429: Fighting alligator gar

After going head-to-head with the Alligator Gar for ten seconds, Yang Qi knew the hook had pierced into the fish's mouth.

At this moment, he tightly held onto the fishing rod, letting the Alligator Gar struggle violently. The gar, over a meter long with a round body, weighed nearly seventy catties.

However, the Alligator Gar's strength clearly far exceeded that of an ordinary fish species of the same weight.

Right now, the boat rock fishing rod was pulled into a deep arc like a bow. The rod trembled wildly, and the fishing line and reel made a "creaking" sound.

After some tugging, a huge splash suddenly appeared on the water's surface, and a large fish over a meter long suddenly leapt out of the water.

The Alligator Gar jumped high, hitting the water again with a loud "smack," sending splashes over two meters high.

The commotion was so great that it caught the attention of the surrounding Anglers, who all turned to look. Some didn't see the fish itself, only the massive ripples remaining on the water's surface.

A few Anglers nearby happened to see the silhouette of the Alligator Gar leaping high.

"An Alligator Gar! This person actually caught an Alligator Gar! What luck! It looks like that hundred-thousand-yuan reward is his!"

"But it's not a sure thing yet. He hooked it, but hasn't he failed to pull it up? Who knows, the line might snap and the fish might get away in a bit?"

The two Anglers muttered.

"You're right. As long as it's not pulled up, we still have hope!"

By now, more and more people gathered around to watch Yang Qi wrestle with the Alligator Gar.

The fish thrashed in the lake, and the surrounding water immediately became extremely murky, with the clouded area growing larger.

"Splash!"

The Alligator Gar breached the surface again to shake its head. Yang Qi quickly retreated a few steps, and his hand movements sped up considerably.

He knew he had to keep the line tight; any slack would result in the fish escaping.

"Holy crap, what a huge fish!"

"Snap the line, snap the line..."

"Lose the fish..."

"Oh-ho..."

"Oh-ho..."

The spectating Anglers prayed in their hearts that as long as Yang Qi lost the fish, they would all still have a chance at the bounty.

Yang Qi ignored the thoughts of the surrounding Anglers. He focused entirely on handling the fishing rod, not daring to be careless for a moment.

Unfortunately, Yang Qi hadn't had time to put on his Fighting Belt. He could only tuck the rod under his arm, unable to exert his full strength.

However, with his skill and strength, dealing with this Alligator Gar was still more than manageable, though it would certainly take a bit longer.

"Yang Qi, I knew it was you! How is it? How big is it?"

At this time, Zhang Jun and President Ding also rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Not that big, looks to be about seventy or eighty catties!"

Yang Qi turned his head, saw it was Zhang Jun, and said with a smile.

"They say an Alligator Gar's teeth and bite force are quite formidable. You'd better be careful!"

Zhang Jun said with some concern.

"It's fine. I'm using a thick Leader for Tuna fishing. It can't possibly be tougher than a big shark in the ocean!"

Yang Qi said confidently.

"Brother, if that's the case, how about letting me try my hand at it? Hehehe."

After watching for a while, Zhang Jun's hands began to itch to try, and he said somewhat sheepishly.

"Alright, Brother Jun, get ready to take the rod."

While speaking, Yang Qi leaned back forcefully to pull the rod and smoothly handed it over to Zhang Jun.

"Good, good, good. Leave it to me! Hehehe."

Zhang Jun was overjoyed and began to operate the rod as soon as he took it.

Although he had caught a Bluefin Tuna weighing over five hundred catties, he had never caught an Alligator Gar. This was a new species for him.

Half an hour later, Zhang Jun tactfully returned the rod to Yang Qi, letting him finish the final catch himself.

By the time Yang Qi safely dragged the Alligator Gar to the shore, Zhang Jun was already waiting nearby with a Fish gripper.

The Alligator Gar's mouth was full of teeth. Zhang Jun used the Fish gripper to secure its mouth before dragging the fish ashore.

"Hahaha, Brother Yang really does have great skills. This pest has finally been eliminated."

President Ding kicked the Alligator Gar on the ground and said happily.

Since the Alligator Gar appeared in this lake and started eating the ornamental fish, the news spread, and even the number of people looking to buy houses decreased.

They had originally wanted to drain the water to catch the fish, but considering that once the water was drained, it couldn't be refilled immediately, it would affect the aesthetic of the environment.

That's why they offered a bounty for Anglers to come and fish. But after more than a month, although many Anglers had come, no one had been able to catch it.

Either the fish wouldn't bite, or the lines and rods would break.

When he spoke with Zhang Jun on the phone two days ago, he had mentioned this matter in passing. He hadn't expected Zhang Jun to actually bring someone.

What surprised him even more was that this Angler named Yang Qi was truly an expert, catching the Alligator Gar in just half a day.

"Thank you, Brother Yang. You've been a huge help. Come, come, let's go to the office for some tea."

President Ding said with a face full of smiles.

"President Ding, is there only this one Alligator Gar? I see your Artificial Lake is also connected to the Reservoir. I wonder if there are any others?"

Yang Qi grinned.

"Oh? I really don't know about that! Why don't we take another look? Don't worry, if you catch another one, I'll pay you separately."

President Ding thought about it and realized that was true. Who could know if there were more Alligator Gar underwater? He might as well take advantage of Yang Qi's presence to let the expert check if there were any more.

Yang Qi carried his rod and continued patrolling the rest of the Artificial Lake area. With a wave of President Ding's hand, staff members immediately took the Alligator Gar away.

A group of Anglers also followed behind Yang Qi to see if any more Alligator Gar would take the bait.

After Yang Qi made a circuit around the Artificial Lake, he didn't find any more signs of Alligator Gar.

"Hahaha, good, good. It's best if there are no more. It was likely just this one."

President Ding seemed very happy. Yang Qi had originally wanted to check the small Reservoir, but hearing President Ding say that, he dismissed the idea. There was no need for him to cause extra trouble.

The three of them returned to President Ding's office for tea, and Yang Qi received the hundred thousand yuan transferred by President Ding.

Half an hour later, the two of them set off on their journey home.

"Brother Jun, I have a feeling there might still be Alligator Gar in that Reservoir. These fish are usually bought as ornamental fish and then abandoned later."

"Who buys just one fish?"

Hearing what Yang Qi said over the phone, Zhang Jun hesitated for over ten seconds before saying:

"You have a point. But since President Ding himself thinks they're gone, there's nothing we can do. Let's not worry about it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Are you coming to my place for a bit, or going home?"

Yang Qi thought for a moment and said:

"How about I treat everyone to a big meal at General Manager Yu's place? After all, I made some money this morning."

"That works. You call them, and I'll call General Manager Yu to book a private room."

Zhang Jun proposed after thinking it over.

An hour later, in a private room at the Gathering of All Rivers and Seas Seafood Restaurant, Liu Yao and the others heard about Yang Qi and Zhang Jun going to the neighboring city that morning to fish for Alligator Gar.