Reborn in the Millennium: Building a Fortune from Fishing

Chapter 544 The Bigger the Waves, the Bigger the Fish (5.4K)

The seafood cooked for dinner tasted pretty good, and Xiao Linzi especially liked eating Shi Jiu Gong (a type of seafood).

Aside from being too small, it had no other flaws. It tasted delicious, and Qin Dahe thoroughly enjoyed it.

We didn't finish either of the two black sea breams; there's still one in the freezer, we'll eat it tomorrow.

Xiaoliu didn't get back until 7:30 pm, and she brought a lot of stuff into the room.

All kinds of lenses and sensors have been brought back. The assembly plan has already been prepared. All we need to do is bring them back for assembly and testing.

"Have you bought everything?" Qin Dahe walked over, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

“These are all qualified products, tested on the spot. There’s still one screen that’s not sorted out yet. Since you require it to be easy to carry, I have to try to negotiate the price,” Xiao Liu said truthfully.

Color screens are actually not expensive at all, and they are very durable with no risk of damage.

He wants to reduce costs and leave himself some profit margin.

"I'm counting on you now, anyway, I've already paid you."

"I'll definitely get it done for you, don't worry."

Qin Dahe nodded. He didn't object to the top student wanting to make money; it was only right that he earned whatever he wanted based on his skills and knowledge.

"Will you assemble it yourself afterwards?"

With fifty or sixty cameras and custom-made housings, it's not something that can be done in a short time.

"There's another senior brother who'll be coming back to Jiuzigan with me soon."

"Hehe, if things go well, we'll give you more orders next year. There will definitely be a group of people who will consume them." Let's make a big promise first.

Such highly skilled individuals are rare to encounter; even my uncle holds them in high regard.

If I ever want to make glow-in-the-dark floats in the future, I'll probably have to ask someone else for help.

It's not suitable to make glow-in-the-dark floats now, the cost is too high.

After chatting with Xiaoliu for a couple of minutes, he went off to get busy with his online activities.

Liu Cixin has become more active on the forum recently, and his popularity is even slightly higher than that of Liu Cixin.

Not only did he win a championship, but he's also the chairman of Dahe Fishing Tackle. He's incredibly impressive.

However, veteran anglers like to browse Qin Dahe's posts, where they can not only boast but also discuss and learn something from each other.

What he's doing now is attracting traffic and directing people to the forum. The moderators are turning a blind eye and won't ban his posts easily.

Outdoor activities are a niche category, and fishing is an even more niche activity.

When he opened the fishing forum, it was even more lively than the online forum.

The ability to segment vertical traffic is no joke, especially with QQ being such a major traffic driver.

I took a lot of photos while fishing during the day, and I'm posting them all here, including the one of the moray eel.

Then I started browsing other people's posts.

The first example is the scene of anglers in Hubei catching a lot of silver carp and bighead carp on the main stream of the Yangtze River. Fifteen people caught two thousand catties of silver carp and bighead carp.

Qin Dahe was green with envy. Each person weighed over 100 jin (50 kg). Those trawlers were such waste, leaving so many resources behind.

“Sometimes I really want to kick these crazy people out,” he replied below.

The others felt similarly, filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"Remember to let me know next time you have a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

“My home is right by the Han River, so I missed it.”

"They're inhuman! My friend is one of the fifteen, and he didn't even call me."

Everyone was complaining that this kind of fishing was a rare treat, and that they could even catch fish with an empty hook.

Upon seeing his reply as the forum moderator, the people on the thread began to boast about it with pride.

"Our group of 15 used 35 bags of 5-jin (2.5 kg) bait for silver carp and bighead carp. That alone cost almost 2000 yuan. It's normal to catch so many fish."

"Damn, it's okay to spend money on bait, as long as I can catch fish."

"Exactly, spending money is nothing."

Most people can afford to spend tens of yuan a day on bait, provided they catch fish.

People like Qin Dahe who go sea fishing spend money like water, and their bait is more expensive than the fish, but they still keep going.

The joy of fishing lies in catching the fish; even a herniated disc can be cured while reeling in a fish.

There are other posts, from beginners asking about tackle and fishing line setups to experienced anglers analyzing the effects of bait; these posts receive a lot of replies.

Compared to the outdoor categories on forums, the interaction in the fishing forum is much better.

Qin Dahe would reply from time to time and discuss with everyone. He would also humbly learn from the good points others made.

For example, some people who have been fishing in the traditional way for many years are really good at finding fish nests.

Often, it's not as simple as just finding the obstacle zone.

Fish move to different areas and water depths depending on the season and weather.

Some people are even analyzing the ingredients of his silver carp and bighead carp bait; they've even guessed the composition of the soybean residue, as it has a very unique taste.

Qin Dahe readily admitted it, but he remained tight-lipped when others pressed him for details.

He'll be fine if he tells everyone, but the two fishing tackle companies that just came up with the formula will be furious.

"Dahe Fishing Gear's Silver Carp and Bighead Carp No. 2 contains many special ingredients, which are trade secrets and will not be shared here."

"Today, I went to Shenzhen with the company's mechanics to purchase a batch of parts. The underwater camera will soon be put into use. We will use the camera to observe the fish behavior and continue to improve the bait for silver carp and bighead carp. Please pay close attention."

Everyone became immediately interested when they saw the underwater camera.

"Will the underwater camera be available by the end of the year?" someone asked curiously.

The underwater camera experiment happened to coincide with an international fishing competition, so it attracted quite a bit of attention among anglers.

"The cost is too high. A camera with a screen could cost more than five thousand. The first batch will only produce about fifty units and send them to the distributors. Please ask around."

"The initial intention of doing this was to test the bait, or to help everyone see where the fish went in different climates. I will continue to update the fish situation on the forum every day."

Most anglers agree with this statement; a price of five thousand yuan is indeed very expensive, and even fifty of them might not be able to sell.

"That's just the weather forecast for fishing."

"Hehe, it really is a fishing forecast." Qin Dahe typed a line with a chuckle. Later, other people also made this kind of thing.

I noticed I had a lot of QQ messages, so I took a look.

Now that my computer is at home, I can post on the forum anytime, no rush.

News from fishing tackle dealers' QQ groups indicates that sales of silver carp and bighead carp bait in Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang have recently plateaued, with no sustained growth and even a slight decline.

It turns out that from the beginning of August this year until the end of August, the sales of silver carp and bighead carp No. 2 were steadily increasing, and the market was continuously expanding.

The current stagnation already speaks volumes; temperatures are starting to drop in the eastern region.

Although the temperature drop was not significant, it affected the fish's feeding. Since people couldn't see the fish biting, they naturally wouldn't change their bait frequently.

The peak in August has passed.

Qin Dahe stayed with the people in the water for a while, reassuring them that they could sell bait with peace of mind and earn even more next year.

I opened the forum again and chatted with people, and finally the night wasn't so lonely anymore.

Before, when I was at home, I would get bored watching TV at night and would often end up making babies instead of watching TV. It wasn't as fulfilling as it is now.

After thinking about it, he added the Legend of Mir 2 download task to the background, so he could play it whenever he was bored.

Well, it's not bad to spend a few thousand yuan on entertainment at night.

A little while later, No. 003 sent him a message asking when he would come to Shenzhen.

Considering that the other party had been quite polite, he said directly that he would be working at the investment company from now on, and that QQ would be completely unrelated after the equity transfer was completed.

Even though the other party offered an annual salary of 300,000 and stock options worth 800,000, Qin Dahe did not agree.

Stock options are still quite substantial these days; even a skilled technical worker can get them after working for the company for two or three years.

Many programmers achieve financial freedom this way, but later it becomes a pie-in-the-sky promise, and when it's almost time to pay out, they try every means to get people to leave.

"Brother Xu, we'll meet again in the martial arts world. Who knows, we might have the opportunity to cooperate in the future."

"Okay, let's chat more often in the future. Your ideas are all very good. It would be great if you could join the company and lead projects." The other person was also a carefree person and didn't press the matter further. "I'll have the finance department transfer your salary to you later."

"Thanks." Today is September 2nd, and he still has 32 days' worth of wages left, which isn't a small amount.

It's only 8:15, and the download speed for Legend of Mir is still over 100 MB. I smirked. Downloading online games is really slow.

Now everyone has 512KB broadband. Even with QQ and web pages closed, the download speed is less than 60KB, and it will take at least another 40 minutes.

Since I can't use the computer right now, I might as well call home and see what my wife is up to.

Once the call connected, the two little ones started babbling and making a racket on the phone.

Why isn't the baby asleep yet?

"We're having a late-night snack. Bao'er, Amei, and Zhaodi are all here," the little girl said proudly.

When the men aren't around, it's actually more convenient for the women to organize things themselves.

Aside from Bao'er, Ah Mei and Zhao Di can be sent back by their mother later.

"Hehe, keep an eye on Bao'er, her belly is so big already," Qin Dahe said with a smile.

"Okay, prepare the seafood. I'll be there on the 8th."

"Two days in advance?"

"Yes, September isn't busy, so the station manager gave me an early holiday."

“Give my car keys to Hanwa so he can drive it. Don’t take Bao’er out on that motorcycle tricycle when you’re out, it’s too bumpy, and Bao’er’s belly is so big now.”

"Okay, hang up now, we're going to have barbecue."

"Fine, fine." Damn, my wife's giving me the cold shoulder.

They hadn't even finished two sentences when this girl started worrying about the phone bill. She was reluctant to subscribe to a plan and planned to buy a temporary SIM card after arriving in Shenzhen. Normal people, unless they're running a business, don't need a plan costing hundreds of yuan.

My dad is taking care of things at home, so there shouldn't be any problems. He's not worried.

I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and watched the game download bit by bit with a pained expression. All I could do was wait.

It wasn't until 9:30 that the game was finally installed. I didn't feel like playing at that time, so I just turned off the computer and went to sleep.

I slept soundly until dawn, still half asleep, when I was woken up by the ringing of the phone. Uncle Qing was already downstairs.

I checked the time; it was only six o'clock.

"." That's early enough, damn.

Get up quickly, wash up, put on sun-protective clothing, and go out.

When they arrived at the garage, Uncle Qing's BMW was parked at the entrance. Qin Dahe opened the automatic roller shutter door, and the two of them began to move the fishing gear without any hesitation.

"The tide is at 9:30 today, so we need to start fishing at 7:00. We have to come early."

The tide is at full tide at 9:30. If you go fishing at 7:00 tide, you should go earlier, as the fish will start biting intensely at that time.

"Is the same string setup as yesterday?"

"No need to bring a long-casting rod, it'll be over around 10 o'clock."

I looked at my homemade aluminum alloy lure boat, but I still didn't bring it; it takes up too much space.

Let's wait until Xiaoliu gets back before using it.

However, both fishing boxes in the garage were moved upstairs, one for Uncle Li and one for Awei. The rest will have to wait for the delivery.

After getting in the car, we drove towards Yantian Wharf.

"One pound of sandworms, and two shrimp bricks." Uncle Qing got out of the car and hurriedly started buying bait, as he was a bit short on time.

Qin Dahe went to buy breakfast. There were quite a few people selling steamed buns and meat buns at the dock, so he bought quite a few, and also bought four bottles of drinks.

"Awei." I was busy when Awei rode over on his motorcycle.

When it's time to catch the tide, the anglers are the first to get up; I guess there are already quite a few people there by now.

“Dahe.” Awei’s eyes lit up when he saw him.

"Here's your fishing box." He said, taking the fishing box out of the trunk.

"Thanks." When he saw the fishing box, Awei's eyes lit up, and he took out a spool of fishing line and handed it over.

With this, the seafood you bring home will stay fresh.

It's still 37 degrees Celsius in Shenzhen, it's incredibly hot. Fish will start to smell bad after a few hours.

Now we can fish a little longer.

The two didn't have time to chat. After buying the sandworms, Uncle Qing stepped on the gas and set off for the Dapeng fishing spot.

While munching on a steamed bun in the car, Qin Dahe had specially bought extra steamed bread to prepare for lunch, as he had been extremely hungry yesterday.

Three meat buns and a steamed bread, plus a bottle of cola, and my stomach felt much better.

We had just finished eating and drinking, and hadn't even had a chance to light a cigarette when we arrived at our destination.

There were already six or seven people preparing fishing gear on the reef.

"Damn it, living in the city center is such a disadvantage, all the good spots are gone." Uncle Qing cursed as he went downstairs to get his things.

It's only been 6:30 since I got up, and some people have already caught fish. I guess they started setting off as soon as it got light.

"Uncle Li, I've brought your fishing box." He called out, then began to carry his fishing box on his back.

Getting onto the reef is quite difficult; it's impossible to get up there with two fishing boxes.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Li jumped down, picked up the fishing box, examined it carefully, and nodded slightly.

It's great because you can sit and rest there, and it can also be used as a temporary refrigerated container. You can even put your fishing rod accessories inside.

After climbing onto the reef, Awei finally arrived late.

Because there were a lot of people, he and Uncle Qing found a corner spot, where they could throw the ball a little further away later.

First, set up the fishing spot. Drop a shrimp brick directly into the spot, and then add the remaining brick in two batches.

The cost of baiting the fishing spot is forty yuan. That's how it is when you're fishing along the coast; there aren't many fish, so you have to bait the spot.

Although long-distance casting equipment is expensive, you don't need to bait the area for a distance of one or two hundred meters, and you can catch bigger fish.

Yesterday, four or five people playing long-distance casting on the beach below caught more fish than the seven or eight people above. That's the advantage.

"Let's see who catches a grouper first today, it's a pack of cigarettes for it." Uncle Li was in a great mood after receiving his fishing box.

"Row."

Qin Dahe was just about to tie the leader wire when he was told that there were more pufferfish today and he needed to change the steel wire leader.

He didn't bring any fishing wire, so he simply borrowed it from a fellow angler, planning to use it to catch two rock bream later.

The tensile strength of the steel wire leader is actually not as good as that of braided yarn, but it can prevent biting.

Otherwise, no one can stand having their line break every time. A single leader has an 80-gram sinker and a string of hooks on it, and if you lose your fishing gear a few times, you won't have enough left.

No good person carries more than a dozen lead weights when they go out; it's tiring to carry them.

Suddenly, the wind picked up!
"The wind is picking up, haha!"

"Damn, let's get grouper today. Li-ge, call someone to send over some mantis shrimp and crabs."

As soon as the wind blew, everyone became excited.

The bigger the waves, the bigger the fish. Some cargo from the open sea can even be swept to the nearshore by the undercurrents, and these cargoes are all valuable.

"Okay, I'll call someone to deliver it." Uncle Li lit a cigarette with a satisfied smile, then called back to the village to have someone deliver it.

Suddenly, waves surged up, crashing against the rocks with a loud splash, and seabirds began to run towards the beach.

The key point is that the sun is still out, which means it's not raining; it's just windy, perfect weather for sea fishing.

Qin Dahe was still confused, wondering why everyone was so excited, when Uncle Qing urged him to switch to Line 5.

"Hurry up and change the line, there's a good chance of a big catch today." Since you can't scoop fish up from the rocks, you have to fly them.

If a 30-40 pound one comes along, Line 5 will have enough to pull it up.

The tensile strength of braided line is generally seven times that of nylon line. That is, a No. 5 braided line is equivalent to a No. 35 nylon line, and its maximum weight limit is terrifying.

"How big is the bait?" Qin Dahe asked curiously, continuing to tie lead weights to his hands. The wind and waves were big today, and he needed two 80-gram weights to keep the bait in place.

He already uses a No. 5 line for rock fishing, so there's no need to change it.

For long-distance casting, the second one must be thinner, otherwise it won't go far and the line will easily break.

“People have caught grouper before, some weighing 60 or 70 pounds, and one can cost over 10,000 yuan.”

While everyone else was busy switching lanes, he simply threw himself down to enjoy the Sandworm first.

Unexpectedly, the fish were already biting aggressively, and within minutes of going in, they started biting, with two mudskippers catching fish.

With a 160-gram lead weight, even without a weight, the grip is excellent, and the pull of this double-fly is very comfortable.

The others were getting anxious; a 200-meter line couldn't be replaced in a short time unless the reels were changed.

Now we can only watch him catch the fish.

"Wow, this feels good." Another cast, and it landed right away.

The rod was trembling incessantly, as if it were being electrocuted, similar to a four- or five-pound mandarin fish.

When they pulled it up, they discovered it was a tiger grouper weighing one and a half pounds.

"Farmed fish," Uncle Li said regretfully. He had fish rafts at home, so he could tell at a glance whether a fish was farmed or not.

Not all fish caught in nearshore waters are wild; many have escaped from fish rafts and cages.

"Not bad, at least it's a bathfish. It'll be delicious to eat when we get back." After putting it in the fishing box, the others changed their lines and quickly cast their lines. Damn, they've already started catching grouper.

The waves crashing against the rocks grew increasingly terrifying, but none of the anglers present seemed afraid at all.

"Uncle Qing, how about we bring a safety rope next time?" Qin Dahe felt it was a bit dangerous, but of course, he wouldn't go home now.

"Yes, it's under the passenger seat. Go get it." He showed no intention of moving.

I haven't even caught any fish yet, and all I've done is prepare.

"Okay." Safety first, and since the tide was still a while away, Qin Dahe nodded and went down.

Once we got the safety rope, there were only two connectors in total, and the others also took some time to prepare.

If you don't have a safety rope, borrow one and secure yourself to the rocks. No wonder there were so many steel nails when I came fishing yesterday; I was prepared to use them.

After they were tied up, everyone became a little bolder and even started to move forward a bit.

Qin Dahe also moved there and stayed on the cliff tip. Anyway, there was a safety rope so he wouldn't fall down. Uncle Li also came over.

"This fishing box is pretty good; it actually manages to hold the bait in place," he exclaimed.

In such a steep place, the fishing box is placed stably here, making it much easier to take things out.

"Hehe, I make fishing tackle, so I'll definitely try to make some convenient things." He said with a chuckle, tossing the stone fish he caught into his tackle box.

Although the fishing box was placed on the cliff tip, I didn't sit down on it. It was just for easy access to my gear; sitting down would actually be unsuitable for sea fishing.

"Damn it, even with the tide coming in, it's still just mudskippers."

"I just caught a goby, but it's too small."

The group talked loudly while fishing, but the wind and waves made their voices inaudible.

Just then, the bait deliveryman arrived. Uncle Li waved, and his assistant came up carrying a net bag full of things.

"Mantis shrimp are three yuan each, and swimming crabs are one yuan and fifty cents each. Take what you need."

Qin Dahe glanced at them and saw that the swimming crabs and mantis shrimps were quite small and ridiculously expensive.

(End of this chapter)