Chapter 228 - 145: Even If It’s a Protected Animal, It Can Still Be Weighed

Chapter 228: Chapter 145: Even If It’s a Protected Animal, It Can Still Be Weighed

He would rest well and build up his energy in the afternoon, ready to go all out at sea that night.

After resting all afternoon, Gu Nan headed to the club restaurant at 4:30. He figured he should eat early to give his food time to digest, lest he get a stomachache from straining too hard while reeling in a big fish.

When he arrived at the restaurant, the other two contestants, Huang Guangxu and Zhuang Zhijing, were already there.

Gu Nan didn’t know them well, but since they were all from the same club, he went over to say hello when he saw them chatting.

"Gu Nan," Huang Guangxu said, "Zhijing and I were just talking about fishing. The three of us should work together. If one of us finds a big school of fish or a good spot, we share it with the others. After we head out to sea, we should get on a private channel to stay in touch. We’ll also need to come up with a code for our coordinates, just in case someone tries to eavesdrop."

Gu Nan nodded. That made a lot of sense.

They were all from the same club; the smart play was to help each other climb the rankings first. As for who among the three would place the highest, that would come down to luck.

So the three of them sat down to hash out the details, even designing a simple code for sharing coordinates.

The idea was to add a few extra digits to the coordinates, with only the three of them knowing which numbers were the real ones.

After dinner, he grabbed a lunchbox containing sandwiches and a drink. The club had prepared it as a late-night snack for them, ensuring they’d have something to replenish their energy if they got hungry during the long night of fishing.

He returned to the dock to finish his preparations, and at six o’clock sharp, Gu Nan set out.

The night fishing session was an hour longer, so he planned to head out further.

It was true that you often ran into porpoises near the coast, but Gu Nan had no intention of messing with them.

’I just got a girlfriend, and I’m the only son in my family,’ he thought. ’It’s not worth the risk for just 500,000.’

The fishing boat sped across the sea. After reaching Tail Island, it slowed down and began to circle as he searched for a suitable spot.

Tail Island was a fairly well-known fishing spot, and there were already two boats in the vicinity.

The competition rules stipulated that boats couldn’t get too close to one another, so Gu Nan headed for the northeast side of the island.

Gu Nan watched the fish finder, searching for the best possible position.

Soon, a small school of fish appeared on the fish finder. There didn’t seem to be many, but their presence could mean larger fish were lurking nearby. He decided to drop a line and see.

The school was active near the bottom, so Gu Nan tied on a slightly larger metal jig.

There was no need to report the coordinates until he confirmed there were big fish around.

’Last time I caught a false oil-spot grouper around here,’ he recalled. ’Wonder if I’ll have the chance to catch something even bigger this time.’

He wasn’t immediately aiming to catch a hundred-plus-jin monster to take first place. His plan was to improve his ranking first and establish a solid baseline.

The boatman beside him was busy with his own tasks: filming some shots and prepping equipment.

Gu Nan cast the metal jig and let it sink rapidly to the bottom.

The water here was over sixty meters deep, which was quite a ways down.

The jig quickly hit the bottom, striking a reef rock with a THUD.

The sound immediately caught the attention of several big ones nearby.

In fact, the jig had already attracted the attention of some fish on its way down.

Gu Nan began jigging the rod, tapping the lure against the reef over and over.

A large fish, passing by six or seven meters away, heard the sound. With a flick of its tail, it immediately swam toward the lure.

Mistaking the lure for a small fish, it opened its gaping jaws and swallowed it whole.

It was prime feeding time, and there was no way it would pass up a potential meal.

A signal shot through the rod in Gu Nan’s hands. He immediately yanked it upward with all his might. SWOOSH! Fish on!

A powerful force was transmitted through the line, bending his rod into a deep arc. A smile crept onto Gu Nan’s face. ’It’s a big one, alright.’

The boatman, who had been idle, saw the commotion and immediately came over. "Whoa, your luck’s in tonight! A big one on the first cast!"

"It’s not that big," Gu Nan said, straining to pull on the rod and reel in the line. "Besides, that hundred-plus-jin fish from first place is still hanging over all our heads!"

Hearing this, the boatman became indignant. "Seriously, these organizers... letting people fish for a protected species. If something goes wrong, who’s going to take responsibility?"

"The contestant, of course. They already notified us about it. As long as you’re not an idiot, no normal contestant is going to keep trying to pull a fast one."

The two boatmen nearby suddenly understood. Because of the loophole, it wouldn’t have been fair to disqualify the first-place contestant, so in the end, all the organizers could do was issue a warning.

Gu Nan focused on fighting the fish. After pulling it up a bit, he let it run, tiring it out. The night had just begun, and he needed to conserve his strength.

As a result, it took him a good ten minutes to finally bring the fish to the surface.

"Holy shit, a real Green Wrasse! Man, your luck is insane! This one’s worth three thousand, easy!" The boatman was envious but still expertly scooped the fish aboard with a net.

After placing the fish on the deck, he added, "Feels like it’s around twenty jin. I haven’t seen a Green Wrasse this big in a long time."

The fish was over seventy centimeters long, and since this wrasse was particularly fat, its weight would definitely exceed twenty jin. At the going rate for a genuine Green Wrasse, it could certainly fetch over three thousand.

"Not bad at all." Gu Nan was quite pleased. He could keep all the fish he caught. If he kept it alive in the livewell, someone would probably buy it the moment he got back to shore.

This fishing competition had attracted a lot of wealthy enthusiasts.

They would typically show up at the docks right around the time the boats were scheduled to return, not just to watch the weigh-ins but also to buy their favorite fish directly from the contestants.

Gu Nan held up the fish and had the boatman take a picture, then placed it in the livewell and got back to fishing.