The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 48: Testing the New Rod

"Don't even mention money!" Zhao Jun waved his hand dismissively. "The spot's so close by. If you want to go fishing, just say the word and I'll take you."
He didn't seem to notice the subtle shift in his wife's expression.
But Chu Mingcheng caught it. Even though the bridge was nearby, the trip still burned fuel. More importantly, Zhao Jun would have to drop his work to take him, which meant lost income. Paying him would change the whole dynamic—it would turn the trip into a job, a way for Zhao Jun to earn money, so his wife wouldn't mind him setting aside other tasks. It would also keep things simple going forward.
If he didn't accept payment, Chu Mingcheng would feel too awkward to ask again.
"Brother Zhao Jun, you have to take the money," Chu Mingcheng insisted. "This definitely won't be my last time going out. If you don't take it, I won't have the nerve to ask you again. I'd have to pay someone else anyway, so why let a stranger profit instead of you?"
Zhao Jun went quiet for a moment, then broke into a slightly sheepish grin. "Alright, we'll do it your way. So, are you eating on the boat or coming back for dinner? If you want to cook on board, I can bring a portable stove. We can make porridge or noodles."
"That sounds perfect! Thanks for the trouble, Brother Zhao Jun. We'll eat whatever fish we catch tonight. I'll have my friends bring some prepared food and drinks over later."
It wasn't even two o'clock yet, but Chu Mingcheng had preparations to make.
His target today was sea bass, and he planned to use his new jigging rod. Still, it was smart to have backup bait. Sea bass could be caught with sandworms, loaches, or even pig liver. Shrimp worked well, too, but they were more expensive.
Since so many people came to Yanmen Island to fish for sea bream, rockfish, and sea bass, the tackle shop owner kept sandworms and small loaches in stock. Chu Mingcheng didn't even have to go anywhere else.
A small bottle of loaches cost ten yuan and contained roughly a hundred of them—more than enough.
In many places, fishing with live loaches existed in a legal gray area. While not explicitly banned, getting caught could lead to administrative penalties. The method was so effective that it bordered on commercial harvesting rather than recreational fishing.
The only reason Chu Mingcheng bought the loaches was because he was chartering Zhao Jun's licensed fishing boat. By fishing from it, he was essentially exploiting a loophole. Furthermore, the rules weren't as strict here—for now, there were no penalties for using live loaches or shrimp. Still, he'd have to be more careful if he ever fished in other regions. This was why the shop owner had only recently started selling them, and why Chu Mingcheng dared to buy them.
Besides, he might not even need the live bait.
Fish loved to congregate around bridge piers, which acted as natural gathering spots.
After his shopping trip, Chu Mingcheng went home and unloaded all his new fishing gear, leaving only the two tackle boxes in the car. With so many rods, his car was getting crowded. He made a mental note to clear out a section of his ground-floor storage room just for his fishing equipment.
As he brought the rods inside, however, he realized a critical problem. Where was the rod rack?
Oh well, I'll just lean them against the wall for now,
he thought.
The storage room's a mess anyway. No space for a rack yet.
For today's trip, Chu Mingcheng decided to bring three rods: the new jigging rod, the size #30 boat rod, and his MH-power lure rod. The lure rod was for Chen Yang to use—whether he caught anything would be up to his luck.
With everything ready, he fed Mimi before leaving. He'd wanted to bring her along, but since she was pregnant, she had to stay home and rest.
On his way to Zhao Jun's house, Chu Mingcheng put on his head-mounted camera and started recording. Now that he was getting into boat fishing and had a growing collection of rods, it was the perfect time to start making videos.
For him, posting videos wasn't just about potential ad revenue. The prices from fishmongers were insultingly low. By building an online following, he hoped to cultivate a customer base and sell his fish directly. He didn't plan to stay on Yanmen Island, with its limited fishing resources, forever. His sights were set on the open sea. With modern express shipping, sending iced, fresh fish was easy. Developing a customer base now was an important first step. All he had to do was get them into a group chat.
When he arrived, Zhao Jun was already prepared. To Chu Mingcheng's surprise, he was holding a fishing rod too.
"Brother Zhao Jun, you fish too!"
Zhao Jun laughed. "Well, after watching you land that grouper the other day, my hands got itchy. I went and bought a boat rod. This way, when I'm not setting nets, I can still go fishing."
"That's a great idea. Fishing can be both a hobby and work. Taking some pressure off financially is always good. But be careful not to get too deep into it, Brother Zhao Jun. The gear for sea fishing can get crazy expensive. It's not a hobby for everyone."
Chu Mingcheng thought it was a good pastime for Zhao Jun. As a professional fisherman, he could use it to supplement his income during neap tides when he wasn't netting.
"I know," Zhao Jun said with a smile. "This whole setup was only three hundred yuan, and I don't plan on buying more." He had two children—one in kindergarten and the other in elementary school—and their annual expenses were substantial. With that kind of pressure, how could he dare become a gear addict? He still had a wife and kids to think about.
Chu Mingcheng nodded in understanding. He said hello to Zhao Jun's wife, and the two men headed for the pier.
Since no one was out working today, the pier was densely packed with fishing boats, and few people were around. They loaded their tackle boxes, the stove, and a pot onto the boat, then set off for the abandoned bridge pier.
Along the way, Chu Mingcheng sent a text to Zhang Wei, telling him to grab some prepared food and drinks after work and come straight to the pier with Chen Yang, and to call when they arrived.
The trip to the pier was short—only about fifteen minutes.
Just as he'd hoped, there were no other anglers around. This was the advantage of chartering Zhao Jun's boat. Other charter boats didn't come here, and anglers without boats couldn't reach it. The local fishermen were accustomed to netting, and most of them were older and wouldn't bother taking a boat out just for recreational fishing.
Zhao Jun skillfully tied the boat to a piece of rebar sticking out of the concrete pier, securing it in place.
Chu Mingcheng set up at the stern, on the right side of the pier, leaving the left side for Zhao Jun. He picked up his new jigging rod and attached a minnow lure to test the waters.
When fishing under a bridge, there was no need for long casts. You just had to lift the rod and let the lure's momentum swing it out next to the pier. The fish would be swimming around the nearby piers anyway. Casting far out would be pointless.
The minnow sank. Chu Mingcheng mentally counted to ten, opening the bail to let the line out freely. Sea bass are upper-layer fish, so the lure didn't need to go too deep.
When the time was right, he gently lifted the rod, making the minnow jump. His retrieve was a slow, rhythmic pump-and-pause. He lifted the rod tip while reeling in with his right hand, then stopped reeling as the tip dropped, allowing the minnow to pause and sink again.
A bite—or "strike"—often happens as the lure falls, when a fish intercepts it. As long as you find where the fish are, lure fishing won't leave you empty-handed.
Chu Mingcheng repeated this process. He didn't reel the minnow all the way in. When it was about half a meter from the surface, he let it sink again and restarted the retrieve.
On the third repetition, just as the minnow was in its falling phase, a fish struck.
The thin jigging rod bent sharply at the instant of the bite.
Chu Mingcheng set the hook, then lifted his rod and started reeling.
The fish wasn't very big, and the retrieve was easy. In no time, a sea bass of about two jin was at the surface.
Seeing the minnow was swallowed whole, he slipped on his cut-proof glove, grabbed the line, and simply hoisted the fish aboard. He only did this when the situation allowed. A minnow isn't always eaten so deeply. Sometimes it just hooks the corner of the mouth, or even the nose or back. In those cases, using a landing net is the better choice to avoid spooking the fish into a struggle that could throw the hook.