208: Gentian grouper

Zhang Jun was as happy as if he had eaten honey. Liu Yao and the others were like eggplants hit by frost, unable to lift their spirits, trailing behind Zhang Jun dejectedly.

Only Lu Hua's eyes gleamed as he followed closely behind Yang Qi and Zhang Jun.

Everyone quickly finished their meal and rushed to their fishing spots.

Yang Qi noticed that from time to time, some fishing enthusiasts would pass by behind them. Those he knew and those he didn't would come up to say hello.

They would also take the opportunity to see how the two of them were fishing, or secretly glance at their bait boxes.

Just then, the tip of Zhang Jun's fishing rod, baited with Tuna guts, moved slightly, neither too much nor too little.

Yang Qi happened to see it, and he quickly said,

“Brother Jun, your fishing rod just moved. There might be a fish trying to bite.”

Zhang Jun looked at the fishing rod in the direction Yang Qi was pointing.

Sure enough, the fishing rod moved gently again. Zhang Jun quickly stood in front of the rod, getting ready.

Suddenly, the fishing rod bent sharply downwards with a heavy pull. The fishing line spun the reel, making a “clack-clack-clack” sound.

“Hooked!”

Zhang Jun gripped the fishing rod with both hands and pulled upwards with all his might.

In Yang Qi's ability vision, a huge Grouper below had its mouth instantly pierced, with traces of fresh blood oozing out.

The pained Grouper struggled frantically. As it shook its head, the fishing line “zzzzzz” ran out.

Yang Qi, standing nearby, quickly locked the drag. He quickly helped grip the fishing rod with both hands, and the two of them pulled the rod up together with all their might.

With the immense pulling force, both Yang Qi and Zhang Jun couldn't control it, and the fishing rod was still being dragged down little by little.

Wang Jinxi, who happened to be passing by, quickly stood on Zhang Jun's other side, gripped the fishing rod, and helped pull with all his might.

It could be said that the three strongest fighters on the entire fishing boat had to combine their efforts to barely withstand the big fish's first burst of strength.

After a stalemate of about ten minutes, Yang Qi, standing on the right, finally managed to turn the reel a full rotation.

“Judging by the pulling force, it should be a large Grouper. We can't let out the line. With a fish this big, if it gets into a reef hole, it really won't come out.”

Wang Jinxi said.

“Let's go for a head-on fight! At worst, the line or hook will break. The fishing rod shouldn't break. If a line this thick breaks, I'll accept it.”

Zhang Jun said through gritted teeth.

“Alright then, let's fight it to the end.”

Yang Qi's voice also carried a fierce determination.

Another half an hour later, Zhang Jun was relieved by Ding Kuan, and Yang Qi retrieved another 5 meters of fishing line.

Next, another Ship worker took Yang Qi's place.

The area was now surrounded by fishing enthusiasts, all wanting to witness firsthand the process of a giant fish being reeled in.

At this point, ordinary fishing enthusiasts didn't dare to offer to take over.

They all knew that if there was any mishap now, this giant fish might not be caught.

Even Chang Jianqiang and the others felt the same way.

Everyone clearly saw that it should be a giant Grouper below. Its pulling direction was different from that of a Tuna.

As long as the Grouper was pulled out of the reef area, it would basically be secure. Then, if there was an opportunity, they could take over and get a feel for it.

After a while, Zhang Jun replaced Wang Jinxi. And so, five people took turns. Five people against one fish.

Another hour passed, and through their relay battle, they finally retrieved 30 meters of fishing line.

Everyone knew that the Grouper had now been pulled out of the reef area.

Groupers actually don't pull with the same force as Tuna. After being pulled up from the seabed, their strength isn't as great as a Tuna's.

Now, the few of them clearly felt that the pulling force was much smaller.

So, three people became two for the operation. And at Yang Qi's suggestion, they even started the process of ascending 10 meters and pausing for a minute.

If they continued to violently pull the rod, this deep-water Grouper would definitely not survive.

This suggestion was immediately agreed upon by the others.

Therefore, after spending another half an hour, a three-hundred-pound Giant Grouper finally slowly surfaced.

Its brownish-red skin lay on the sea surface like a huge fat pig. Its massive mouth looked like it could fit an adult's head.

As the crane's boom slowly ascended, the group hoisted this 320-pound Giant Grouper onto the deck.

The fishing enthusiasts spontaneously applauded, and cheers rose and fell. They all congratulated Zhang Jun.

They had witnessed firsthand the entire process of a giant fish being hoisted up.

Starting with Zhang Jun and the others, everyone came over to take photos.

Everyone was very self-aware, quickly taking one photo and then moving on to the next person.

After all, this was a live fish and couldn't be out of the water for too long.

Finally, the group helped put this giant Giant Grouper into the live fish tank.

Yang Qi saw Zhang Jun take a phone from Lu Hua's hand; it turned out he now had a professional “photographer.”

The five men sat on the deck, completely without Image, and lit up cigarettes.

They had been truly exhausted from their struggle with the Grouper earlier; even one less person might have made it impossible to land the fish.

Zhang Jun promised that he would give them a big red packet once they were ashore.

After Wang Jinxi and the other Ship worker went to work, Yang Qi and Zhang Jun sat together to discuss fishing with Tuna guts.

The two agreed that such a highly odorous bait would definitely be effective for some carnivorous fish.

Thinking of the Tuna guts that had been thrown into the sea to feed the fish earlier, both felt as if they had lost a hundred million, filled with regret.

The two got up and returned to their fishing spots, finding that Chang Jianqiang and the others were all fishing for mid-to-upper layer fish.

Yang Qi shook his still somewhat stiff hands and observed the situation beneath the sea. There were no big catches, and there weren't even any Groupers nearby.

The commotion from catching that Giant Grouper earlier must have been too great, scaring away all the nearby Groupers.

So Yang Qi could only fish for some mid-to-upper layer fish. He re-baited with Balang Fish and cast it into the fishing spot.

As soon as the bait hit the water, it was intercepted by several Mahi-Mahi and Skipjack Tuna. Basically, he could catch one every few minutes.

He hadn't been fishing for long when the captain's voice came over the broadcast, saying that they had received official notification of strong convective weather forming 200 nautical miles southwest.

There was a possibility of heavy rain and strong typhoons, which might affect this sea area in a few hours.

Although fishing boats of this size could generally withstand ordinary winds and waves, it was better to be safe than sorry.

For everyone's safety, the fishing boat was preparing to return to port early. Everyone was asked to pack up their belongings, as the fishing boat would start its return journey within half an hour.

All the fishing enthusiasts quickly packed up their gear. Fishing could always be done another time; currently, the most important thing was to save their lives.

Yang Qi also felt a slight increase in humidity in the surrounding sea breeze. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but by the time he had packed up his gear,

He even felt that the waves slapping against the ship's side had grown larger.

The crewmen also rushed to help the fishing enthusiasts process the fish in their fish boxes.