I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Running Into an Old Acquaintance While Fishing

’The distinct black and white horizontal stripes... it’s a Striped Beakfish! And it’s huge.’

Gu Nan had occasionally gotten lucky and caught Striped Beakfish while rock fishing, but his biggest catch had only been about a pound.

’I can’t believe I caught one this big right after getting to the bridge pier. Could it be from the game map? Then again, Striped Beakfish are found in other places, too.’

Gu Nan didn’t have time to check his atlas just yet. He had to land this fish first.

Luckily, the fight to pull it from the depths had already exhausted the fish. It put up no more resistance as he reeled it in right up to his feet.

’Tsk, tsk. A Striped Beakfish this big... even as a seafood shop owner, this is the first time I’ve ever seen one.’

He’d been incredibly envious when he saw another shop with a Striped Beakfish that was over five pounds. A fish this large could fetch a much higher price. He heard that one had sold for 180 yuan per pound.

The skin of the Striped Beakfish is delicious, making it a dream catch for gourmands.

The juveniles, with their beautiful and distinct black-and-white coloring, can even be kept as aquarium fish.

They get much uglier as they mature. The white sections of their bodies become mottled, making them look somewhat dirty.

The Striped Beakfish has a mouth like a bird’s beak with an incredibly strong bite. It was a good thing Gu Nan had specifically switched to a carbon line; if it had been any thinner, the fish would have certainly gotten away.

A fish gripper wasn’t very effective on a Striped Beakfish, so he had to drag it a few steps to the side and scoop it up with his landing net.

This Striped Beakfish was over fifty centimeters long, no smaller than the longnose trevally from earlier. Its weight was likely around eight pounds as well.

But unlike the longnose trevally, a Striped Beakfish had to be kept alive. A live one could sell for over 1,600 yuan, but a dead one might only fetch thirty to fifty yuan a pound. The difference was enormous.

It was too difficult to get it into the keepnet, so Gu Nan first placed the fish in a plastic bin, then quickly grabbed a bucket to fill it with water.

Once the seawater covered the fish’s dorsal fin, he switched on the aerator to ensure it wouldn’t die anytime soon.

The fish still seemed quite lively. If he took good care of it, keeping it alive for three or more days shouldn’t be a problem, which gave him more time to sell it.

The portable aerator’s battery was long-lasting and could run for dozens of hours, though it wasn’t as exaggerated as the hundred-hour life the seller had claimed.

In any case, he was heading back at eleven, so keeping the Striped Beakfish alive until then would be no problem at all.

Only then did Gu Nan have a moment to check his game’s atlas. No new fish species had been added, which meant this Striped Beakfish was native to the local waters.

’What a shame. Why didn’t I think of fishing by the bridge sooner? The resources here are amazing. I made a huge profit from just one fish!’

After closing the game interface, Gu Nan wasted no time and got back to fishing. Once he finished his daily tasks, he needed to switch to smaller bait and catch some more fish that were easier to sell to walk-in customers.

Otherwise, when Yi Chen came to the shop, there’d only be a few fish. What would she even sell?

He picked up his rod and was just about to cast his line when the old motor of a wooden boat began to CHUG-CHUG-CHUG.

Gu Nan turned and saw the boatman ferrying another angler over in his direction.

’I can’t believe there’s another sucker fishing this late at night.’ He gave them a passing glance and went back to his fishing.

’The pier right in front of mine is empty. He’s probably heading there.’

The angler on the boat was staring intently at Gu Nan. He was just looking out of curiosity at first, but as they drew closer, he realized the figure seemed familiar.

He shone his flashlight over and realized it really was someone he knew.

"Boss Gu, what are you doing fishing here tonight?"

Hearing someone call out to him, Gu Nan turned. ’Huh, isn’t this the guy who bought fish from my shop?’

He wasn’t very familiar with the man, only that he was one of the anglers Wang Junhe had brought by before. He’d bought a Blue-striped Gidai from his shop, and Gu Nan remembered him because he had been so eager to buy it he’d practically snatched it up.

"I had nothing to do tonight, so I came out to fish and drum up some business for the shop. What a coincidence. You’re fishing here too?"

Seeing that the two knew each other, the boatman steered the boat closer. "Since you’re acquainted, why don’t you fish together?"

Gu Nan’s heart skipped a beat. ’I came here specifically to avoid drawing attention. If we fish together, how am I going to explain it when I start catching fish from the Fengqi Coast?’

Luckily, before he could refuse, the other angler spoke up first. "No way. If two people share the fish under one pier, we’ll both end up catching less. We paid good money to fish here; it’s definitely better to have our own spots."

Gu Nan nodded in agreement. "You’re right."

Seeing that they both refused, the boatman had no choice but to say, "Alright, I’ll take you over to your spot then!"

"No, no, what’s the rush? It’s not like anyone else is coming at this hour. Boss Gu, how’s your luck been tonight?"

"It’s been so-so. I can’t tell if I’ve been lucky or not. I’ve only caught one fish this whole time, but it’s a pretty big one."

Hearing this, the angler’s interest was immediately piqued. He had the boatman pull closer. "Let me see, let me see! What kind of fish is it?"

The longnose trevally was in the Styrofoam cooler with the lid on, so no one would think to look inside without a reason.

So Gu Nan confidently pointed to the fish in the plastic bin. "A Striped Beakfish. And it’s pretty big."

The angler came over for a look. "Holy shit! A Striped Beakfish this big? I’ve been fishing for three years and I’ve never seen anything like it."

It wasn’t just that he’d never caught one; he’d never even seen anyone post about one this big in his fishing group chats. The largest he’d seen was just over three pounds, and the guy who caught it was so excited he spent ages asking around the supermarket downstairs for the best way to handle it.

Remembering that Gu Nan sold fish for a living, an idea suddenly struck the angler. "Boss Gu, is this fish for sale?"

"Oh? You want it?" A faint smile touched Gu Nan’s lips. ’This was exactly why I mentioned the Striped Beakfish. I knew this guy had money and would want to buy it.’

"Heh heh, Boss Gu, you’re going to sell this fish eventually anyway. It doesn’t matter who buys it, right?"

"You can come pick it up at my shop tomorrow, then. I don’t have a scale with me, and a fish gripper isn’t great for handling this one. If it struggled and fell back in the water, I’d be devastated."

"Ah, no need for all that trouble. Flat price, two thousand. If you’re willing, Boss Gu, I’ll take the fish right now."

The boatman at their side had also seen the fish and was already green with envy. As a fisherman himself, how could he not know its value? Hearing the two-thousand-yuan price tag only made the jealousy sting more.

’Two thousand! He hadn’t even made one thousand yuan today, and he’d ferried all these anglers out here!’

"Alright, since you want it that badly, two thousand it is." Two thousand yuan was definitely a great deal for Gu Nan.

’The fish is a little over eight pounds at most, definitely not nine. At two hundred yuan a pound, it would’ve been around 1,700 yuan. I just made an extra three hundred.’

Hearing him agree, the angler’s face lit up. He quickly pulled out his phone to make the transfer, and while he was at it, they exchanged contact information. He asked Gu Nan to let him know first whenever he got good stock in the future.

Gu Nan’s expression was a little odd. ’That last part... I feel like I’ve been hearing that a lot lately!’

The angler had brought his own fish cooler. It was a large one, equipped with two small aerators inside, so they transferred the fish over directly.