I Can Fish Up Everything!

"That’s fine." Gu Nan had no objection.

In truth, all living creatures on Earth have parasites. It’s just that parasites from saltwater fish can’t reproduce in the human body, which has to do with the different osmotic pressures of their bodily fluids.

’Still, Gu Nan felt a bit grossed out. Yellowtail amberjack in the summer could have parasites, but they wouldn’t in the winter.’

’If he really wanted sashimi, he could wait for winter, or he could eat the fish produced by his game’s map.’

’Fish from the map wouldn’t have these kinds of problems. He wouldn’t have to worry about parasites, let alone ciguatera poisoning.’

Gu Nan filleted both sides of the fish. He packed the head, bones, and half of the meat and put them in the cooler for Guo Xiao to take home.

There was still plenty of meat left—a good three and a half pounds, at least—which was more than enough for pan-frying and deep-frying.

The fresh yellowtail meat had no fishy smell at all. After lightly marinating it, Wang Junhe placed it in a skillet and pan-fried it in butter. A captivating, savory aroma soon filled the air.

The side being fried sizzled as its oils rendered, looking incredibly appetizing.

To be honest, the collar would have been incredibly fragrant if grilled, but they had a long night of fighting fish ahead, so they had to keep it simple.

"By the way, Brother Wang, is it okay for you and Brother Guo to spend the night out at sea?" Gu Nan didn’t have anything else to do, so he started making small talk.

"It’s fine. Usually, when there’s a big school of fish and nothing urgent at work, the two of us will team up and head out. My wife won’t say anything." Wang Junhe wasn’t bragging this time but answered in all seriousness.

Gu Nan thought about how he might be going out to sea often in the future. After getting married, he’d have to consider his family, too. Balancing the two would be a headache, so this was a perfect opportunity to learn from an expert. He continued to ask.

"Brother Wang, how do you strike a balance between fishing and family? I see a lot of fishing fanatics who only care about fishing and neglect their families, which leads to terrible relationships with their wives."

"What we have is a hobby. What they’re doing is neglecting their responsibilities. How can you even compare the two!" Wang Junhe laughed.

"If you want the missus at home to be quiet, first of all, your income can’t be bad. If you have a low income and go fishing every day, what woman could put up with that?"

"Secondly, your focus still has to be on your career and family. Take you, for example. If you’re making money from fishing, and your income isn’t low, no reasonable woman would have a problem with it."

Wang Junhe’s words were blunt, and Gu Nan understood instantly. The most important thing came down to three words: you need money. After that, it was about spending time with them.

After dinner was ready, the boat was still moving. The school of yellowtail hadn’t stopped yet; they seemed to be heading northwest.

Gu Nan moved the small table and the rice cooker into the pilothouse, then he and Wang Junhe brought the dishes over to eat with Guo Xiao.

Even though the boat was being steered manually, they just had to follow the other boats, so they had time to eat.

"Mmm, not bad! This yellowtail meat is so flavorful. One bite, and it’s just pure, rich fat." Guo Xiao was the first to dig into the pan-fried fish.

The fish was fried to fragrant perfection. The outside layer was firm with a charred aroma, while the meat inside was snow-white, fresh, and tender. It truly lived up to its reputation as the king of the three great amberjacks. It was indeed superb.

The deep-fried version was also very good, but its flavor was a bit similar to the pan-fried one. Gu Nan felt a pang of regret. ’If I’d known, I would have made a Steamed version to try as well.’

After they finished dinner, around seven-thirty in the evening, the school of fish finally came to a stop.

They were in a stretch of water over seventy meters deep. The bottom was likely a seagrass bed or rocky terrain, a favorite habitat for yellowtail.

Unlike in the afternoon when they were active in the middle and upper water column, they had all gone down to the seabed.

They were somewhere between fifty and seventy meters down. If you wanted to catch the big ones, you had to fish the bottom, so the action definitely wouldn’t be as fast as it was in the afternoon.

Once the boat was anchored, the three of them came out on deck. The boat rods had been on the gunwale the whole time. Gu Nan baited one with a piece of squid and dropped the line, stopping it at a depth of fifty-five meters.

The boat rod was fine for catching smaller yellowtail. For his Fengqi Fishing Rod, he let the metal jig sink straight to the bottom. He slowly jigged the rod up and down, tapping the seabed to attract the attention of bigger fish.

Gu Nan wasn’t the only one doing this; behind him, Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao were doing the exact same thing.

If you want to catch big fish, fishing the bottom is the best choice.

Soon, the boat rod next to him began to twitch. Fish on.

Gu Nan hurried over and pressed the button to reel in the line. The retrieval speed was even slower than in the afternoon; he wasn’t sure if it was because the fish was bigger or because of the depth.

Luckily, the electric reel was powerful enough; otherwise, he’d have to reel it in by hand.

After a short wait, Wang Junhe, who was behind him, suddenly burst out laughing. "Hooked one! I’m on! Damn... this is a big one."

Beside him, Guo Xiao immediately reeled in his line and stood by, waiting for him to land the fish.

You can’t land a big fish by yourself; you need someone nearby to help.

Not everyone was like Gu Nan, who was so used to fishing alone that he could single-handedly grab a landing net or a gaff to bring a fish weighing dozens of pounds aboard.

"Nice one, Brother Wang! A Meter Level?" Gu Nan asked, looking back.

"Of... of course it is!" Wang Junhe grunted, holding his breath as he struggled to pull the rod up.

The yellowtail truly lived up to its reputation for being as strong as an ox; he was having a very hard time pulling it in.

"You skinny weakling, can you even handle it? Want me to take over?" Guo Xiao watched with greedy eyes. He wanted to feel the pull of a fish that big, too.

’That afternoon, Gu Nan had landed a Meter Level fish with ease,’ he thought. ’Brother Wang must be completely worn out by his wife at home. That’s why he’s struggling so much right now.’