The Top Fishing
Chapter 460 - 216: Giant Grouper_2

Chapter 460: Chapter 216: Giant Grouper_2

Lin Yang gave Wang Feng a few pointers before he walked to the side of the boat with a metal gaff in hand.

The gaff accurately hooked the position of the fishing hook, and with a downward pressure, repeated the action twice, using a brisk flick of the wrist to remove the hook.

The shark was hauled up by brute force and still had some energy after getting out of the water. Once the hook was removed, it broke free from restraint, darted toward the seabed, and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"Damn, Brother Feng’s move was pretty cool. That’s a big hook with barbs, yet he just gently shook it a few times, and the hook came off like nothing. A hundred points for Brother Feng’s performance, professional, awesome."

"To let go of such a big fish, that’s a bit wasteful. If shark tasted good, it would be nice to sneak it home and stew a big pot."

"You must be out of your mind, buddy. To break the law in the United States, you could be fined into bankruptcy. Do you think this is like back home where electrofishing gets you just a scolding and at most a fine of a few thousand? In the United States, management penalties are severe; electrofishing could get you the death penalty."

Lin Yang stopped the bickering in the comments: "Alright, let’s not dwell on this issue anymore. We successfully released the first fish. The bait was bitten off by the shark, so now let’s change the bait and try another cast."

With the first shark under his belt, he felt more confident about the upcoming competition. He’d encountered sharks more than once when he went out to sea for fishing before, and it was quite distressing then. With a thin line assembly, it took a lot of slipping away and exhausting physical strength over a long time to haul the fish in.

Today was a good day, with a thicker line assembly and with Gao Bai’s assistance. The fish earlier didn’t require too much effort from Lin Yang to get it on board.

After re-baiting the hook, he cast it out again. This time, the landing spot of the cast was about two meters off from the first one, closer to the bridge pier.

Massive structures like cross-sea bridges undergo various scientific treatments underneath. The ground is compacted, and there are settling layers for reinforcement. Around the bridge piers, over time, a range of coral and other structures form—these places are where Giant Groupers like to hide.

Under Lin Yang’s watchful eye, the entire surrounding area had a very good situation with fish, already forming a substantial ecological circle below.

But whether it was bad luck or something else, after the second cast, he waited a full five minutes without a bite.

Just then, an angler not far from Lin Yang’s fishing boat also got a hit.

A whooshing sound of the rod being lifted for the strike followed, and then the angler began to frantically reel in.

"Damn, someone next door got a fish again." Wang Feng quickly adjusted the camera angle.

In the frame, this white man didn’t have the exaggerated muscles like other strong men, but he stood over 185 cm tall. His muscles bulged as he clenched his teeth, fighting the big fish in the water.

But he lasted less than twenty seconds before the strength slowly drained from his body. Standing at the side of the boat, he was pulled so hard by the fish that he staggered, nearly falling over. Luckily, he was tied with a safety rope, preventing him from being dragged into the water.

When he steadied himself, the fish rod had already been yanked to the edge of the boat. After a few seconds of stalemate, it sprang back up, and the line snapped.

"It seems that Giant Groupers are not ordinary fish that just anyone can handle. Another one has snapped the line and gotten away." Wang Feng said, somewhat shaken by the incident.

"Something’s off, host. Two people nearby have encountered Giant Groupers. Why haven’t you had a bite yet? Could it be there’s a problem with the fishing spot?"

"I also think we should change the spot. Maybe there just aren’t any Giant Groupers down there."

That was indeed a possibility, and a significant one at that, considering these creatures aren’t particularly smart. Upon seeing bait, they usually bite, and in some shallow waters, there are even amusement areas where one can tie a fish to a string and feed Giant Groupers from the boat.

As Lin Yang hesitated in his mind, the walkie-talkie relayed the referee’s update on the fishing situation.

"Fishing update, attention all anglers, it is now announced that angler number 23, Gao Bai, has successfully caught a Giant Grouper. The catch is confirmed by the judges to meet the competition criteria."

Hearing this news, Lin Yang felt a jolt in his heart. Damn, the competition had barely started, and that barbarian-like fellow had already landed one.

His internal balance was instantly tipped by the news of this catch.

"Captain, I feel there might be something off with our current fishing position. After searching several spots with no signs of bites, maybe we should change our spot?" Lin Yang immediately asked.

"As you wish." The captain agreed heartily, promptly starting to haul in the anchor.

Lin Yang also reeled in his bait, and a few minutes later, the fishing boat changed its location, moving forward along the direction of the cross-sea bridge.

Almost every bridge pier had a boat participating in the competition fishing nearby. In just the few minutes of travel, they saw several people get hits, but none had the capability to haul in a Giant Grouper. All were cases of losing control or the line breaking and the hook coming loose.

This gave Lin Yang a clear picture: there were plenty of Giant Groupers, but landing one with just one person’s strength was not easy, even for burly foreigners.

Being one fish behind temporarily probably wasn’t a big deal.