368: Giant sea wolf

At six o'clock the next morning, Yang Qi and his father, following the strategy they had discussed the previous night, each piloted their fishing boats toward the Continental Shelf.

That's right, today's strategy was to fish from the far side toward the near side. However, calculating the time it would take to get there plus the round-trip journey, the schedule was extremely tight.

They wouldn't have much time to fish before needing to head back. The time arrangement for this competition had been criticized by many contestants.

Everyone felt the time was too short, and it could even be said that it perfectly avoided the nights and early mornings when the fish were biting best.

However, the Competition Committee responded that this was to ensure fairness and prevent cheating. After all, the possibility of cheating during the day was much smaller than at night.

Even if it was just picking the best of a bad bunch, at least the authenticity was higher.

What they said seemed to make sense!

Yang Qi didn't really mind. Sure enough, after about three hours, he encountered a school of fish again. It was a school of Sardines; while not quite a Sardine run, it was still impressive enough.

He wasn't eyeing the Sardines, but rather the schools of Skipjack Tuna trailing behind them, as well as many Mahi-Mahi and Barracuda.

"Get ready, a school of fish has appeared ahead."

Actually, when encountering these schools of fish at sea, as long as you got close, they were visible to the naked eye from the boat.

Because at this moment, the surface of the sea was boiling, like a ladle of cold water poured into hot oil. Many small fish were jumping out of the water.

Additionally, if a school of fish was very large or stayed near the surface for a long time, it would attract large flocks of seabirds to circle and feed. This phenomenon was quite obvious and could be seen by fishing boats from a great distance.

The five of them immediately switched to boat rock fishing rods, hooked on Shrimps, and cast toward the school of fish. Very quickly, Yang Qi and Zhang Jun were the first to hook fish.

When they pulled them up, they were indeed Skipjack Tuna, weighing about eleven or twelve catties. The one Zhang Jun caught was a Mahi-Mahi weighing eight or nine catties.

"Wow, Mahi-Mahi really are beautiful when they first come out of the water, so colorful."

Tang Long said as he cranked the reel.

"I just don't know why they turn a dull grey after they die?"

"I really don't know why either."

Zhang Jun said from the side.

"But I've seen it in videos; some foreign fishing boats specializing in Skipjack Tuna have a group of people surrounding the school, using barbless rods to snag the fish directly."

"Yeah, I've seen that too. They catch fish so fast. But I definitely couldn't do that; the physical requirements are way too high!"

Tang Long bled the Skipjack Tuna in his hand and tossed it into the fish basket as he spoke.

In fact, for sea fish, if they aren't being kept in a Live Well, it's best to bleed them all. This makes the meat quality better, and even the purchase price is a bit higher.

"Wow, I've hooked a big fish here!"

Just then, Yao Shanshan's shout rang out in their ears.

Yang Qi turned to look, his pupils dilating slightly.

"Holy crap, no way!"

It turned out to be a giant Barracuda about 1.7 or 1.8 meters long, likely weighing over a hundred catties.

He had never even seen a Barracuda this big; those sharp teeth were as long as an adult's finger. Without a leader line, the fishing line would 100% be bitten through.

Moreover, a Barracuda's strength is much greater than that of an average fish. At this moment, the rod in Yao Shanshan's hands had been pulled into a deep arc.

"Shanshan, do you need help?"

Yang Qi asked.

"Brother Qi, I want to try it myself."

"Alright! If you can't handle it, call me!"

Just as Yang Qi finished speaking, Bai Xue's voice came from beside him:

"Hubby, help Shanshan put on a Fighting Belt! I'm busy over here too!"

"Okay! I'll go get it."

Yang Qi hurried to grab a Fighting Belt and quickly returned to Yao Shanshan's side to help her put it on.

After putting on the Fighting Belt, Yao Shanshan had better support and could more steadily contend with the giant Barracuda.

She gripped the rod tightly with both hands, her feet braced hard against the deck, and her body leaned back slightly, trying to use her body weight to counter the fish's pull.

The giant Barracuda was not to be outdone, struggling desperately in the water, sometimes lunging left, sometimes darting right, and occasionally surfacing to thrash its tail, sending up large splashes of water.

As time passed, Yao Shanshan's forehead was covered in beads of sweat and her hands trembled slightly, but her gaze was firm as she gritted her teeth and persevered.

She occasionally let out line and then reeled it in, always keeping the initiative in her hands. Having fished for so long, Yao Shanshan's current skill was no longer comparable to when she first went out to sea.

"Call me if you can't hold on."

Yang Qi couldn't stay here the whole time; it was rare to encounter a school of fish, and everyone needed to seize the opportunity to land fish.

"Okay, you go on, I can do it!"

Yao Shanshan stared firmly at the sea, her heart full of anticipation as to whether the fish below was a truly massive catch.

The four of them, including Yang Qi, returned to their own fishing spots to continue the fight. Everyone was landing fish one after another.

Finally, after another hour of intense tug-of-war by Yao Shanshan, the giant Barracuda gradually lost its strength.

Yang Qi saw the right moment, grabbed the Gaff, and quickly hauled the giant Barracuda onto the boat. Everyone cheered and crowded around to inspect the massive fish.

"Tsk tsk tsk, such a huge Barracuda is truly rare. Shanshan, you're amazing."

Zhang Jun and the others were all amazed when they saw the giant Barracuda on the deck.

"Hehehe, just lucky, hehehe. It's not worth much!"

Yao Shanshan also breathed a sigh of relief; while her words were humble, a smile of victory was on her face.

"Whether it's worth money or not isn't important right now. What we need is total weight, and big fish weigh down the scales better."

Zhang Jun said with a smile.

Next, they continued to throw themselves into fishing, hoping for more gains. No one slacked off, as everyone wanted to contribute to the competition results.

When the school of Sardines passed by the setting sail, Yang Qi had a sudden whim and picked up a Landing Net to scoop up Sardines.

The last time he encountered a Sardine school, he used a Cast Net and caught several hundred catties. Cast Nets weren't allowed in this competition, so he had already packed it away and taken it home.

"Brother, it's okay if I use a Landing Net to scoop fish, right?"

Yang Qi asked the Competition Committee staff member on the boat.

"Brother, I don't know if fish caught with a Landing Net count toward the score. I think it's better if you don't use it, just to avoid any disputes later!"

The staff member answered after thinking for a moment.

"Then I'll just keep them for myself to eat. Regardless of whether they count, I don't plan to include them in the competition results."

Yang Qi scooped up about ten catties and then stopped, continuing to fish for Skipjack Tuna for the competition.

In this way, Yang Qi piloted the setting sail, chasing the school of fish. Wherever the fish went, they followed and fished.

They didn't stop until the Sardine school dove deep and stopped surfacing, and the Skipjack Tuna dispersed.

At this point, once they stopped, everyone realized their stomachs were growling with hunger. While they were fishing just now, everyone was so busy that no one had thought about it.

"Hubby, Brother Jun, Brother Tang, you guys eat some fried Sardines first to fill your stomachs. We'll start cooking right away."