Reborn in the Millennium: Building a Fortune from Fishing

Chapter 548 Call Your Grandpa

The high price of long-casting sets is justified. Long-casting is inherently prone to line breakage, and Qin Dahe was able to cast both rods smoothly on his first try, with price being a major factor.

Two crisp "ding" sounds rang out, and those around them immediately looked at them with newfound respect.

"How many meters of noodles do you want?" a young man asked curiously. He had only been sea fishing for a short time.

But most people can't make those two crisp clinking sounds.

"150 meters, this is my second time playing today. I'll increase it to 200 meters once I'm more skilled."

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"Hehe, I just spend more time fishing in freshwater." Qin Dahe said casually, secretly pleased with himself.

Damn, these two rod sets have already made my money back, worth it.

The fishing rod is stuck in the ground with a bell on the tip; we don't need to worry about it for now.

Before the tide came in, he picked up a rock and started smashing oysters and mussels.

You don't need to smash too many, just get about ten to hold your own. If you catch any cheap fish later, you can just cut them into pieces with a knife and use them.

There are still some goods under the rocks, but of course, they are all small and worthless.

Valuable items are plentiful when the tide recedes; large conches, crabs, and even occasionally stranded fish can be found.

I picked up three slightly larger conches and a half-destroyed carcass of an unknown fish, saving me the trouble of cracking open oysters.

Oysters are really hard to open, especially those that are attached to rocks.

When I got back, some people had already caught fish.

Casting with a long-distance rod results in a long catch and a slow return. The reel is practically smoking from all the spinning, and the fish probably aren't very big.

Even the smallest fish needs to be yanked back, otherwise it will be pulled into obstacles, and a whole spool of line could ruin it.

After putting away the bait and lighting a cigarette, Qin Dahe sat on his fishing box and watched others catch fish.

"Great, another black sea bream." The fish collector happily took the fish off the plate and cast it back out.

Even a stone a hundred meters away is slightly larger than one near the sea; this is the advantage of long-distance casting.

Shallow spools don't hold much line either; most people use 150 to 200 meters. With less line left over, even if the line breaks, it's easier to comb through quickly.

A dozen or so long-casting rods were stuck in the ground, and people would go up to collect the fish every now and then. Qin Dahe's place was also bustling with activity.

He tucked the end of the fishing rod under his arm and, fearing it would snag, began reeling in the water rapidly.

The spool kept making a "creaking" sound. It only got a little better after the drag was locked a bit, so I had to pull it back quickly.

The area is full of long-casting rods, so if someone catches a fish, they can easily get tangled up together.

"Wow, another conger eel." Qin Dahe was pleasantly surprised when he pulled the fish up; it was a big one weighing over five pounds. "It's really energetic."

"Damn it, why do I keep getting eels when I go sea fishing? I haven't seen a single one all year." Uncle Li walked over indignantly, looking quite frustrated.

Moray eels are considered a rare species in coastal waters, yet this person caught two in a row.

After happily reeling in the fish and casting the fishing rod back out, Qin Dahe started offering cigarettes again.

"Everyone who sees it gets a share."

"Brilliant."

"Damn, let's just bring all the conger eels home."

He didn't care about everyone's envy; he was just lucky.

He cheerfully lit a cigarette, wondering if there would be any grouper today.

Long-distance casting does indeed make it easier to catch grouper. Before long, someone caught a tiger grouper, and although it was farmed, they were very happy.

Despite being farmed, the meat still tastes good after being washed in the sea, and the purchase price is fifty or sixty yuan.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, observing the actions of others; it's always good to learn more.

I also took some photos with the camera, while the others took very few.

Or rather, nowadays not many anglers like to take photos, so they have to bring a separate video camera.

There will be more cameras when camera phones come out, and then QQ Space will be full of all kinds of close-up selfies and "emo" style photos, and then the peak season for online dating will arrive.

It's normal to check someone's appearance on social media before deciding whether to pursue an online relationship.

When the bell rang again, Qin Dahe quickly put down his cigarette and started fishing.

This requires much less force, so the drain is locked and the wheel is cranked wildly.

The expensive kit has its reasons. The line reeling is smooth, and the ceramic leader won't damage the fishing line. I quickly caught a goby and a two-ounce rockfish.

Disdainfully, I tossed it into the fishing box and hung three small white stamps on it.

He was afraid of snagging the bottom with his long-casting rod, so he only dared to use three baits, and the others did the same.

They fished until 9:30 before finally stopping.

It was really tiring. Every cast was a huge test of physical fitness. Even the burly Uncle Li started swinging his arms to relax.

Everyone had a good haul; even the worst person caught three or four large stone goby fish, enough to cook a bowl of soup.

Two grouper were caught, which is quite impressive.

Qin Dahe caught a conger eel, two rock eels, a goby, and a grouper fry, but he threw the fry away.

Don't be fooled by how easily they fish. Uncle Qing told me that people who do rock fishing at Yantian Wharf and Shenzhen Bay often come back empty-handed.

I put the casting rod and tackle box in the car and locked them up, then grabbed my lure rod and started heading up the reef with the rest of the group.

During these minor surges, everyone hesitates until the very last minute before going up, and there's no guarantee of getting any goods.

He didn't even bring a tackle box; he just threw his catch on the ground and brought it back later. "Brother Shui, how's it going?" He arrived at a fishing spot near the cliff tip and first threw in half a shrimp brick.

Brother Shui has been rock fishing since he arrived this morning and has secured the best spot.

"One stone nine-gong and one sea tilapia, out of stock."

"Hailuofei? Is it tasty?" They chatted casually while busy baiting the hook, which didn't delay their work.

He had never even eaten freshwater tilapia, let alone sea tilapia.

"The bigger ones are delicious, whether pan-fried or braised, especially pan-fried, the taste is absolutely amazing," Brother Shui said with a smile. "If you want to fish for these, you have to go to Shenzhen Bay, you rarely catch them in the rocky areas."

"Let's go check it out tomorrow." The tide will be dead soon, so it'll be the same no matter where we go.

Fishing in the sea is really fun; I caught more than twenty kinds of fish in three days.

The others had already caught fish. Qin Dahe quickly cast his line after baiting his hook with a small white octopus, and then started cutting up the carcass of the unknown fish he had just picked up, as he didn't have enough bait.

There were two small white octopuses left; luckily, I managed to collect half a piece of the fish carcass.

The same goes for others. During the small tide, they are reluctant to use good bait, and many people simply buy sardine chunks or take some dead fish from shrimp bricks to make do.

Half an hour later, it seemed that fish had come to the spot. Qin Dahe wasn't sure, though. Sea-dwelling spots and freshwater spots are definitely different. He felt that if he made a bigger move, he could directly hook the fish.

After all that, they pulled up a fish that looked a lot like a sea bream, weighing a little over a pound.

"Brother Shui, is this Hai Luofei again?" he asked uncertainly.
Brother Shui glanced at it and then pinched the fish's body with his hand.

"Orchid fish have very hard scales. They can be steamed or braised, but steaming is the best way to cook them."

Fishermen are always eager to teach newcomers; if there's anything they don't know, they'll answer it whenever they have time.

Satisfied, I tossed the fish into the fish basket, discovering a new species of fish. How satisfying!

As he cast his line again, a gasp came from the side: Brother Li had caught a giant grouper, also known as a small giant grouper.

"Pu Liangmu, what are you doing out here at such a young age? Call your grandpa for dinner!" His face darkened, and he almost threw the fish away.

A grouper weighing just over four pounds is too small to be worth much. A large one can weigh one or two hundred pounds and can sell for tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

"Lucky me, even the baby grouper is a grouper."

"That's right, this fish must be worth several hundred yuan, it's completely wild."

Qin Dahe wasn't familiar with the market, so he just glanced at it and ignored it. But the other anglers knew, and they were incredibly envious.

"You'd better send your grandpa over too. Even if he comes, you won't be able to handle it," Awei said with a chuckle.

None of the lines here exceeded 200 meters; catching wild giant grouper was practically a free lunch.

Moreover, it is difficult to move around in the reef area, and it is easy to be pulled down by a large fish, which is very dangerous.

"Damn it, you'll see if I can handle it when I get here, you lunatic, do you think I'm 200 pounds of meat?" Uncle Li cursed as he hung a small sardine piece down the drain.

"Hehe, fish weighing a hundred or two hundred pounds don't even come to the shore." Seven or eight pounds is considered a big catch on the shore, unless it's in the deep waters of the docks.

Fishing can be boring, but chatting like this helps to relax, no matter who catches a big fish.

Qin Dahe also really liked this atmosphere.

Of course, the premise is that the goods are delivered. If a dozen or so people sit idly for a whole morning, it's like sitting in a five-person internet cafe, getting more and more silent the more they play.

Pull another mudskipper; its small size doesn't matter, the strength in my hands is really satisfying.

"What other fish can you catch on this side of the beach?" he asked, offering cigarettes again.

"These are basically all the fish around here. Sometimes you can catch bigger fish if you go to a more distant place, or take a boat to Xichong."

"Where is Xichong?" He thought to himself that he had a small boat and could go there for a ride.

“It’s a bit difficult to travel by land. During high tide, we go along the coastline by boat, which is about 20 kilometers.”

"Can I sail there myself?" Qin Dahe asked, getting excited.

You can use your own folding fishing boat too, since it has enough load capacity. You can just bring a few more batteries to extend its range.

They weren't afraid of the dangers of walking along the coastline; if necessary, they would simply run ashore and take the land route back to the city.

Brother Shui smiled, threaded a small pomfret with a rope through it and threw it on the ground, saying, "If you have a boat, go ahead, just don't head towards Hong Kong Island, the customs boats are very aggressive."

"I'll bring a boat and try it tomorrow."

Fishing on the beach every day is so boring, all you catch are small fish. It would be so much better to catch some tuna.

Last time I went tuna fishing with Wenwen and the others, we had a great time with the ones that weighed around 40 pounds. If it were over 100 pounds, wouldn't it explode?

The thrill of fishing lies in the exhilaration of catching a big fish; the impact is irresistible.

After fishing in one wave of the tide, it was almost midnight by the time everyone got off the rocks.

The catch was generally not good; if it weren't for the eel, he might have lost money.

The small white stamps and shrimp bricks alone cost 170 yuan, not to mention the round-trip gas money.

As usual, we kept the eel to take home and eat. There weren't many other miscellaneous fish, so we simply exchanged a spool of fishing line with someone and didn't bother going to Shachong to sell the fish.

When the fish catch is normal and there is little fish, Uncle Li doesn't bother to call someone to buy the fish; he sells them himself.

Many others lost money today, especially those who bought at the bottom of the trendline, with losses reaching one or two hundred yuan.

The young man who asked him how many meters of line he had was a novice and had "emptied" a skein of line. He hadn't tied the end properly, and the weight and line flew off.

He then got snagged again, losing at least 500 yuan. He was looking dejected as he re-entered the fishing line, planning to try some more long-distance casting. He had just spent money to buy line from a fellow angler.

Without experience, this is how bad he is. You have to feed him money. Qin Dahe is at least good at lure fishing and knows how to prevent snags and line breakage.

(End of this chapter)