As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Let the Fish Tow the Boat

When he woke up again, Chu Mingcheng found that it was already one o’clock in the afternoon.

After pulling two all-nighters in a row and fishing the previous afternoon, a morning’s rest had not fully restored his energy.

But that’s just how boat fishing goes, everyone wants to catch more fish, not only to break even but also to earn a bit more, so you have to commit a lot of time!

This also means that everyone needs several days to recover after returning to shore.

Although it was past noon, Chu Mingcheng still found some food in the canteen.

After filling his stomach, he went up to the deck. He didn’t see Jiang Yuqi but happened to see four people sitting in a small boat.

...

One boatman was responsible for steering and netting fish, one person was sitting at the bow with a camera, and two anglers were at the stern, each holding a fishing rod.

The small boat was slowly being lowered into the sea; they were going to do some trolling.

There were already two boats on the water in the distance, and this was clearly the third one; there was one more boat trolling today than yesterday, allowing the boat owner to earn an extra thousand or two.

Chu Mingcheng also wanted to try trolling, so he quickly signed up for a small boat and then inquired about the types of fish.

The main species were Red snapper, Ghost Head Knife, Big Mackerel, etc., and with some luck, you might encounter Golden Spearfish.

Since they were in Xisha, the fish encountered were mostly large, so the requirements for fishing rods and line setups were very high.

Chu Mingcheng’s own fishing rod was suitable, and he also had Dali Ma Line.

But he still needed a smaller electric reel and some wave-climbing artificial bait, which were available on Sky; he just needed to rent them.

As he was about to leave with his fishing gear, he saw Jiang Yuqi hurrying over along the corridor. When she saw him, her eyes lit up, “Brother Ming, are you going fishing? Do you want to try trolling? It looks like fun.”

“I was just about to go. I’ve already booked a small boat.” Chu Mingcheng was a bit surprised; he had not expected Jiang Yuqi to be planning to go trolling as well.

That was perfect, sharing a boat with someone he knew was better than with strangers, and they could split the boat cost in half.

It was five hundred yuan per hour, referring to the boat usage time, not five hundred per person.

Jiang Yuqi had called Chu Mingcheng over precisely with this in mind; she wanted to bring her assistant to film, but partnering with a stranger wasn’t conducive for recording.

Now that both of them were interested in trolling, it worked out perfectly.

They returned to the deck where Jiang Yuqi rented a complete set of fishing gear, while Chu Mingcheng rented an electric reel and artificial bait, and then they boarded a small boat.

Her assistant sat at the bow, holding the camera for filming; all four people on the small boat wore life jackets, which were mandatory.

As for being filmed, Chu Mingcheng didn’t mind; he was bound to show up on camera eventually, and with his back turned, there were not many chances to capture his face.

The small boat was placed on the water, and the boatman started it up, heading toward the open waters in search of a school of fish.

Trolling demanded a lot from the boatman driving the small boat; they needed to be experienced in finding fish and then drive the boat over the fishes’ path.

To find a school of fish, there were two extremely simple methods; one was to look for birds. Where there were birds, there were definitely fish.

Secondly, many big fish hunting smaller fish would cause splashes in the water, and trolling in the area would surely yield a catch.

However, their boatman didn’t need to bother with that, as the anglers on the boat ahead had already made a catch, and they just needed to follow them.

Chu Mingcheng quickly helped Jiang Yuqi set up her fishing gear, hung up the wave-climbing artificial bait, and showed her how to troll.

In fact, he hadn’t tried it himself, but trolling wasn’t complicated, just throw out the bait.

But glancing at her small frame, Chu Mingcheng couldn’t help but say uneasily, “When you hook a fish, start off by grabbing the fishing rod firmly. ‘Stabbing fish’ just means lifting the rod, during which time the fish will have a burst of energy.”

“When the time comes, just lean back and endure this burst first, then press the button to reel in the fish. Otherwise, with your small frame, you might get pulled into the water by the fish,” Brother Ming said.

Jiang Yuqi has one advantage, she is obedient.

Hearing Chu Mingcheng speak so seriously, she quickly nodded her little head to show she understood.

Seeing that she had taken it in, Chu Mingcheng still didn’t feel reassured and checked the drag on the electric reel in her hand, and then reduced it a little.

This way, it could effectively reduce the massive force of the big fish biting at once, only speeding up the release of the fishing line to prevent someone from being dragged into the sea due to sudden force.

Jiang Yuqi was a quality client, and having a bit closer relationship like ordinary friends would also do.

He didn’t want any scenario of hero-saving-the-beauty, capturing someone’s delicate heart.

Being as handsome as he was, dealing with women was actually quite troubling. Once the distance got too close, unnecessary problems could easily arise.

After setting this up, he then assembled his own fishing gear, tossed the artificial bait into the water, and waited for the fish to bite.

Being pulled by the little boat, the artificial bait chased like a small fish, looking very enticing, just waiting for a big fish to come along and bite.

When the little boat reached a channel with fish, the wave-climbing artificial bait was happily swimming in the water, but suddenly a dark shadow flashed by its side, and it immediately disappeared among the waves.

But the tip of the fishing rod told Chu Mingcheng that a fish had bitten.

Chu Mingcheng lifted the rod and held it with both hands, feeling a strong force pulling hard. Since the drag on the electric reel wasn’t set to maximum, the fishing line was let out quickly.

After getting accustomed to the force, he straight away pressed the button to reel in the line.

With the power of the boat and the electric reel, the fish had no chance to resist.

The deckhand, seeing someone had caught a fish, slowly eased off the throttle, allowing the small boat to continue moving by inertia.

Soon, the fish was pulled up beside the boat, a meter-long Big Mackerel weighing about several kilos.

This size could only be considered average, as there are many Big Mackerels weighing twenty to thirty kilos caught in Xisha.

The deckhand hooked it up with a gaff, placed it into the cooler, and then continued driving the boat.

A while later, Jiang Yuqi also caught a fish. With the pre-adjusted drag set by Chu Mingcheng, she found it quite easy. Soon, a bigger Mackerel was pulled up by the deckhand, weighing at least twenty kilos, which made her particularly happy.

“Haha, what a big Mackerel, I’ll have good content for my next video,” she said.

But trolling could encounter more than just Mackerels; some very fast-swimming fish could also appear.

While Chu Mingcheng was waiting for a bite, the fishing pole suddenly conveyed a tremendous force, and he was jerked forward sharply.

Fortunately, he hadn’t locked the drag. Otherwise, that pull could have dragged him straight into the water.

The other three people on the boat also felt the sudden halt of the small boat, and then the speed of the boat started to gradually decrease.

The deckhand, experienced as he was, slowly eased off the throttle, then yelled loudly, “Big fish on the line! Don’t lock the drag all at once, or it might pull you into the water, and might even flip the boat.”

“After the boat stops, slowly lead it to the front of the boat, then slowly lock the drag, letting the fish pull the boat along later.”

“Okay, I’ve got it!” Chu Mingcheng held onto the fishing rod tightly as the fishing line inside the electric reel was pulled out swiftly, making a “woo woo” sound.

He began to adjust his center of gravity, pulling on the rod to turn the fish.

“Brother Ming, you can do it!” At this moment, Jiang Yuqi quickly reeled in her line and started cheering for Chu Mingcheng.@@novelbin@@