I Can Fish Up Everything!

Switching rods really made a difference. Before, my ratio for catching elite fish was one in twenty, or even less.

But now, after catching a dozen or so fish, I’d already landed three elite ones.

The sample size was still small, though. ’Maybe the game’s goodwill is still in effect,’ he thought.

Spotted grunts also came up every now and then, but unfortunately, none of them were very big. They were basically around half a pound each. Even though he had caught over a dozen, they didn’t even add up to ten pounds.

The time slowly crept past eleven at night. Over by the estuary sluice gates, only a few scattered lights remained.

Most anglers wouldn’t choose to fish all night; work and family were their priorities.

The few who did were either professional anglers making a living, or they had no one to go home to.

The bite had slowed considerably by now. Gu Nan waited for three or four minutes, and when no fish took the hook, he tossed out a few more scoops of Antarctic shrimp before reeling in his line.

He went back into the cabin to put on his fighting belt. He also took out a safety lanyard, tying the rod to the gunwale to prevent it from being accidentally pulled overboard.

Clearly, Gu Nan was now preparing to fish for India Marlin.

He switched his bait to a Big Fatty lure; he’d grown quite fond of using it for big fish lately.

He lifted his rod and with a flick, the Big Fatty sailed through the air, landing on the water’s surface more than thirty meters away.

Gu Nan activated his daily guaranteed catch, then slowly cranked the handle to retrieve the line.

The Big Fatty skipped across the water in a series of arcs when, suddenly, a large fish leaped from the surface and swallowed it whole.

Gu Nan couldn’t see what kind of fish it was, but since there was no BOSS icon on the water’s surface, it was clearly something else.

The purple Fengqi Fishing Rod didn’t seem much stiffer than the blue one; the fish easily bent it into a deep arc.

Gu Nan gauged the fish’s pull, then locked the drag completely. He hugged the rod to his chest and let the fish run.

After using the game’s equipment for so long, he had gradually figured out a pretty effective technique.

’When the fish isn’t exceptionally large, I’ll let it run for thirty-nine meters first.’

’Just lock the drag, hold on to the rod, and wait for the fish to tire itself out.’

’The only thing to watch out for is when it tries to shake the hook. At that point, I just need to jerk the rod to make sure the hook stays set deep in its mouth.’

And just like that... normally, a twenty-plus-pound sea fish wouldn’t be an easy catch. It’s exhausting.

But Gu Nan just had to exert a little effort to hold the rod for a few minutes, and the fish wore itself out.

Once he felt the pull weaken significantly, he braced the butt of the rod against his fighting belt, then powerfully lifted the rod and began to reel in the line.

A four or five-pound fish he could reel in directly. A twenty-plus-pounder still took some effort, but it was countless times easier than a normal fight.

Within ten minutes, a large red fish was beside the boat.

It was a meter-long Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream. This fish could only be sent to the Chilled Hold, so Gu Nan grabbed a gaff and hooked it under the chin.

The fish was so exhausted it had gone limp, making no move to dodge the gaff.

It wasn’t until the gaff pierced its chin that the sharp pain made it thrash a few last times.

Gu Nan heaved the fish aboard, removed the Big Fatty lure, and sent the fish to the Chilled Hold.

He checked his collection. The maximum length record had been updated: one hundred and three centimeters. King-class.

’Well now. I just switched to the purple rod and already landed one this big. Looks like I’ll be updating a lot of length records in the collection tonight!’

It was a good thing the rod’s attributes only really kicked in when he used the daily guaranteed catch. If its effects applied to free-fishing as well, he’d probably have to kill most of the fish for his shop before selling them.

This Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream was a case in point. Since it was good for pan-frying and soups, the meat could be sold in chunks for customers to take home and cook.

The head could be sold for a bit less, perfect for making soup just like a croaker head. If it were as famous as croaker head soup, the price would probably be higher.

Picking up his rod, Gu Nan cast out for a second time.

Soon, another big fish was on the line.

He reeled it in, and it turned out to be another King-class Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream.

After sixteen consecutive casts, Gu Nan started to notice a pattern.

Across those sixteen casts, he had only caught five species of fish: Bushi Golden Needlefish, Black-striped Small Stripes Buri, Long-jawed Trevally, Red Fork-tailed Sea Bream, and Large White Grouper.

All five species were caught by casting, attracted to the hook as the Big Fatty lure moved across the surface.

Previously, when Gu Nan had used the bottom fishing method, he seemed to rarely catch these five species.

It was just that bottom fishing yielded a wider variety of fish, so he’d overlooked this detail.

Meanwhile, normal fishing with soft shrimp bait had a chance of catching any type of fish.

’Looks like if I want to unlock the collection quickly in the future, I should try using different fishing methods!’

’I know now that the Big Fatty can catch those five species when it’s on the surface, but what about when it’s underwater?’

Gu Nan decided to give it a try. He had five guaranteed catches left anyway. ’A fish is a fish,’ he figured.

He cast the Big Fatty into the water and let it sink. After about ten seconds, he started cranking the handle to retrieve the line.

After two cranks, a massive force suddenly struck. The BOSS icon appeared on the water’s surface.

Gu Nan’s reaction was instantaneous. He yanked the rod hard to set the hook, then leaned against the gunwale for leverage.

This India Marlin’s pull was far weaker than the three-hundred-pounder from last time, but it was much stronger than the other marlins he’d caught before.

Clearly, this fish had to be over one hundred and fifty pounds, maybe even two hundred.

The purple Fengqi Fishing Rod was bent dramatically, but unlike the blue rod, it didn’t make any creaking sounds. The difference in quality was obvious.

Gu Nan first locked the drag, then braced the rod against his fighting belt and pulled back with all his might.

The India Marlin in the water faltered for a moment. When it recovered and tried to swim on, it found the resistance was immense, making it a real struggle.

But that pressure couldn’t stop it. Driven by a primal will to survive, the India Marlin fought to swim further away.

Keeping the rod held high, Gu Nan kept a close eye on the line spooling from the reel. This fish wasn’t small; he couldn’t afford to just let it run until it tired out like he did with the others.

Even with him applying full pressure, his five hundred meters of line wouldn’t be enough for this fish’s run.

In just three minutes, the fish had already pulled out over a hundred meters of line.

But over the next fifteen minutes, it only managed another three hundred meters, and its speed was steadily decreasing.

Gu Nan grabbed the handle and tried to turn it, but it was locked solid and wouldn’t budge. However, the line wasn’t spooling out anymore either.

He had the gunwale for leverage, so while he was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, it was nowhere near as strenuous as fighting a fish from the shore.

The distant India Marlin, finding it could run no further, started swimming to the left.

Gu Nan immediately angled the rod in the opposite direction, making it extremely uncomfortable for the fish and forcing it to change course.

He kept up the opposing pressure, and as the fish turned, he seized the chance to reclaim a few meters of line.

After a short while, the India Marlin realized it couldn’t escape. The constant, sharp pain in its mouth was agonizing. It suddenly burst from the water, leaping into the air and twisting its body violently, shaking its head in a desperate attempt to throw the hook.

Gu Nan saw the line’s angle suddenly shoot upwards, and his eyes lit up. He gripped the rod with both hands and gave it a vicious backward yank, pulling the airborne India Marlin off-balance and sending it crashing back into the water.

He used that moment to rapidly crank the handle, reeling in line until it locked up again.

The fish stopped jumping and just made a blind, reckless dash for the distance. Gu Nan was slowly starting to lose his hold, so he had to let go of the handle and just grip the rod, letting the fish run for a bit.

Thankfully, this run didn’t last long; it only managed to pull out another fifty or sixty meters of line.

But the price was that the India Marlin was now completely exhausted. It would swim a couple of strokes, and its body would tilt uncontrollably.

It would struggle to right itself, give its tail a flick, and immediately lose control again.

Gu Nan could clearly feel its strength waning. He knew the time was right. Gripping the rod tightly with both hands and engaging his core, he powerfully lifted the rod.

He raised the rod tip above his head, and as he did, his left hand quickly cranked the handle twice, reclaiming line as he slowly lowered the rod tip.

When the rod tip was parallel to the sea again, he heaved it back up, repeating the motion. He never stopped retrieving line until he had gained back seventy or eighty meters and it locked up once more.

Clearly, the fish was getting feisty again, but all he had to do now was wear it down.

Half an hour passed. In the boat’s lights, Gu Nan could vaguely see the massive fish’s body on the surface.

It was lying on the surface, barely struggling, having completely given up the fight.

Gu Nan was tired from reeling, too. Even without the fish fighting back, its dead weight was immense. Reeling in the line was no easy task. ’I really need an electric reel,’ he thought.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly reeled in the last thirty-odd meters of line, and the marlin, around two and a half meters long, was finally at the side of the boat.

Gu Nan picked up a harpoon he had bought for this very purpose and hurled it at the fish.

This type of harpoon was designed for killing large tuna, but it worked just as well on a marlin.

Large fish like this were difficult to get on board without killing them first, and they could easily injure someone.

On shore, Gu Nan would use a rock or even a rolling pin, but with the height of the boat’s gunwale, his arms weren’t nearly long enough.

Struck in a vital spot, the marlin made one last, desperate struggle, staining the sea surface red with its blood.

After floundering for a moment, the marlin went still. Gu Nan used the rod to drag it to the steps at the stern.

He grabbed the fish’s long bill, retrieved his Big Fatty lure, and sent the carcass into the Chilled Hold. The Hold immediately began processing the India Marlin.

At two and a half meters, it was probably still a bit shy of two hundred pounds. He’d need to catch another one just to be safe.

Gu Nan went back into the cabin and poured himself some water. He felt he was in pretty good shape this time. He’d used a lot of energy-saving techniques during the fight, and though it had taken a long time, he wasn’t as exhausted as he used to get.

It was now past midnight. He hadn’t brought a change of clothes, and while the boat’s sleeping quarters had a small air conditioner, there was no sleeping mat or blanket. He’d have to go home for the night.

Gu Nan rested for a bit. After catching his breath, he picked up his rod and switched to bottom fishing to use up his last four guaranteed catches.

His luck was good. He landed a giant Tai Star Garoupa that weighed a full twenty pounds.

The other three were also massive three- and four-star fish from his collection.

Since he wasn’t staying overnight on the boat, there was no need to keep fishing. Today had just been a warm-up. Once he was fully prepared tomorrow, he planned to fish for two days and one night straight.

Back at the dock, he gathered up the red amberjack from the afternoon and the spotted grunts from the evening. He dropped them off at his seafood shop first before finally heading home to rest.