60: Longline fishing

To truly achieve greater harvests, one still needs those large, ocean-going fishing vessels, hundreds or even thousands of tons in size.

Of course, for the two of them right now, that is still too far off.

After another round of discussion with no clear outcome, the two still decided to go out to sea first.

Life had to continue; they couldn't just sit around and do nothing!

After all, buying a boat is no small matter; it's not something that can be decided in a short time or with a few words.

Today, there was an extra person on the fishing boat: Bai Dahai, Uncle Bai.

He was off work today and decided to come along to see how things were going.

He heard that their recent catches haven't been too good, so he decided to teach them how to use longline fishing.

Longline fishing, as the name suggests, involves attaching branch lines at certain intervals along a main line, with hooks tied to the branch lines and bait on the hooks.

The main line varies in length, from a hundred meters to several hundred, or even over a thousand meters.

It extends horizontally, waiting for 'distinguished guests.'

Lead weights and buoys are attached at regular intervals along each main line to maintain a delicate balance.

A section of empty line is left at both ends of the main line and tied to buoys.

The length of this empty line determines the sinking depth.

This allows the line set to suspend at any desired depth.

Alternatively, the lead weights can be increased or decreased to achieve the same purpose.

This way, 'familiar customers' like Beltfish, eels, Sea Bass, and Tuna, which inhabit different water layers, can be encountered.

Because it targets specific fish species at a fixed water layer, and uses bait specifically favored by the target fish, longline fishing results in fewer accidental catches.

Furthermore, the chosen hooks are relatively large, so only big fish with large mouths get hooked.

'Catch the big, not the small; do not consume the future.'

This is essentially the principle that has allowed longline fishing to continue for over 500 years.

(However, in some areas, longline fishing is also prohibited during fishing bans.

I won't comment too much on this here.)

Today, the three of them brought a basin of line sets, 200 meters long, with branch lines spaced 1.5 meters apart and branch lines 0.6 meters long.

This ensures that two adjacent hooks do not get tangled after deployment.

The hooks are hung in order around the rim of the basin, which is covered with soft rubber for easy hanging.

The excess line is coiled in order inside the basin.

Following the 'S' fold principle prevents the line from getting tangled.

These were all the results of Uncle Bai's on-site teaching last night.

Seeing Yang Qi drive for over half an hour with no intention of stopping the boat to work, Uncle Bai was a little puzzled: 'What's he up to?

Is oil free?'

He looked at his daughter, who was also silent, looking as if it was perfectly normal.

Uncle Bai also didn't say anything.

Today, he just wanted to observe how these two operated.

He wasn't going to interfere with any of their decisions.

In the morning, the sea was vast, the sky was very blue, and the water was also very blue.

The fishing boat was like a lone leaf drifting on the sea.

Ripples spread out behind the boat.

Looking down from above, the fishing boat was like a pair of scissors, cutting through the blue fabric.

'This is the spot, Uncle Bai, Xiao Xue, prepare to deploy the longline.

Mid-water.'

After another 20 minutes, Yang Qi suddenly slowed the boat and said.

'Alright!' Bai Xue replied.

Hearing his daughter's reply, Bai Dahai didn't hesitate.

He had decided not to speak today.

From the very beginning, he had no intention of interfering with any of their decisions.

Bai Dahai adjusted the buoy at one end of the longline and threw it into the sea.

Yang Qi controlled the fishing boat, moving at a steady speed in one direction.

From the large basin placed by the boat's side, the line set, with hooks attached, and the freshly baited Shrimp, slowly slid into the sea.

The 200-meter longline set was quickly deployed.

Looking at the buoys floating on the sea, Yang Qi smiled.

He maneuvered the boat around the longline set and stopped a short distance away.

'Let's fish here!

Try using Shrimp or sandworms as bait!' Yang Qi said, rapidly assembling his fishing rod.

At this moment, in his ability's vision, a large school of Sea Bass was swimming majestically towards the longline's position.

Yang Qi was the first to assemble his fishing rod, bait it, and cast it forward.

About five or six seconds after the bait hit the water, a tug came.

'Fish on!'

He lifted the rod to set the hook, reeled in the line—a series of smooth, fluid movements.

Bai Dahai watched, dumbfounded, questioning reality.

'This… this fast to get a bite?'

Thanks to their long-standing rapport, Bai Xue had already started assembling her fishing gear when Yang Qi stopped the boat.

So, her casting time was also about the same.

'On!

I've got a fish too!' Bai Xue exclaimed.

Her hand movements didn't pause for a second; she lifted the rod to set the hook and reeled in the line.

With both of them getting bites almost simultaneously, the 'whooshing' sound of the fishing lines cutting through the water made Bai Dahai excited.

He quickly began assembling his fishing rod.

Bai Dahai fumbled to assemble his rod, baited it with a sandworm, and cast it out.

By this time, Yang Qi had already brought his fish onto the boat—a Sea Bass of about four jin (approx.

2 kg).

He casually removed the hook, tossed the fish into the live fish tank, and simultaneously turned on the aerator.

Before he could cast his next line, Bai Xue's fish was also brought up.

It was also a Sea Bass of similar size.

There was no need to close the live fish tank lid.

Soon after, Bai Dahai's fishing rod also began to shake violently.

'I've got a fish too!' Bai Dahai shouted excitedly, pulling the rod up forcefully.

The pull from the rod filled him with joy.

It had been a long time since he went out to sea, and he finally found that long-lost feeling.

This fish was very strong.

Bai Dahai gripped the fishing rod with both hands, leaned back, and wrestled with the fish.

His fishing rod was one he brought himself, and in terms of price and performance, it was a far cry from the ones Yang Qi and Bai Xue were using.

Yang Qi had seen that Bai Dahai's fish should be around eight or nine jin (approx.

4-4.5 kg).

The fishing rod was certainly fine, but he definitely wouldn't be as fast as them at landing the fish.

Seeing this, Bai Xue put down her fishing rod, intending to help.

'No need to help, I can do it myself.

You keep fishing; we must have hit a school of fish, this is a rare opportunity!' Bai Dahai said to Bai Xue, carefully controlling his rod.

'Is hitting a school of fish that hard?

I pretty much hit one every day; I just don't know how big the school is.' Bai Xue thought to herself.

As an eight or nine jin Sea Bass was pulled up by Bai Dahai, Yang Qi and Bai Xue both got another bite.

Everyone was busy; they all managed to net their own fish.

They were all experienced, so these minor tasks were no trouble.

In the time that followed, the three continuously caught fish, and their cheers occasionally echoed across the sea.

Yang Qi took out an antarctic shrimp brick and started chumming to keep the fish around.

Encountering such a large school of fish, he naturally wanted to catch more.

After throwing two bags of antarctic shrimp brick into their fishing spot, he noticed that more and more fish were gathering at everyone's spots.

More fish meant more competition for food, and more competition for food meant faster bites.

When you hit a school of fish, anyone with hands can catch them!

Bai Dahai had forgotten when and what it felt like to encounter a school of fish while fishing!