323: Adjusting the electric winch

When loading line onto an ordinary rock fishing rod or lure rod, you just soak the line in a basin of water, tie it to the reel, and wind it on. After all, catching a fish weighing thirty or forty pounds is already considered a major event.

For deep-sea boat fishing, the power of an Electric Reel is quite significant. If the line is loaded too loosely, it won't be easy to retrieve, so it's better to be meticulous about this.

This was part of the reason why Yang Qi and Zhang Jun were able to use an Electric Reel to land a Bluefin Tuna weighing over 500 pounds last time.

Once the rod was assembled, Bai Xue tied on a lead sinker and tossed it into the sea. With a push of the release switch, the fishing line on the spool began to play out bit by bit.

“This knob adjusts the release speed—you can make it faster or slower. This wheel near the handle adjusts the drag. After you're done fishing, you should set it to the loosest setting. We're about to reload the line now, so set it slightly tighter.”

Yang Qi's newly purchased Electric Reel could hold up to two thousand meters of sea fishing line. It would take some time to let it all out.

As the fishing boat moved slowly forward, the line was completely played out. Following Bai Xue's instructions, Liu Zheng reloaded the line properly.

Once Yang Qi slowly brought the “setting sail” to a halt, they were ready to start fishing.

There are three buttons on the Electric Reel. Pressing the two side buttons together for a few seconds starts it up.

“After the line is set, long-press the middle button for a few seconds to zero the Electric Reel. Once a fish is hooked and you start the automatic retrieval, the line will stop automatically at this position to prevent the rod from snapping!”

Hooking on a Shrimp, Liu Zheng began to lower his line under Yang Qi's guidance.

In the hundred-meter-deep sea, lowering and stopping repeatedly, it still took some time for the hook to reach the bottom even with a lead sinker.

“When the hook hits the bottom, the line will go slack; it's similar to finding the bottom in freshwater. Then reel it up about a meter and a half, otherwise you'll get snagged on the bottom.”

“At this depth, we're targeting bottom-dwelling fish like Grouper and so on. Also, you can look at this screen; it shows how many meters deep you're fishing, because sometimes we target mid-water fish.”

Yang Qi gave Liu Zheng a very detailed introduction.

Boat fishing is quite different from rock fishing or platform fishing. Even though they weren't using custom rods, the action of a fish biting the hook was still clearly felt.

After all, sea fish are larger and their feeding habits are more aggressive.

Before the hook on Yang Qi's own rod even reached the bottom, he felt a tugging force. In the next instant, he lifted the rod to set the hook.

“Fish on!”

Feeling the dragging force on the rod, Yang Qi smiled slightly and pushed the Electric Reel's retrieval switch.

With the "zizizi" whirring of the Electric Reel's motor, the line that had been let out was quickly retracted.

“Generally, in water this deep, the pressure is too high. If you pull the fish directly to the surface, its swim bladder will definitely be forced out of its mouth and its eyes will bulge; it'll definitely die.”

“Usually, if we hook a fish, we'll stop for about a minute for every twenty meters we pull it up to let the fish adapt to the water pressure. Of course, some fish just can't be kept alive anyway, so in those cases, you don't need to worry about it.”

As Yang Qi spoke, he paused for about a minute before pushing the switch again to continue retrieving.

“Hahaha, Brother A Qi, I've got one too!”

Liu Zheng was a proper Angler after all. Although sea fishing differed from freshwater fishing, he picked it up much faster than a complete novice.

Recalling the details Yang Qi had told him, he retrieved the line with a slight bit of frantic haste.

The pull on the rod when the fish first struck was quite strong. This being Liu Zheng's first sea fishing catch, he was excitedly anticipating what kind of fish it would be.

As the numbers on the Electric Reel's digital screen grew smaller, his anticipation rose higher and higher.

He and Yang Qi pulled their fish out of the water almost simultaneously. The difference was that one was still jumping and lively, while the other had bulging eyes and its swim bladder protruding—it clearly wasn't going to survive.

“Brother A Qi, what kind of fish is this?”

“A Green Grouper. Not bad at all; one this size is worth about seventy or eighty yuan per pound.”

Yang Qi unhooked his fish and tossed it into the Live Well, then told Liu Zheng to put his in the fish crate behind him.

“That's not bad! This one is about four pounds, so that's 300 yuan right there.”

Yang Qi turned to look at Liu Zheng, whose grin stretched from ear to ear, and smiled without saying the other half of his thought.

“If it were alive, it would be even more expensive!”

Since it was the man's first time sea fishing, one couldn't demand too much.

“Brother A Qi, the quality of this rod is really something! I didn't feel a thing with a four-pounder!”

“Brother Zheng, what are you saying? This rod is capable of catching a five or six-hundred-pound Tuna!”

“That impressive? How much for a set?”

“Uh...”

Yang Qi didn't want to show off in front of him, but it didn't seem right not to tell the truth. So he spoke up:

“A complete set is 128,000 yuan.”

He thought to himself: “Brother Zheng, I really didn't want to flex, you're the one who asked.”

Liu Zheng thought he had misheard. He cleaned his ears and asked again:

“How much did you say? 128,000 yuan?”

“Yes, that's right!”

“Holy crap, so I'm holding a car in my hands? No, it's even more expensive than my work truck.”

“Tycoon! Let's be friends!”

Liu Zheng was stunned for a moment before cracking a joke.

“Hahaha!”

“Giggle giggle!”

“Brother Zheng, live fish are even more expensive.”

At this point, the three women, fully geared up, came down from the Flybridge. They were all amused by what they heard.

Bai Xue told Liu Zheng how to reduce the water pressure on the fish below.

As the female generals cast their lines, more and more fish gathered underwater, and everyone began catching fish continuously.

Of course, the fish caught weren't all Grouper. There were all sorts of species: Green Grouper, Tiger Grouper, Black Sea Bream, Yellowfin Seabream, Sea Bass, Balang Fish, and so on.

“Hahaha! Hubby, look what I caught!”

Bai Xue shouted loudly, seeking Yang Qi's praise.

“Oh wow! You're amazing! A Red Grouper!”

Yang Qi knew how to play his part, providing plenty of emotional value.

“Hehe, it's a Red Grouper, a bit over six pounds. That's 5000 yuan in the bag.”

Bai Xue held up the fish and asked Sister-in-law Liu, Liu Yan, to help her take a photo.

“Is this fish really that expensive?”

“Yeah, one this size is about eight or nine hundred yuan per pound. It's a precious species and very popular.”

“Tsk tsk, what kind of people are these, buying a 5000-yuan fish just to eat it.”

Liu Yan expressed her disbelief.

“Sister Yan, can you guess how much the 500-plus pound Bluefin Tuna Brother Qi caught sold for?”

Yao Shanshan, who was beside her, asked with a mysterious air.

“I don't know, I can't guess.”

“Over a million!”

“Ah! My goodness! Is it really that terrifying?”

Liu Yan was dumbfounded; these figures completely reset her understanding. From today on, she also knew that such expensive fish actually existed.

In her mind, this was perhaps what people meant by going out to see the world!

...PS: Please like, comment, remind for updates, give five-star reviews, and use the free "Electricity Generation with Love".