As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Night Fishing for Cutlassfish

Today, not even half a bag of Fushouluo had been picked up when Yao Xin’s call came in. @@novelbin@@

“Ah Cheng, are you free tonight? Want to go out to sea for some night fishing for cod?”

“Yes!” Chu Mingcheng had originally planned to look for Alligator Gar tonight and order a boat from the large shipyard in Huang Town tomorrow. It happened that they had a branch factory here, and the main factory was in Xia City.

Unexpectedly, Yao Xin called him back to fish for cod, whose market price usually ranged from ten to fifty, depending on the size.

However, the cod caught by fishing, about three fingers wide, could be sold for sixty to seventy. It was a great deal.

Whether it was the fished cod depended mainly on whether its body was shinier.

Cod caught with nets would have their bodies scratched, making them less shiny.

Additionally, the Yellow-eyed Cod was imported from abroad, had coarse flesh, wasn’t tasty, and was very cheap.

The domestic cod, in contrast, had a more delicate texture and tasted better. Their eyes had a white base and black pupils, and their pupils were much smaller, making them easy to recognize.

“Okay, I’ll add one spot for you. But there’s something I need to tell you in advance. We’re going out to sea on Brother He’s boat, the same one we used last time we fished for stream rockfish.”

“This time I’m calling you over mainly because we’re collecting cod. Three fingers wide is forty-five per eight taels, and more than four fingers wide, weighing over one eight-tael, will get eighty per eight-tael. We’ll calculate the price for bigger ones on the spot.”

“If you’re willing, come to Wen City pier after dinner tonight. We’re setting out at six.”

“If not, no problem. We can fish together some other time.”

“Sister Yao, count me in. I’ll come right after dinner tonight.” Selling three-finger-wide cod for forty-five per half-pound to them was quite cheaper than the market price, but it offered a good earning opportunity. Chu Mingcheng needed money right now and wasn’t picky.

Moreover, with the price of eighty per half-pound for one-pound fish, he had nothing to hesitate about.

East Sea’s small-eyed cod, three-finger-wide, generally weighed only about half a pound, while those four fingers wide weighed about eight taels to over one pound.

Those weighing over one pound were premium quality cod, for which net-caught could sell for about a hundred per half-pound in the market. The price for those caught by fishing was naturally a bit higher.

Therefore, the more Chu Mingcheng fished, the more profit margin Yao Xin could make.

Since they were going out to sea to fish for cod at night, it meant they had received a fishing season alert and knew where a school of cod would be.

In such situations, just like last time with the Mackerel, continuously casting could yield hundreds of pounds in just a few hours.

This was business worth thousands of yuan. How could he not be willing to do it?

“Ok, remember to come on time at six. By the way, I got an underwater fish lure light that can attract small fish, so you don’t need to bring any bait. Alright, I’m busy with other things, so I’ll hang up now. Bye.”

After hanging up, Chu Mingcheng poured out all the Fushouluo from the bag and smashed them with a rock.

Whenever he had free time recently, he would learn about the habits of various fish species.

One must be cautious with wildlife in China; even an insect shouldn’t be killed casually because it might be a protected animal.

Chu Mingcheng’s study of various aquatic creatures was not only to avoid mistakenly capturing protected species, but also because identifying marine life is necessary for the fishing and hunting certification exams.

As one of the largest fish species produced in the East Sea, he knew it was important to understand their various habits.

Cod are active at night and in the sea, they don’t swim horizontally, but vertically.

During the day, they swim to the middle and lower layers. When night falls, they slowly move to the upper layers to feed, which is also the best time to bite, lasting until early morning.

So tonight, he would likely be out all night, so Chu Mingcheng had no time to cook the Fushouluo; he smashed them roughly with stones and hurriedly drove home.

By the time he got home, it was already past four. He took two fishing rods, one an iron plate rod and the other a 30-number boat fishing rod.

Then he went to the fishing store and bought some Sand Worms, also specifically buying a silver-white fish lure with a fishy smell.

This kind of lure was specially made for fishing for cod. Essentially, if the fish were biting well, Chu Mingcheng wouldn’t need to use the pungent Sand Worms.

He would handle dinner outside, and after eating, Chu Mingcheng also bought two chicken sandwiches and a date milk tea to put in his fishing box.

It was highly likely to fish all night and since fishing was physically demanding, they prepared some food to avoid getting uncomfortably hungry.

At five forty, Chu Mingcheng arrived at the dock in Wen City.

The dock here was quite large, making it easy to find a parking spot.

After parking, he put the fishing rod on his back, and carried the tackle and fish boxes to the staircase at the dock.

There were many fishing boats moored here, and most of them had people on board.

It was common to see dozens or even hundreds of boats gathering out at sea during the fishing season.

Chu Mingcheng made a phone call to Yao Xin, only to find out she had just arrived, walking towards him with her gear.

“Ah Cheng!”

Hearing the voice, Chu Mingcheng turned around to find her, then hung up and went to greet her, “Sister Yao, is it just you?”

“Brother He is already on the boat. Besides you and me, there are two more people tonight,” Yao Xin explained briefly, then set down her tackle box to make a phone call.

Shortly after, a white fishing boat arrived at the boarding area of the dock.

The boat was about eleven or twelve meters long, with a smaller front deck and a rather spacious rear deck.

Chu Mingcheng felt very familiar with this boat—it was the same fishing boat he had seen at that big shipyard.

He hadn’t expected He Zheng to have bought one, too; he would have to find an opportunity to ask him about the boat and how much it had cost.

The two boarded the boat and found the passageways on either side crowded, just wide enough for one person to pass through. The cabin was quite large, probably designed to comfortably accommodate people.

At the cabin’s entrance, there was a steering wheel; when large catches were hooked at the rear deck, fish in the sea would thrash about, and could even end up on the other side of the boat, causing the line to cut.

This steering wheel could change the direction of the boat to avoid such incidents.

After exchanging greetings with a few people inside the cabin, Chu Mingcheng was then drawn in by its interior setup.

Upon entering, he saw sofas on both sides and a movable coffee table in the middle, where two people he did not recognize were drinking tea.

At the top end of the right sofa was the helm, where He Zheng was sitting.

To the left of the helm there was a fridge and a microwave—an area for cooking.

In the middle was a stairwell, leading to a closed door below, presumably to the sleeping quarters and bathroom.

Once everyone had arrived, He Zheng didn’t hesitate to start the boat and head towards their destination.

About an hour later, they reached their destination.

Chu Mingcheng put on a windbreaker and gloves, then took his gear and stepped out of the cabin.

Yao Xin followed him out, smiling, “Ah Cheng, good luck. Catch a lot tonight.”

“Sure, Sister Yao, you too. I hope you haul in three hundred pounds tonight.”

Hearing Chu Mingcheng’s words, He Zheng couldn’t help but laugh, “With Sister Yao’s small frame, fifty pounds would be enough for her; hauling three hundred pounds, I’m afraid she might dislocate her hands tomorrow and I’d have to take her to the hospital.”

Immediately feeling underestimated, Yao Xin protested, “Are you looking down on me? What about one hundred pounds tonight?”

“If you haul one hundred pounds, I’ll set up a table when we get back tomorrow!”

“Deal, you said it yourself,” Yao Xin quickly took Chu Mingcheng by the arm and headed towards the front deck, “Ah Cheng, let’s go. Tonight we’ll catch two hundred pounds just to show him, and that meal is on him.”

He Zheng was taken aback, then just laughed and shook his head.

But he didn’t say much; if the two of them really did haul in two hundred pounds, he would make at least four thousand yuan. Spending a few hundred on a meal was nothing in comparison.

After all, he would also have his wife and child along—not a bad deal at all!