Chapter 629 - 411: The Catch

The captain, who was leaning over the gunwale, heard the shout.

He immediately turned, went back into the cabin, and came running out with a fighting belt, which he quickly strapped onto Su Yang.

After strapping on the fighting belt,

Su Yang inserted the rod into the fixed slot on the belt, then adjusted the rod and his body to a suitable angle.

While pulling hard on the fishing rod, he said excitedly,

"This fish really puts up a fight!"

Zhang Kai stood to the side, watching Su Yang battle the fish with an excited smile on his face. "Old Su, you can do it! Try to land this big one!"

On the sea, the fishing line remained taut, making a humming sound. The waves slapped against the hull, as if cheering on the contest.

Ten minutes passed.

The line was still pulled tight, yanked desperately by the big fish below. The reel couldn't take in any line at all.

"This fish is something else!" Zhang Kai glanced at the sea, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Thankfully, the fighting belt made things much easier for Su Yang.

With both hands gripping the rod firmly, he even had the energy to chat with Zhang Kai.

"It doesn't feel like a sea bass. A sea bass would've run out of energy by now. This one is really strong. It feels more like a mackerel, or maybe a barracuda."

Su Yang analyzed the type of fish based on his extensive sea fishing experience.

"Here, have a beer to quench your thirst. I don't think this fish is coming up anytime soon," Zhang Kai said with a laugh, cracking open a can for himself and taking a large gulp.

Feng Mountain took the beer and said, "Thanks."

The cool beer flowed down his throat, bringing a moment of pleasant relief amidst the tense atmosphere.

Su Yang, however, couldn't be bothered with beer. His eyes were glued to the water's surface, hands gripping the rod tightly, his body swaying slightly with the fish's struggles.

The three of them stood by the side of the boat, drinking beer and watching for any change in the fish's movement.

On the surface of the sea,

Sunlight scattered across the sparkling waves, creating patches of golden light.

Another half an hour passed.

After a long stalemate and a fierce battle,

The big fella under the water finally ran out of steam.

Su Yang seized the opportunity and began reeling in the line, slowly dragging it toward the surface bit by bit.

The captain held a landing net, leaning over the gunwale, his unblinking eyes fixed on the seawater.

The sunlight made the water exceptionally clear, with visibility of about ten meters, providing excellent conditions for observing what was happening below.

Suddenly, a flash of gold passed before the captain's eyes.

His eyes widened instantly, an expression of irrepressible excitement spreading across his face as he shouted,

"It's a Cucumber Fish!!"

"What!" Su Yang, who had been reeling in the line, grew excited at the captain's shout and asked eagerly, "A big cucumber or a small cucumber?"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

'I've been tangled up with this fish for over half an hour.'

'After all this effort, how could it possibly be a small one?'

'It has to be a monster!'

Su Yang felt a little awkward, but his face was still beaming with excitement.

He didn't have time for more thoughts, instead cranking the reel with even more force to speed up his retrieve.

At that moment, Feng Mountain and Zhang Kai also crowded up to the gunwale, their eyes fixed on the water, waiting for the big fish to surface.

"Big Cucumber" and "Small Cucumber" are local dialect terms in Hai City.

Their proper names are Large Yellow Croaker and Small Yellow Croaker. The former is an extremely rare species, also known as "great gold." A wild Large Yellow Croaker can sell for as much as 3,000 yuan per jin—a traditional unit of weight just over a pound.

The Small Yellow Croaker, on the other hand, is much more common and cheaper, at around 30 yuan per jin.

Fishmongers at the market often pass off Small Yellow Croakers as Large Yellow Croakers.

That's what Feng Mountain used to do when he ran his small restaurant.

He'd sell Small Yellow Croakers to out-of-towners as Large Yellow Croakers; after all, they look pretty much the same.

Besides, a plate of farmed Large Yellow Croaker only sold for 30 yuan. People in the know understood, and those who didn't were just trying something new for the novelty of it.

As the line was reeled in bit by bit,

The golden figure under the water grew clearer and more distinct, like a puppet pulled by a string, slowly being dragged up from the depths.

"It's huge!" Feng Mountain blurted out, his eyes filled with awe.

The captain was already in position. He raised the landing net, took careful aim, and plunged it down toward the Large Yellow Croaker as it was about to break the surface.

With a strong pull, the heavy Large Yellow Croaker was hauled onto the deck.

The moment it was free of the water pressure, the Large Yellow Croaker reacted violently.

Its mouth gaped wide open, its swim bladder forced out from the pressure change, bulging from its mouth. Its pure golden body shone in the sun like a massive bar of gold.

"Holy cow! I haven't seen a wild Large Yellow Croaker this big in ages!" Su Yang said, shaking his sore hands while staring, mesmerized and thrilled, at the catch lying on the deck. His face was a picture of surprised delight.

Zhang Kai was just as excited, shouting, "Quick, measure how long and heavy it is!"

Captain Black put down the landing net and hurried to find a tape measure and a scale.

He first stretched out the tape measure from the head of the Large Yellow Croaker to its tail, then announced the length.

Next, he carefully lifted the fish onto the scale. His face showed his surprise as he looked at the number displayed.

The Large Yellow Croaker was 90 centimeters long, just a little shy of being a meter-class fish.

And it weighed around 8.7 jin! No wonder it put up a fight for over half an hour.

"Fucking awesome!" Su Yang exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement after hearing the stats. He generously gave Feng Mountain a thumbs-up. "Younger Brother Feng, your luck is insane! I haven't seen a Large Yellow Croaker this big in years."

Zhang Kai had already whipped out his phone and was taking pictures of the Large Yellow Croaker from every angle, muttering to himself.

"Photos, photos! Say no more, I'm posting this to my feed later."