway down, small fish came over to feed, but their mouths were too small, so they bumped into it repeatedly without being able to eat the Shrimp.

Just as it was about to reach the seabed, a fish suddenly couldn't stand it anymore, darted over, swallowed it in one gulp, and swam away.

Immediately, the float on the water's surface plunged down.

Yang Qi quickly lifted the rod, set the hook, hooked the fish, reeled, and retrieved the line.

He effortlessly pulled up this Blackfish, weighing about three jin.

"Holy moly! Is this a Blackfish?"

This was too sudden; he could even catch such a good thing!

Blackfish, also known as Spotted Queenfish or Gourd Seed Queenfish, is a high-end, valuable fish species. Because it is difficult to catch in the wild, it is extremely rare in the market, and once it appears, it is snatched up by major restaurants.

It is suitable for high-end sashimi and steaming.

The market price is between 500 and 1000 yuan per jin.