Sated and refreshed, Li Haochen settled into his reclining chair, observing the many fishing enthusiasts still diligently fishing under the lamplight. He couldn't help but admire their dedication.
They were too professional, fishing from dawn till dusk, barely pausing to eat before resuming, as if they held a grudge against the fish in the water. It wasn't as if they lived by it.
Li Haochen took out his binoculars and watched them with interest. The two-story steel vessel was packed, with people standing in the aisles, chatting in small groups. The atmosphere was lively and boisterous, likely due to their shared passion.
Whenever someone hooked a fish and began to fight it, those nearby would consciously reel in their own lines to prevent tangles and offer small assistance or shouts of encouragement.
Suddenly, he noticed someone looking in his direction through binoculars. Li Haochen's old face flushed. He lowered his binoculars, stood up, and stretched his limbs. "These enthusiasts are so driven; there's no reason for me, a professional, to be so idle. Alright, it's my turn to fish."
Li Haochen went inside, retrieved some mussels from his space, and checked the fish finder. The readings were good, and Li Haochen was quite satisfied with the location.
As usual, he shucked some mussels before starting to fish. After baiting the large hook with mussels, he cast the line. From the side of the boat, Li Haochen saw many small fish darting towards the lights, which made his eyes water with longing. However, there were several other boats nearby, so he couldn't use the mussels to lure them in; the scene would be too strange. He could only sigh in regret.
"Zzzzip~"
A crisp and pleasant sound of a taut fishing line signaled the beginning of Li Haochen's bountiful catch for the night.
The fish didn't resist strongly, weighing around ten to fifteen pounds. The electric reel's operation had already determined the outcome; ninety kilograms of pulling force felt like overkill for a fish of this size.
Two minutes later, the fish was completely pulled out of the water. As Li Haochen scooped it with a net, his face broke into a smile. "Heh, I didn't expect such a good start."
Looking at the ten-pound red snapper, Li Haochen was delighted. His mood soared as he hummed a tune and placed the snapper into a fish keeper, lowering it into the sea by the boat's side to keep it alive.
Where there was one, there would be two, and where there were two, there would be three. In just half an hour, Li Haochen had caught a twenty-pound grouper and a twelve to thirteen-pound bigeye tuna.
Bigeye tuna were quite similar to yellowfin, with only slight differences in their eyes and body color. Yellowfin were slightly more expensive.
Since the bigeye wasn't yet in his "space sea," Li Haochen brought it into the cabin and into his space before it could be hung. As he exited the cabin, he held a frozen coconut, and taking a sip of it was an indescribably pleasant experience.
While enjoying the cool, sweet sensation of the coconut water, the bells on the rod tip were shaking so violently that the fishing line buzzed. The high-frequency vibrations even sent water droplets flying.
The power of the electric reel was truly formidable. It felt less like fishing and more like towing a fish; the disparity in strength was immense. He had to admit that these electric reels produced by this rather pleasant country were quite good.
In less than three minutes, the fish was brought ashore. To his surprise, it was a red coral grouper. As he lifted it, Li Haochen knew it weighed about seven pounds. This single catch was incredibly satisfying.
The fish keeper already held two large fish, weighing around thirty pounds. If he continued to put his catches in, it would soon be too heavy to lift. Therefore, Li Haochen lowered another fish keeper and placed the red grouper inside to continue his battle.
At some point, the Moon God had climbed to the peak of the sky. Li Haochen checked the time; it was already midnight. "Time truly flies when you're having fun."
It was getting late, and Li Haochen didn't intend to continue. His catch for the night was already outstanding, not in quantity, but in value. Each fish was worth at least a thousand to eight hundred yuan. Six fish keepers were hanging by the side of the boat.
The live bait well was already full. Li Haochen brought the fish keepers into his space sea one by one to keep them alive. He dared not leave them hanging outside the boat, lest he wake up to find them gnawed by sharks, losing even the fish keepers.
After dealing with the fish, Li Haochen began to pull up the traps. It took him half an hour to retrieve them all. There were no fish, but he found eight enormous mud crabs, each weighing over two pounds, and three moray eels.
These items were not yet present in his space sea, so he brought them all in for breeding.
Afterward, he spent another half hour cleaning the trap-laden deck, checked the indicator lights, locked the cabin door, showered, ate a little, and then went to bed.
Li Haochen's night of fishing was observed by a man with a buzz cut on the large boat opposite. "The line setup seems quite poor. Only using mussels as bait, and fishing with an electric reel, yet he keeps catching fish. How strange..."
Though he couldn't figure it out, the man didn't dwell on it. He greatly admired Li Haochen, estimating that the fish he caught that night were worth no less than thirteen thousand yuan.
"Although the title 'Fishing King' is merely rumored, his catches are indeed impressive. I wonder if he will be invited to the Sanya Winter Fishing Competition next month?"
While the man pondered, Li Haochen was already deep in dreams with his wife, his sleeping posture truly... serene.
He slept soundly and peacefully through the night, waking up to find it was already noon. After washing up and stepping onto the deck, he saw the neatly stacked traps and felt a pang of annoyance with himself. He smacked his forehead. "My brain! I completely forgot to set out the traps again last night. I missed out on another haul of fine catches."
Shaking his head to dispel the negative emotions, he took out his phone and joined Hong Ge for an energetic shuttlecock exercise routine. The large redfish he caught a few days ago had made him acutely aware of the importance of physical fitness, so he decided to dedicate some time each day to training.
After half an hour, guided by the dynamic and fast-paced music, the workout was highly effective. Li Haochen was drenched in sweat, his muscles fully activated, and the fatigue accumulated from the previous night's work vanished.
After drying off and taking a shower, he casually boiled some noodles, weighed anchor, and set sail for home. The journey was quite long; to reach the pier by evening, he had to go at full throttle.
Li Haochen set his speed at 30 knots. While not the maximum of 35, it was still very fast. He could reach the pier in about 8 hours. At 35 knots, it would be an hour faster, but not cost-effective. For that extra hour at maximum speed, he would have to spend an additional five to six hundred yuan.
To ensure he wouldn't have to stop midway, Li Haochen was well-prepared, with a large stash of chocolate, coffee, energy drinks, and biscuits placed nearby. Of course, if nature called and he couldn't hold it, he would have to stop.
On his way back, he unexpectedly encountered a black horse heading towards the oil drilling platform. Both parties saw each other and, with a sense of unspoken understanding, honked their horns. They had both made it into the top eight in the black horse category, and their meeting now felt like one of mutual appreciation.