34: Stone Clam

The two rested for the time it takes to smoke a cigarette.

"Let's go, let's see how much they've caught?" Zhang Jun suggested.

"Alright! Let's put the electric reel down and let it fish automatically. It will stop by itself once the line is pulled back to the surface."

If the electric reel's line-out brake is locked, when a fish bites the hook and tries to escape, there will be a pulling force. The electric reel, under this counterforce, will trigger the automatic retrieve switch, thus activating the automatic retrieve mode.

The two baited their hooks and began observing other people's catches.

Behind each person on the boat was a large plastic basket. Any fish caught were thrown into the basket, waiting for a Ship worker to tie them up before transporting them to the freezing hold.

If it was a live fish that could be kept, they had to call a Ship worker to promptly send it to the live fish tank.

Some also had their own large fishing boxes behind them.

After all, there were only four crewmen on one boat, and they also had to help net and unhook fish. They were quite busy.

Walking around, almost everyone had caught fish, some with six or seven, others with two or three.

Zhang Jun said that this situation was considered good; sometimes they would only have such a harvest after fishing for a day or two.

So, fishing also relies heavily on luck. Zhang Jun also believed that his luck was not as good as Yang Qi's, so he always listened to Yang Qi's advice when fishing.

Walking to the aft deck, the situation here was much better.

"Old Wang, you guys are doing great!" Zhang Jun said to Wang Hu.

"Hehehe! Luck, it's all luck!" Wang Hu said with a grin.

"You've got Red Snapper, Yellowfin, Barracuda, Red Seabream, almost ten of them. You're on a roll!" Zhang Jun said.

"Hahaha, just basic operations, nothing to brag about!"

"You're getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

Zhang Jun grumbled as he led Yang Qi back to his fishing spot.

Yang Qi asked, "Brother Jun, I saw them catch a Yellowfin Tuna, why is it so small?"

"That's normal. Most of the Tuna here in Nan You Fishing Grounds are this size, around thirty to fifty catties. The market price is 40-60 yuan. It's rare to catch one as big as the one you did. The bigger it is, the more valuable it is."

"Let's go, let's go! Let's get back to work!" Seeing the catches on the aft deck, Yang Qi also became restless.

Returning to his fishing spot, he found that the electric reel had already reeled the line to the surface, and two fish were on the hook: a Grouper and an Red Snapper. Both were about five or six catties.

"Not bad, not bad, the electric reel is still powerful." Yang Qi quickly unhooked the fish and re-baited.

Zhang Jun also caught two Red Snapper, he was very happy!

Anyone who says fishing is a leisurely sport has never caught a giant, especially a hundred-catty giant from the deep sea.

That sudden burst of power will make you feel like your fishing rod is about to snap at any second. You have to fight with all your might.

He was shaking his arm, wondering if he should rest a little longer.

The electric reel had another bite. Yang Qi looked and saw three fish.

"Forget it, I'll rest for another half an hour! Otherwise, if I encounter a giant, it'll be really hard to handle!"

After a while, the electric reel pulled the fish to the surface.

"Hmm! This one looks like a Star-spotted Grouper!" Zhang Jun happened to see it and walked over to say.

"It really is! This fish is very expensive!"

"Star-spotted Grouper? What kind of fish is that?" Yang Qi asked.

"The Star-spotted Grouper, also known as the Star-spotted Sea Bream, has a purplish-brown body with a white spot above the dorsal lateral line. There is a blue diagonal band at the tip of its snout."

"This fish is highly sought after in Hong Kong and Macau, known as one of the 'Fish Kings'. It is a very rare and valuable fish, priced at over a thousand yuan per catty."

"Over a thousand yuan per catty? Doesn't that mean this fish is worth four or five thousand?" Yang Qi asked.

"Exactly. These fish are usually sold to fish merchants over there. It's not that expensive here!"

Yang Qi excitedly looked at the Star-spotted Grouper; this was an unexpected joy.

"Ship worker, Ship worker." He quickly called for a Ship worker to help send the fish to the live fish tank, as every second of delay was a crime.

Just then, Zhang Jun's fishing rod suddenly shook violently, forming a sharp, deep bend.

His face changed, and he shouted, "A giant is coming!"

Zhang Jun gripped the fishing rod tightly with both hands, forcefully pulled the rod to set the hook, and then leaned back, beginning to wrestle with the fish.

The fishing line was cutting through the water with a "whooshing" sound.

The fish's strength was immense, and he couldn't lift it at all, pulling the tip of the rod completely into the water.

Yang Qi quickly rushed over, taking three steps in two, and slightly opened the brake switch. The fishing line instantly shot out with a "swish, swish" sound.

Finally, this pulling force was relieved. Only then did the fishing rod spring out of the water.

"Thanks, brother! I almost lost the fish!" Zhang Jun had no chance to open the brake switch just now and was grateful for Yang Qi's help.

When a giant fish takes the bait, its first burst of power is extremely strong. If the brake is locked, it's a tug-of-war. If you can't win, the line or rod will break. However, if you appropriately loosen the brake and let the fish run with the line for a while to relieve that pulling force, the success rate of landing the fish greatly increases. This is the purpose of the fishing reel.

Seeing Zhang Jun stabilize, Yang Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the big fellow underwater, Yang Qi estimated it to be eighty or ninety catties; it was a Big Vermilion Snapper.

Yang Qi no longer cared about fishing and quickly came over to help.

The two of them worked together, locked in a stalemate with the fish. Several nearby anglers also gathered around, offering advice.

"Hold steady, don't let it pull the line away!"

"Slowly let out the line, and when its strength is mostly depleted, then reel it in!"

Amidst everyone's shouts, after several people took turns, and twenty minutes of struggle, the fish's strength gradually ran out. It slowly emerged from the sea.

"It's a Big Vermilion Snapper! A really big Big Vermilion Snapper."

The Ship worker seized the opportunity and scooped the fish up with a net. Sure enough, it was an Red Snapper weighing nearly a hundred catties.

Everyone took another round of photos before the Ship worker bled the fish to remove acid and stored it.

Ever since the fish was brought up, Zhang Jun had been unable to suppress the curve of his lips. He started automatic fishing again and went around showing off.

Yang Qi had also rested enough and began his "stocking up" mode again.

Both rods were in action simultaneously. The electric reel could only lock the line-out brake to fish automatically. The casting rod in his hand was used to deliver bait to the valuable fish he knew were there.

Yang Qi occasionally caught some Red Snapper, Bigeye Snapper, Red Snapper, Sesame Grouper, and Tiger Grouper, none of which were too large. He also caught two small Yellowfin Tuna weighing forty to fifty catties.

Inevitably, he also caught a few worthless fish along the way. Among them, he caught another Giant Trevally, which wasted several tens of minutes.

"Holy crap! I've hooked a big fish!"

A loud shout attracted everyone's attention.

Yang Qi turned his head and saw that it was Chang Jianqiang.

He was flushed, gripping the fishing rod tightly with both hands, and leaning back with all his might.

The fishing rod was bent into a large bow, and the fishing line hummed, indicating it was a considerably large fish.

Chang Jianqiang shouted while struggling with the fish, but the fish was incredibly strong, and he couldn't control it at all.

Seeing this, the surrounding people gathered around to offer help and advice.

"Loosen the brake a bit first, let it run for a while to deplete its strength!" Someone shouted.

Chang Jianqiang quickly complied, loosening the brake a bit, and the fishing line shot out with a "swish, swish" sound.

Everyone also gathered closer, ready to help at any moment.

"Old Chang, can you handle it? Do you need a hand?"

"I can hold on a little longer!" Chang Jianqiang's eyes were firm.

Yang Qi looked underwater, his scalp tingling: "Holy crap, it's a shark over two hundred catties!"

But he didn't dare to say it out loud and tell him to cut the line.

After a while, the fishing line loosened a bit; the fish's first burst of power seemed to have passed.

But then the fish suddenly surged again, dragging Chang Jianqiang into a stumble.