Reborn in the Millennium: Building a Fortune from Fishing

Chapter 558 The Patchwork Ship Makes its Debut

At 3:30 a.m., Qin Dahe woke up immediately when his phone vibrated under his pillow.

Last night, Yan Yan and I shopped until nine o'clock before getting home. After taking a shower, I fell into a deep sleep, all for this morning's wave.

Getting up early is no challenge for anglers.

I carefully got out of bed to put on my clothes, not daring to turn on the lights. I took the sun-protective clothing to the living room before I started dressing.

There was nothing inside except underwear, and it was still quite hot in Shenzhen in September.

Once we got down there, we packed up our fishing gear and set off under the cover of night.

We headed towards Yantian Wharf, but the fishing tackle shops were still closed. However, we could buy bait at Shachong today.

Brother Li knows that people can't buy anything at this time, so he will reserve some large and small sword shrimp for them in advance, and other things are left to chance.

When we arrived, there were already quite a few people bragging. Even if you're in a hurry to go rock fishing, you have to wait until dawn, otherwise it's too dangerous.

Falling on the rocks is no fun; those weathered rocks are very sharp, and it's common to lose an arm or a leg if you fall in.

Every year, accidents happen here, and Uncle Qing has repeatedly warned him to be careful.

"Awei's here so early?" At the breakfast stalls at Shachong Wharf, many people were having their meals.

Not only anglers, but also fishermen who sneak out to sea to catch fish are now back.

"You're really brave, riding a motorcycle all by yourself." He turned around and ordered a serving of shumai and a bowl of congee from the owner.

"Damn, I set off at three o'clock last night," Awei said boastfully.

The roads along the coast aren't in good condition now, and there aren't any streetlights. Most people wouldn't dare ride at night.

"Zhao Zilong was all courage, you're all Zhao Zilong!" he joked, then took the bowl of porridge and started eating it heartily.

It gets light early in Shenzhen, so we have to leave soon.

There were about fifteen or sixteen people going rock fishing today; it was quite crowded, and there wasn't enough room to stand on the rocks.

"Want to go out to sea with me later?"

"Going out to sea?" Awei was puzzled. "You brought a boat? There's no room in the car."

"I brought a folding boat. We'll go fishing by the Dongping coast later. There's coral there, so we're sure to catch some giant grouper." Qin Dahe's eyes gleamed as he spoke of giant grouper.

On the 7th, a scoundrel caught a wild giant grouper weighing 40 jin (approximately 20 kg) and sold it for over 10,000 yuan.

The bigger this thing is, the more valuable it is; one could be worth over 100,000. If it can make up for some of my deficit of over 60,000, I can speak with more confidence.

"Okay, there are a lot of people today, let's go to the beach and give it a try." Awei definitely wanted to go out to sea. He couldn't afford long-distance casting, and rock fishing didn't yield any big catches, so nothing beats going out to sea.

Many people have tried buying cheaper kits to play long-range shooting, but almost all of them give up in the end.

You get what you pay for, especially with long-distance casting. It requires a high-quality reel and an even higher-quality fishing rod. You need a set costing at least 10,000 yuan to barely get started.

Those who bring three or four long-casting rods and stick them on the beach can easily spend tens of thousands on fishing gear.

He took Awei out to sea for safety reasons. Even though there hadn't been any storms in the past two days, he still felt uneasy going out to sea alone.

Awei is the second officer on offshore fishing boats. He's currently on vacation and waiting to start work. He won't have any work until the fishing season opens.

I go there when I have a free day job, but I spend most of my time fishing on the beach.

He was considered a high-income earner, making several thousand yuan a month by going overseas, earning a year's worth of money in just six months.

Other anglers gradually arrived as well, since this was the only place nearby where they could buy things.

Uncle Li's stall is a large bungalow, but now only a small door is open. When the sea is closed, there's hardly any cargo, and the meager earnings of those fishermen are nothing to speak of.

The two went to buy bait. Due to financial constraints, Qin Dahe bought a pound of Little Swordsman and eight Little White Badges, which cost him fifty yuan.

Knowing he could go out to sea, Awei bought an extra shrimp brick and helped others bait the boats.

Normally I wouldn't buy this much bait; at most, I'd just use small sword shrimp and oysters I catch myself. I only get more live bait on windy days.

"Uncle Li, can I take a boat to Dongping to fish?" He asked specifically, just in case the local fishermen wouldn't allow it, he could always go to the public beach in Dameisha to try raft fishing.

"You brought your own boat?"

"Yes, it's a modular boat I built myself." He repeated the description of the aluminum alloy boat; a boat that can fit inside a car is still quite rare.

“You don’t have the necessary documents, so you can’t go more than a kilometer from the sea. Otherwise, you’ll be fined if customs catches you,” Uncle Li said with a smile. He had also become interested in the modular boat and decided to take a closer look later.

Hearing that he couldn't be more than one kilometer from the sea, Qin Dahe was slightly disappointed, which meant he couldn't go to the vicinity of Dongping.

"Awei, do you have these documents?"

"Yes, I didn't bring it, and your little boat doesn't have any permits either," Awei said, sounding exasperated.

Building his own boat... his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't stray too far from the coastline. He turned to Uncle Li and said, "Brother Li, can I borrow two life jackets?"

He thought to himself, "There's no wind or waves today. At least I can get back to shore if I wear a life jacket."

“Okay.” Uncle Li nodded. This man was crazy; he built his own boat and went out to sea to fish.

Qin Dahe thought Awei's reaction was normal; he had brought a life jacket in his car, and safety was always the top priority. However, the weather forecast predicted calm waters today, and Dapeng Bay itself was a relatively calm area, so the two could still take the risk.

With so many boats around Dapeng Bay, you could easily get rescued by shouting for help. It's a good opportunity to see how an aluminum alloy boat performs at sea.

We got the bait, but we didn't have money to buy ice. Luckily, we froze two bottles of ice using mineral water, and then we headed straight to the beach.

It was 5:30 a.m., and the sky was just beginning to lighten, a perfect time for fishing. Five or six people were already climbing up the rocks.

There will be even more people when the main force arrives.

The tide comes in at 7 p.m., and many people choose to fish for two rounds.

When Qin Dahe brought out the boat, Awei and Uncle Li stood by and watched him assemble it, without even bothering to pack up the fishing gear.

The three sections of the hull were removed, and several large parts and wave-breaking horns were found in the battery compartment at the stern. These were then directly attached to the joints, and the three-meter-long boat was completed.

"Tsk tsk, this design is good." Uncle Li nodded.

Looking at the workmanship, you can tell you've misunderstood; they have real skill.

Qin Dahe simply put two sets of batteries from the trunk of the car into the battery compartment, connected the inverter, and the motor was also attached separately.

If you want to make things easier, you can just grab an electric drill, weld on some blades, and use it as an engine. The principle behind this is the same as that of a four-wheel drive race car.

"The boat has three speed settings. At low speed, one battery can power it for 20 minutes, enough for me to make it to Dongping and back," he said proudly. "Let's unload it first."

"Let's go." Awei nodded; this looks promising.

The aluminum alloy boat wasn't heavy either; with two sets of batteries and a motor, it weighed only about 300 pounds. The three of them easily carried it to the beach, with Uncle Li helping to pull the rope.

Then the two of them started bringing their tackle boxes and fishing rods up. Lure anglers don't have much equipment; one rod each is enough for him and Awei.

However, Qin Dahe also brought a cloth bag, which was rattling around inside.

These octopus fishing jars aren't even considered fishing nets. Aside from kids, nobody would be so bored as to make money from this. Uncle Li saw it, smiled, shook his head, and ignored it.

He was genuinely interested in the ship; it could be folded into a one-meter-long box, and the design alone was amazing.

There are also modular designs for motors and batteries, secured with clips. Even if he had a 30-meter-long boat, he would still want to get several of them.

Whether it's fishing or simply setting and hauling in nets, one person can drive a tricycle to the beach and complete the task without having to stop and whine.

It's a bit troublesome, though. Launching and retrieving the boat takes a lot of effort if you're alone. You need at least two people to manage it.

On the other side, the two, who were ready, set off directly. Their way of going out to sea was also quite funny. Qin Dahe pushed himself into the sea and then quickly rolled onto the boat.

New energy vehicles start strong, quickly moving forward with the starter motor.

This time, even with two batteries, he didn't conserve power and ran along the coastline towards the peninsula.

"Awei, check if there are any obstacles on the bottom. Let's find a fishing spot first."

“Okay.” Awei nodded, feeling much more at ease.

The boat is quite reliable; the two people on board are very stable, and it even has a wave-breaking cape, so it can handle small waves.

After passing Shachong and heading towards the peninsula, the water quality begins to become clearer, and the visibility is quite high.

The main goal is to find obstacles in the sea, such as reefs and corals. When they haven't found schools of fish, fishing for obstacles is the most enjoyable.

“Dahe, jut out a little further out; large ships often return to port from here.” Awei was quite familiar with the nearby ports, having traveled to Yantian, Shachong, and Nan'ao.

"Oh, okay." Qin Dahe didn't care whether it was more than a kilometer over or not, and just sailed outwards. There were professional sailors on board.

After circling around a large bend and driving for another ten minutes or so, we could already see Dongping Island.

This area belongs to Hong Kong Island, and there is a customs patrol point nearby. Qin Dahe quickly moved close to the coastline.

"There seems to be a coral reef below, let's stop here."

"Test the water depth first." Whether it's freshwater or seawater, big fish are always in deeper water.

But there was no time to waste. The two of them hung the lead weights on their heads and threw them around until they found a place more than a kilometer away from the coastline.

The water here is over 60 meters deep, making it a relatively good fishing spot in the vicinity.

You can't fish low; there are coral reefs below. I just cut a 60-meter line on the Qin Dahe River, and I was heartbroken for half a day.

Now we have to be careful with our money; the daily cost of fishing gear is only fifty yuan.

Use the remaining 90 meters of line to hang the ceramic pots, tying a knot in each meter and dropping it down – a perfect way to reuse waste.

After placing the pottery jars on the boat, they started to apply the handbrake.

It's just a stone picked up from the beach, hung on a rope, and thrown down to keep it in place.

Otherwise, if left to drift, it will eventually float over to Hong Kong Island.

Awei also started preparing his bait, throwing in half a shrimp brick and a oyster brick. In reality, at a depth of sixty meters, it's uncertain whether this amount of bait will even make a difference.

"Will the customs authorities cause us any trouble here?" We're already a kilometer past the coastline.

(End of this chapter)