"Damn, is this the gear for fishing Giant Groupers? This thing seems way bigger than the equipnt we used to catch huge Catfish up at Mingyue Mountain."
"Just looking at this terrifyingly big fishhook gives the shivers. Imagine if it accidentally got hooked onto your butt...."
"Dang, you guys are too freaking ruthless! Last sumr when I was casting at the reservoir, I got a No. 13 Ishiyane Hook from an explosive hook stuck in my thigh. That feeling, the barbs were so solid, and it was deep. I had to have the hospital cut the wound open to get it out."
"Sympathies to the brother upstairs. We’ve got a lure angler over here who got hooked by a treble hook in the back of his head. As they were removing the hook, one got detached while another hooked into his belly. Blood was all over his forehead it looked incredibly scary. Everyone please pay attention to safety when fishing."
Lin Yang pinched the fishhook and showed it to everyone: "Indeed, the kind of fishhooks used for big fish are very dangerous. Everyone should use them carefully according to fishing procedures. We still have a little ti before reaching the spot, so I’m going to go ahead and mount the bait."
The next second, he opened the bait compartnt that had been prepared in advance and picked out a fresh sea fish from the top.
This unknown species of fish displayed a lead-gray color with a hint of dark blue tallic sheen, roughly weighing sowhere around two to three pounds.
He didn’t even bother to cut it, just took the fish in one hand, and the hook in the other, and placed it in the aty part of the fish’s back.
"Wow, this is the bait? Do you have to be so cruel, host? Not to ntion the huge hook, but the bait itself is so big. Having seen you mount the bait on the hook, I’m going to have nightmares tonight."
"I’ve never caught a fish heavier than three pounds since I started learning to fish, but look at the host – using such a big fish just for bait, who can make sense of this?"
"Host, is it expensive to go fishing abroad? I make around a hundred thousand a year, no house or car loans. Can I join you for a sea fishing trip? It’s too tempting."
Lin Yang checked the bait and replied with a smile, "Fishing abroad does have a high cost. For now, I don’t have plans to take everyone fishing because there’s a lot of details I don’t understand myself. I need the help of local friends to arrange and even assist with them! As for expenses, flights, accommodation, chartering a boat, plus dealing with various local formalities... For this trip to the United States, it cost several tens of thousands per person. But we’re here for a competition this ti, and everything can be reimbursed...."
"Uh, a trip abroad costs half a year of my salary, better forget it."
"Adding it up like that, the expenses really aren’t low."
Lin Yang: "You guys can just lie on the sofa and watch, what else do you need? I have a feeling we’ll catch a fish soon. Do you see the cross-sea bridge ahead? Our spot is right below the bridge pier."
The cara then shifted and, indeed, the image of the cross-sea bridge appeared in the live broadcast.
The waters around the coastline are quite shallow, only about ten to thirty ters deep, and water quality is well preserved.
Looking out at the azure coastline, you can faintly see the various coral reefs under the water, far more beautiful than so of the murky conditions on certain dostic shores. On the point of environntal protection, the Aricans really do have comndable practices.
The fishing boat took a few more minutes and soon arrived under the big bridge.
This ti, several other fishing boats had co along—there were at least five or six, but nobody was too close to each other, as it was the last and critical day of the competition.
Upon reaching near the preset spot, everyone willingly spread out, maintaining a distance of at least forty to fifty ters between boats.
The captain started to anchor, and Lin Yang double-checked his fishing gear and line assembly.
Just before getting in the water, the captain ca over, holding a sharp utility knife in his hand.
"Hey, Mr. Lin Yang, there’s a bit of an issue with your bait," he said after just one glance.
"What’s the issue?"
"To catch your target fish faster, you’d better modify the bait fish a bit," he suggested as he gestured with the knife.
Lin Yang quickly understood; he had tried this before when sea fishing. Making incisions in the bait fish could release more blood, which would entice predators to feed. He was not ignorant of this detail but had his reservations.
"Won’t this attract sharks?" he asked.
"Indeed, it might attract sharks, but around the rocky reefs and under the bridge near the shoreline, the giant grouper is the dominant species and isn’t afraid of the smaller sharks around," the captain explained.
After this explanation, Lin Yang instantly understood, nodded, and took the knife from the other man.
"What’s the captain giving the knife for, what’s he saying? I can’t understand English without much schooling. Is there anyone who’s caught a big one able to translate?"
"The captain is telling the anchor to process the fish bait a bit. The anchor fears that the blood will attract sharks, but the other person said the big grouper isn’t afraid of sharks, that’s the gist of it."
Lin Yang nodded. "Exactly, the gist is like that. Now we need to slightly modify the bait fish, a very simple operation. Use the knife to make a few cuts on the back of the bait fish to let the blood co out. This way, the giant grouper can also sense it and will co over to snatch the food. The small sharks around here aren’t an issue for the giant grouper, so let’s try following the captain’s advice."
As they talked, they started to get busy. The knife seed insignificant but was extrely sharp. Without much resistance, it sliced open the thick back of the fish, and soon blood was seeping out.
"Alright, now that the bait fish is processed, let’s cast it down and see how the first throw goes," Lin Yang announced and, holding the weighted sinker, tossed the line down.
To speed up reaching the desired depth, the sinker was quite heavy, a good 300g. Upon entering the water with a plop, it plumted to the bottom.
No sooner had they cast the first line, the bait not yet settled on the seabed, than a loud shout from a fellow angler nearby rang out: "Fish on! Call the referee, bridge piling, number 23 has got a fish."
Hearing the call, Wang Feng imdiately adjusted his phone’s cara to give the other side a close-up.
On screen, the angler was robust, muscles taut, as he clutched the fishing rod, desperately cranking the reel with all his might.
After only a few glances, Lin Yang and the others could tell there was sothing extraordinary about the catch; the fish’s strength was much greater than they had anticipated. From the mont the Caucasian man started shouting, the rod hadn’t had a chance to raise its tip, being pulled down the whole ti. It was less like the angler was pulling in the fish, and more like he was just managing to stabilize the reel, barely maintaining a fragile balance.
"See that? That’s what happens when you hook a giant grouper. The fish is incredibly strong, and the underwater terrain is complex. The drag on the reel is completely locked; after hooking the fish, there are only two options: either power through and pull the fish up, or the fish dives into the rocks and snaps the line. The idea of using the reel and rod to play the fish that everyone is familiar with doesn’t apply here," Wang Feng explained.
"Oh man, is it that tough? Seeing how even this sturdy Arican is struggling, I’m suddenly starting to worry about the anchor."
"Yeah, with the anchor’s slight build, he’s considered strong among dostic anglers, but compared to these foreigners, he’s just a skinny monkey. Does he have insurance? I hope he doesn’t get pulled into the water..."
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