Chapter 139 - 116: Super Yellowtail, Displayed in Front of the Store
He could have handled this even without his enhanced physique, let alone now. It was just a matter of effort.
The purple Fengqi Fishing Rod bent into a perfect inverted U, yet it didn’t make a single creaking sound. The same went for the reel. For this rod, the massive fish still wasn’t enough to push it to its limit.
Wang Junhe walked out of the cabin with a cup of water and sprayed it everywhere the moment he saw the scene.
"Holy shit, how big is that fish? The rod’s bent into a pretzel! Ah Nan, is your rod going to hold up? It’s not going to snap, is it?"
"Don’t worry, Brother Wang. This rod of mine is rock-solid. It could handle a 500-jin fish, no problem." Gu Nan’s voice was full and steady, a clear sign he was handling the big fish with ease.
For fish over fifty jin, the stamina-draining effect of the purple line and bait wasn’t as pronounced. The bigger the fish, the weaker the effect.
Therefore, catching this great fish was mainly up to Gu Nan himself. It was unrealistic to expect he could just wait for it to tire itself out like before.
But for now, he braced himself against the gunwale, hugged the rod for dear life, and let the fish run.
Wang Junhe came to his side, his expression slightly agitated. "It’s not the one that got away from me earlier, is it?"
Gu Nan shook his head. "This one’s much bigger."
"Damn it, how come all the big ones bite for you?" Guo Xiao grumbled, reeling in his line again to come watch.
With someone hooking a monster right next to him, how could he possibly focus on his own line?
Gu Nan guessed, "Maybe it knows I’m poor and is sacrificing itself?"
Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao: "..."
’So it’s our fault for being rich?’
"What kind of fish do you guys think it is?" Wang Junhe asked, rubbing his chin.
Guo Xiao thought for a moment. "Maybe a deep-sea grouper."
By now, the fish had already run more than two hundred meters out, and its first burst of energy wasn’t over yet. Gu Nan, still hugging the rod, shook his head. "A grouper wouldn’t run this fast. Maybe a large tuna or a marlin."
A twinge of envy was in Wang Junhe’s voice. "If it’s a bluefin, you’ve hit the jackpot, kid. When the time comes, you’re treating us, no arguments."
"A bluefin that I caught? Or could it be... one that you guys caught?" Gu Nan winked, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
The two of them understood instantly. "Attaboy," Guo Xiao said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Knew it was a good idea to bring you along."
About ten or so minutes later, with nearly four hundred meters of line out, Gu Nan could finally feel that the fish’s strength wasn’t as great as it was at the beginning.
"Brother Guo, do you have a fighting belt here? It’s time to haul it back in."
"Yes, yes, I’ll get it for you!" Guo Xiao brought out a fighting belt and even helped him put it on.
Gu Nan took a deep breath. Instead of hugging the rod, he gripped it, braced the butt against the belt, and began using his core strength to pump the rod up, then quickly cranked the reel with his right hand.
At this, Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao, standing beside him, both fell silent to avoid distracting him.
This direct clash of strength was the kind of thing that got the blood pumping. Gu Nan was growing exhilarated, feeling as if his Power was limitless as he pulled with gusto.
The fish was tiring, but it was a long way from throwing in the towel.
Gu Nan’s last tug had provoked it, sending it bursting away with a renewed surge of speed.
But this time, the foreign object in its mouth exerted a tremendous force. Not only did it make its mouth ache, but it also kept it from accelerating. So, it changed tactics.
On the boat, Gu Nan suddenly felt the rod tremble violently in his hands. Then, the angle of the fishing line shot upward.
He reacted in a flash. He knew the fish was jumping to shake its gills and immediately yanked back hard on the rod.
The immense force made the great fish lose its balance and slam back down onto the sea’s surface. However, its leap hadn’t been high enough, so it wasn’t stunned.
But Gu Nan seized this brief window, frantically cranking the handle and recovering several meters of line in an instant.
Watching from the side, his two friends clicked their tongues and shook their heads. It wasn’t because they thought Gu Nan’s technique was lacking, but because they were marveling at his strength.
If it were them, they couldn’t have pulled that off. They’d probably still be hugging the rod and letting the fish run!
From a distance of nearly four hundred meters, pulling the fish back would take a considerable amount of time.
Guo Xiao and Wang Junhe decided to help by fishing with the boat rods. In about forty to fifty minutes, they caught twelve yellowtail, each weighing over ten jin.
But now, the figure of the great fish finally appeared before their eyes.
"Damn, is it really a tuna?"
"Doesn’t look like it... Holy shit, it can’t be a yellowtail, can it?"
"No way. It’s at least two and a half meters long. Do yellowtail even get that big?"
"Theoretically, yellowtail can indeed grow that large."
Even as he said it, Guo Xiao himself found it hard to believe. The biggest one he’d ever seen was only 1.6 meters long and weighed a little over eighty jin.
If this creature, over two and a half meters long, was really a yellowtail, it would definitely make the newspapers.
A fish of this caliber... they would be too embarrassed to take him up on his earlier offer and claim they caught it themselves.
It was one thing to have a bit of fun among themselves, but they couldn’t fake something that would be in the papers. They had their reputations to think about!
Gu Nan himself was stunned. He also hadn’t expected it to be a yellowtail.
But as the fish was pulled closer, all three confirmed it. It was, indeed, a yellowtail.
Wang Junhe silently picked up a gaff hook, and Guo Xiao activated the crane he’d never once used since buying the boat.
They wouldn’t be able to haul this fish aboard by hand. Luckily, his boat had a crane.
Gu Nan held the rod high, keeping a death grip on the still-struggling fish. Wang Junhe seized the opportunity and plunged the gaff hook into the fish’s head, killing it with a single blow.
After a short while, once the fish had stopped moving completely, Guo Xiao looped a rope around its tail and started the crane to hoist it aboard.
"Quick, quick, measure its length! This fish might have broken a record."
"It’s 2.63 meters long and weighs 206 jin. It really did break the record! Holy shit, we can have record-breaking fish in our country too?"
"What do you mean, ’our country’? Didn’t this school of yellowtail get driven over here by the typhoon? So this damn thing is foreign."
"Uh... if it swam into our country’s waters, then it’s a domestic fish."
The two started bickering again over whether it was domestic or foreign, while Gu Nan, who had taken a couple sips of water, wore a look of pure excitement. A new record! What angler could possibly stay composed?
He wouldn’t be selling this fish for now. He was definitely going to display it in front of his shop for a few days.
Besides, a yellowtail this large couldn’t be eaten right away. It had to be aged first. After being wrapped in plastic and laid on a bed of ice, it would slowly cure on its own, allowing the meat’s flavor to become even more exquisite.