I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 235: Chapter 147: A Sunfish, Of Course It Will Go Belly Up

At first, the two crewmen had no idea what he was doing, but after seeing the fish, they began to guess Gu Nan’s intentions.

After returning to port and resting for the afternoon, Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao had already given up hope.

They hadn’t caught a single decent-sized fish yesterday or this morning. It wasn’t like a monster was suddenly going to show up at night, right?

In reality, Gu Nan hadn’t been wasting his time. Following the fishing spots provided by the club and the routes of migratory fish, he had actually spotted large fish on his fish finder.

But without bait, he couldn’t keep them around. He had tried fishing a few times during that period, but nothing bit. That was why he was so determined to get a batch of bait first.

Now, he was heading directly to those routes in search of a big one. He needed to land a fish within two hours. If it wasn’t big enough, he would have to use his card.

Going over the time limit while fishing wasn’t a problem; the competition allowed for a three-hour extension.

Gu Nan spent half an hour reaching the large fishes’ migratory route, then kept his eyes glued to the fish finder, searching for any that might appear.

Many other fishing boats were doing the same, everyone hoping for a last-minute miracle.

A few contestants had already caught marlin in the morning, but unfortunately, the largest was only around 200 pounds.

Other anglers were sighing in frustration; they had hooked a fish but couldn’t land it because it was too big.

A marlin or any other fish over 330 pounds was a completely different beast compared to a sunfish.

Sunfish were so dumb that any old fisherman could reel one in. There was no real skill involved.

After searching for over an hour, just as Gu Nan was about to give up and use his card, the fish finder finally lit up with three large targets.

Judging by their speed, they had to be large Marlin Fish or yellowfin tuna.

Gu Nan was ecstatic. ’They’re here!’

Having caught all sorts of large fish, he could roughly guess their size. If this one was too small, he’d just cut the line and use his card afterward.

Besides, he still had the three-hour extension after the official time was up, which was more than enough.

But Gu Nan had a clever trick up his sleeve this time. He moved to the bow and didn’t drop anchor.

’If this fish is small, and I use the card for a Legendary fish later, it might be able to tow the boat. That would make landing it a lot easier.’

The sardines he’d caught this morning had been cut in half around noon and put on ice, with only a few left whole for bait.

Now, Gu Nan brought the fish to the bow and started tossing chunks into the water.

The crewmen had also seen the large fish on the finder, but they didn’t understand what he was doing. Why fish from the bow? It wasn’t exactly the best spot.

Boat rods could be mounted in a holder, which would make fighting a fish much easier.

But they kept their confusion to themselves and didn’t offer any advice or interfere, even after Gu Nan had earned them an extra thousand in bonuses.

As the chunks of fish fell into the water, the scent spreading with the current, a trail of chum quickly formed.

All the nearby fish were attracted to the sinking pieces. Those with a keen sense of smell caught the alluring scent of blood—the smell of food.

The three fish below were actually swordfish—one large one and two smaller companions.

The largest was nearly four meters long, while the two smaller ones were just over three meters.

Any one of them would easily top 360 pounds. It all came down to Gu Nan’s luck.

In fact, with the strong tides these past two days, these fish had come closer to shore to feed. At least a dozen people had spotted large fish at night.

But catching one was a matter of luck.

Most fishermen would have a hell of a time landing a fish over 330 pounds by themselves.

After all, they didn’t have the physical conditioning of a professional athlete. Normally, landing something that big by yourself required an electric reel.

The equipment, however, wasn’t much of a factor. The club provided top-of-the-line gear.

It was just that Gu Nan’s own gear was even better, which is why he wasn’t using the club’s.

At that moment, the three large swordfish also noticed the constantly falling food. Led by the biggest one, they immediately turned and swam toward the chum trail.

At a swordfish’s speed, they covered several hundred meters in the blink of an eye, sending the other fish that had gathered scattering in terror.

Gu Nan dumped a whole box of chum overboard, washed his hands, then picked up his rod. He hooked a whole sardine and cast it into the water.

You weren’t allowed to bring your own bait, but using fish you caught yourself was fair game.

Weighed down by the lead sinker, the sardine sank quickly. After letting out about fifty meters of line, Gu Nan flipped the bail, loosened the drag slightly, and waited for a bite.

The three swordfish opened their mouths again and again, swallowing the free meal. The largest one saw the whole fish but thought nothing of it, simply swimming over and gulping it down.

On the boat, the rod in Gu Nan’s hand suddenly bent to a ninety-degree angle. His eye twitched as he braced himself against the gunwale.

Fortunately, he was strapped into a safety harness, the rod was secured with a lanyard, and he wore non-slip gloves. He had prepared for the absolute worst; this whole setup was meant for the Legendary fish he planned to catch with his card.

He never expected to hook something this monstrous through normal fishing. It was a rare occurrence indeed.

Gu Nan yanked the rod upward while cranking the handle, setting the hook deep into the fish’s mouth.

He then planned to let out some line and let the fish run for a bit.

But the fish caught him completely off guard. Instead of running into the distance like his previous catches, it swam directly toward the bottom of the boat, as if it knew that was the easiest way to spit the hook.

Even if it couldn’t, a couple of laps under the boat would be enough to snap the line and allow it to escape.

This was clearly a fish that had been hooked more than once; it had learned from experience. A very cunning one.

There was no way Gu Nan would let it get its wish. He had just saved himself from using a card, allowing him to maximize its value later. He couldn’t possibly let this fish escape.

He stopped holding back. There was no need to anymore.

He jammed the rod butt into his fighting belt, rapidly reeling in to keep the line taut. Then, using his core and arm strength, he heaved the rod upward.

But the fish was too big; he only managed to lift the rod halfway.

The great swordfish hadn’t even reached the boat’s hull when the hook in its mouth dug in again. It was so deep that a searing pain, worse than any it had felt before, shot through it.

A fish is still a fish, in the end. The intense pain sent the swordfish into a frenzy. With its mind clouded by agony, it forgot its earlier plan and just picked a direction and bolted, trying to snap the line.

As for its two companions, they swam around nearby, confused and unsure of what to do.

Gu Nan breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected a single tug to change the fish’s direction, but this was a good thing for him.

Feeling he could handle the strain by bracing against the gunwale, he gripped the rod tightly and let the fish run.

No one else on the boat noticed, but as the swordfish took off, the fishing boat itself began to move, slowly being pulled along.