As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 51: 51 The Benefits of Getting a Fishing License

Seeing others catch big fish, he too felt an itch to fish, hoping he’d also catch a big one, and that was exactly what Zhang Wei was thinking at this moment.

Especially those two Stone Bream in the fish hold had really caught his eye, because everyone knew that was the real good stuff, much rarer than sea bass or Black Sea Bream.

Chen Yang even reserved those two fish on the spot, insisting he would buy them no matter what.

Chu Mingcheng had no objections; if he wanted them, he would sell them to him. Who he sold to didn’t matter!

Once the two got on board, Zhao Jun moved the boat to the side of a bridge pier they hadn’t been to before, secured the boat with a rope, and then the four men started to have their meal around the stove.

Chu Mingcheng put some fish slices in a strainer and then blanched them in the boiling soup. Ten seconds later, just as he lifted it, three pairs of chopsticks suddenly appeared above the strainer…

In just two seconds, the blanched fish inside was all gone, not even a trace of it was left.

Zhang Wei dipped his fish slice into the prepared dipping sauce, relishing it as he popped it into his mouth.

“Not bad, the fish is free of any fishy smell, firm and chewy, delicious.”

Zhao Jun also nodded in agreement, “Don’t look down on Song Diao because it’s cheap and inconspicuous; its taste is really second to none. Plus, pan-fried fillets are also really good. You guys should try it when you have the chance.”

As for Chen Yang, he had grabbed the most just now, busily eating without wanting to waste time on talking.

When it came to eating seafood, he could out-eat anyone present.

From time to time, he would buy a slab of Bluefin Tuna to sample, or when feeling good, throw an Emperor Crab into the hot pot. His way of eating was unparalleled, but his love for seafood was indeed genuine.

Chu Mingcheng, watching them, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and simply added more fish slices into the pot.

Fresh sea fish hotpot was indeed delightful. A fish weighing about twelve or thirteen pounds was polished off by the group, even the cooked food that Zhang Wei and the others had brought was significantly diminished. All the trash was collected into trash bags to be taken ashore later. @@novelbin@@

Zhao Jun patted his belly and let out a satisfied burp, and then remembered the live loaches he had seen Chu Mingcheng getting from the tackle box earlier, and asked, “Ah Cheng, are you planning to become a professional angler in the future?”

Chu Mingcheng nodded, “If I can play and make money at the same time, I don’t see anything wrong with that profession.”

“In that case, I suggest you buy a small boat and get a fishing license. The live loaches you bought today cannot be used for fishing in many places; you need a fishing license for that.”

“We haven’t enforced it here yet, but based on this year’s fishing ban on the Ou River, I expect fishery management here will become stricter over time. Having a fishing license will make fishing and selling fish much easier for you,” Zhao Jun continued.

Zhao Jun’s advice made a lot of sense, and Chu Mingcheng had previously thought about earning more money to buy a bigger boat right away.

But from the current situation, while he had earned quite a bit, it was mostly invested in fishing rods, and he still only had about fifty or sixty thousand on hand.

With that money, he could buy a small boat to operate along the coast and come here to the bridge piers to fish. In fine weather, he might even go fishing near his grandmother’s place.

But the moment the wind got a bit stronger, a small boat wouldn’t be suitable for going out to sea.

Moreover, he didn’t plan to stay here all the time; he definitely wanted to visit places like the Southern East Sea and Hainan where there are more varieties of fish.

Whilst Chu Mingcheng was still hesitating, Zhang Wei’s eyes lit up when he heard this.

“Ah Cheng, I think Brother Zhao Jun’s suggestion makes sense. It’s more convenient to have our own boat for going out to sea. If you don’t have enough money, I’ll contribute too. I’m definitely going to join you often at sea,” Zhang Wei said.

Chen Yang only fished occasionally with the two brothers, but he too did not hesitate to offer, “If you’re short on cash, I’ll lend it to you.”

Seeing this, Zhao Jun felt envious. He was older than the other three, yet he didn’t have such good brothers and friends.

With Zhang Wei and Chen Yang saying so, Chu Mingcheng no longer hesitated; he decided to borrow money to buy a boat himself.

This was, after all, his hometown, and no matter how long he went out to roam, there would always be a time to return. Buying a boat would definitely not be a waste.

It was time to move to another place, and he could let Zhang Wei rent out his boat to make money. The boat rental industry was actually quite profitable, he just needed to help find three or four secret fishing spots.

Of course, he could also directly sail to other provinces and apply for a new fishing license valid in the area, which would just take some time and was not troublesome.

(Fishing boats have corresponding area restrictions for fishing, and medium to large fishing boats generally can only operate in B or C class fishing zones. Some of the regulations in this book will be omitted later on, as it’s a hassle to explain and doesn’t have much to do with the plot.)

Having decided to buy a boat, the four of them began to discuss what kind of boat to purchase.

They needed to consider whether they wanted a fishing boat or a pleasure fishing boat, as well as the size of it.

Chu Mingcheng didn’t plan on net fishing most of the time since he was alone. Occasional net fishing was okay, but doing it every day was too much for him. It was hard work, and nowhere near as leisurely as fishing.

If the purpose of buying a fishing boat was to facilitate net fishing but he didn’t plan on doing that, then naturally, a pleasure fishing boat would be the first choice.

However, no matter how much they discussed, they would have to visit the boatyard to make a decision. Chu Mingcheng had set a budget between one hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand, and as for the boat, anything above 8 meters that was functional would do.

They had rested enough, so each person took up their fishing rod, ready to fish at night.

Chu Mingcheng looked at his live loaches, thought for a moment, but ultimately didn’t use them. Instead, he exchanged them for some frozen shrimp bait from Zhao Jun. Since he had a fishing license, it was fine to use them.

The iron pole he tried in the afternoon proved to be very effective.

At night, the big fish were probably hiding under the bridge piers. He took out his 30-number boat fishing rod, ready to bottom fish and see if he could catch a big one.

As for Chen Yang, giving him a lure rod was enough. He told him to go learn how to use it from Zhang Wei, not expecting him to catch any fish.

Add a big sinker, let the hook touch the bottom and then reel the line back about a meter or so. The hook needs to be a meter off the bottom for the fish to detect the bait.Upd@te by n0vgo .c0

Chu Mingcheng was trying fishing at this depth just to test it out, but if it didn’t work, he would continue to fish at a mid-water depth.

But just half a minute after he adjusted his position, the tip of his rod abruptly bent downward.

The moment he lifted the rod to hook the fish, he almost thought he had caught another Blue Star.

The rod was already bent, and even with the reel locked, the line was rapidly being pulled out with a whizzing sound. Chu Mingcheng, unable to reel in, could only try to keep lifting the rod, hoping to prevent the fish from getting too far away.

With such force, even a twenty-pound green fish or Lianyong would have to step aside, and they were nowhere near as challenging as the green spot that had given him a lot of pressure.

Lucky that he was using a boat fishing rod equipped with a spinner reel to help dissipate the force, otherwise if he had used a hand pole, he probably would have been dragged around by the fish by now.

Fishing with a hand rod for big fish is indeed thrilling, but there have been many incidents where anglers got pulled into the water by fish.

Chu Mingcheng couldn’t control the fish with his hands, so he was forced to brace the end of the fishing rod against his belly. This allowed him to exert more force.

But because he wasn’t wearing a belly support belt, his stomach ached from the pressure of the rod.

He was also at the back of the boat, and with the cabin in the way, Zhang Wei and the others were unaware of the situation. He had no choice but to take a deep breath and shout, “Ah Wei, can someone come over and give me a hand? I’ve hooked a big one!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Upon hearing ‘big fish’, Chen Yang immediately packed up his rod and ran over, followed closely by Zhang Wei who also hadn’t caught anything. Only Zhao Jun didn’t want to waste time and continued to fish.

“Where’s the fish?” Chen Yang asked as he arrived.

“It’s not up yet, my stomach aches from the pressure of the rod. There’s a belly support belt in my tackle box. Help me put it on,” Chu Mingcheng said.

“Okay, okay.”

Chen Yang quickly took out the belt and helped him strap it on, providing much-needed relief for Chu Mingcheng.