I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 163: Chapter 124: Big Bites After the Typhoon (Part 3)

At that moment, Gu Nan’s landing net dipped down, scooping up the mackerel and hoisting it up.

When he saw the spots on the mackerel’s side, he had a flash of recognition. It was a Blue Spot Mackerel.

This was a remarkable species of fish that could sell for just a few bucks a pound, but could also fetch hundreds.

Seafood from the East China coast was notoriously expensive, and Blue Spot Mackerel migrated to the shallows to spawn every year from March to May.

They appeared along the East China coast around the time of the Qingming Festival. During this period, the local Blue Spot Mackerel were known as *chuanwu*.

Adult specimens—those over 38 centimeters—could sell for two to three hundred a pound.

However, after the nationwide fishing ban was implemented, true *chuanwu* vanished into the annals of history. Only Blue Spot Mackerel from that specific season and location could earn the name.

The so-called *chuanwu* seen in markets later on were just a scam run by fishmongers.

Blue Spot Mackerel were cheap in the northern markets. A large one, maybe over two pounds, would only go for about thirty-odd bucks a pound, while the smaller ones were just a few dollars.

The ones sold online were basically last year’s frozen stock, and they were all small, too.

’Claiming they’re "freshly caught"? Yeah, right.’

’It’s already July. Normally, schools of adult Blue Spot Mackerel wouldn’t be this close to shore. Guess I have the typhoon to thank.’

Even if these line-caught Blue Spot Mackerel couldn’t sell for as much as *chuanwu*, they could still fetch over a hundred a pound. No wonder there were so many fishing boats out here, with more arriving by the minute.

Gu Nan unhooked the fish, picked up the mackerel, and tossed it into a styrofoam cooler before quickly getting back to it.

The mackerel he’d just scared off came right back the moment his lure hit the water again, the shameless things. He watched several shadows materialize near the surface before the fastest one shot forward and devoured the lure. This method of "stocking up" was just too damn satisfying.

Soon, another slightly smaller mackerel was in the landing net. The efficiency was incredible; if he set up another rod with an electric reel, he probably wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Blue Spot Mackerel came up one after another, and the first styrofoam cooler was soon full.

But Gu Nan paid it no mind. He just kept catching fish and piling them on top.

The pile of fish cushioned their fall, so the meat wouldn’t be damaged. They would just slide off and land on the deck around the cooler.

An unknown amount of time passed before the first golden rays of morning appeared on the surface of the sea.

The hundreds of anglers in the area were all fishing in silence, a tacit understanding between them.

Gu Nan was catching droves of Blue Spot Mackerel, and so was everyone else.

The difference was in the rod, however; his work was much easier.

Gu Nan cast his lure for the umpteenth time. When no fish approached after a few seconds, he casually grabbed a piece of sardine meat and tossed it into the water.

As the meat slowly sank, more mackerel shot up from the depths.

Suddenly, a huge black shadow appeared. Gu Nan’s eyes lit up. The next moment, a powerful force yanked on his fishing rod.

SWOOSH—

He jerked the rod upward, setting the hook firmly in the fish’s mouth.

’I didn’t think I’d see a big one today, but one appears just as the sun peeks over the horizon.’

’Judging by its shadow, it’s just a Meter Level fish, but if it’s a Blue Spot Mackerel, that’s still incredibly rare.’

This time, Gu Nan couldn’t just yank the Blue Spot Mackerel straight up. Its run was too powerful; even with the drag locked, it couldn’t be stopped. The line just kept peeling off the reel.

A fish pulls with about ten times its own weight. A Meter Level mackerel weighs fifteen pounds at most, and that’s being generous.

So, even if the pull wasn’t a full fifteen pounds, it was still normal for it to spin the reel.

Gu Nan found he couldn’t turn the handle. Besides, his arms were already sore from catching so many mackerel. So, he just hugged the rod to his chest and let the fish tire itself out.

’It’s not even twenty pounds. No need for any fancy techniques.’

Sure enough, after a run of about fifty meters, it tired itself out. Gu Nan grabbed the handle and reeled it in quickly, pulling it up to the side of the boat.

Its long, slender body somehow gave off a fat impression, but it weighed less than twenty pounds.

This time, Gu Nan used a gaff to hook the fish and haul it aboard.

’Nice fish. I can definitely get one hundred and fifty a pound for this.’

Meter Level Blue Spot Mackerel were extremely rare; you almost never saw them at the market.

The only way to get a fish this big was to be waiting at the docks the moment a deep-sea fishing boat came in, and even then, it was only a possibility.

Feeling pleased with himself, he took off his left glove, pulled out his phone, and snapped a selfie while holding the mackerel with his right hand. Only then did he toss the fish aside.

He didn’t know when the school would head back to deep water, so he had to hurry and make the most of his time.

Unfortunately, by the time the sun had fully risen, the school of mackerel was gone. They were too fast to chase, and Gu Nan didn’t manage to catch a second Meter Level prize.

It was now seven in the morning. Gu Nan laid a bed of ice in each cooler, then began placing the mackerel that were piled on the deck into them one by one.

He had started fishing around three o’clock, so he’d been at it for about four hours. The bite rate in the first hour had been incredibly fast; he’d caught an estimated fifty fish or more.

He’d get a bite in seconds, and it took less than twenty seconds to muscle the fish to the side of the boat. Netting it and removing the hook, the whole process sometimes took less than a minute.

These forty-to-fifty-centimeter mackerel only weighed two or three pounds. They were really light.

His efficiency slowed down after that, mainly because the bites came slower. He was getting maybe thirty-odd fish an hour. In total, he had caught around one hundred and fifty fish, weighing in at about four hundred pounds.

Four hours of work for forty thousand. ’Not a bad way to make money.’

With the new day, the daily tasks for Seven-Star Rock had refreshed.

In addition, his accumulated attempts for the Fengqi Coast had reached forty-five.

Furthermore, the ten bonus daily attempts from the game’s starting reward had also stacked, bringing the total to thirty.

Gu Nan needed to hurry and use up these daily attempts, and maybe complete some elite quests while he was at it.

His current location was closer to Sanlian Reef, so Gu Nan headed the boat there first.

But when he got there, he found several other boats. He had no choice but to find another spot.

The fishing rod hadn’t been "fused" yet, so the area for the Fengqi Coast was still fixed. Gu Nan went to his secret spot, only to find another boat there.

His luck wasn’t great today. He had to keep moving, searching for a deserted location.

The sea was vast. Even in these coastal waters, it was impossible to be constantly running into other boats. Gu Nan’s luck turned, and he managed to find another decent spot.

No one was around, and he still had cell service.

Thinking about the mackerel he’d caught that morning, he had an idea and sent the selfie to Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao.

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