The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 51: The Benefits of a Fishing Permit

When you see someone else land a monster, you can't help but get that itch to catch one yourself. That was exactly how Zhang Wei felt right now. His eyes were practically glued to the two stone bream in the livewell. Everyone knew those were the real prize. Compared to sea bass or black bream, stone bream were a rare and coveted catch.
Chen Yang had already called dibs on them. "I'm buying those two, no matter what," he declared.
Chu Mingcheng had no problem with that. Selling to him was the same as selling to anyone else.
Once the two were aboard, Zhao Jun steered the boat back to another bridge pylon—one they hadn't fished yet. He tied the rope to secure the vessel, and the four of them gathered around the portable stove to eat.
Chu Mingcheng placed a few slices of fish into a mesh ladle and dipped it into the boiling broth. Ten seconds later, just as he lifted the perfectly cooked fish, three pairs of chopsticks shot into the ladle.
In the blink of an eye, the fish was gone without a single scrap left behind.
Zhang Wei dipped a slice into his prepared sauce and popped it into his mouth with relish. "Not bad at all," he said, savoring it. "No fishy taste, and the meat is firm and springy. Delicious."
Zhao Jun nodded in agreement. "Don't let the low price fool you. The flavor of tripletail is second to none. It's also fantastic when you pan-sear it as a steak. You guys should try it sometime."
As for Chen Yang, he'd snatched the most pieces and was now too busy stuffing his face to say a word. When it came to eating seafood, no one at the table could beat him. He was the type to casually buy a cut of bluefin tuna belly to sample, or, if the mood struck, toss a whole king crab into a hot pot. His passion for seafood was undeniable.
Chu Mingcheng just chuckled at the scene and dumped a larger portion of the remaining fish into the pot.
Hot pot with fresh-caught seafood was truly a sublime experience. The four of them devoured the entire twelve-jin fish, along with most of the cooked food Zhang Wei and his friend had brought. They carefully gathered all the trash into a bag to take back to shore.
Zhao Jun patted his full stomach and let out a satisfied burp. He then remembered seeing the live loaches when Chu Mingcheng had opened his cooler earlier. "A'Cheng," he asked, "are you planning on becoming a professional angler?"
Chu Mingcheng nodded. "It's a job where I can have fun and make money at the same time. I don't see anything wrong with it."
"In that case, I suggest you buy a small boat and get a fishing permit. The live loaches you bought today? You're not allowed to use them as bait in a lot of places without a permit." Zhao Jun's advice was practical. "They aren't cracking down on it here just yet, but judging by the new fishing ban on the Oujiang River this year, the regulations are only going to get stricter. Having a permit will make things a lot easier for you, whether you're fishing or selling your catch."
The advice made a lot of sense. Chu Mingcheng had been thinking about saving up for a bigger boat, but looking at his finances, most of his earnings had been sunk back into fishing gear. He still only had about fifty or sixty thousand yuan to his name.
That was enough to buy a small boat for coastal fishing, perfect for coming out to the bridge pylons. On a calm day, he could even take it over to his grandmother's place to fish. But the moment the wind picked up, a small boat was useless at sea. Besides, he didn't plan on staying here forever. He was determined to explore the southern part of the East China Sea and the waters around Hainan, where the variety of fish was much greater.
Unlike Chu Mingcheng, who was hesitating, Zhang Wei's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "A'Cheng, I think Zhao Jun is right! It would be so much more convenient if we had our own boat. If you're short on cash, I'll pitch in. You know I'll be out on the water with you all the time."
Chen Yang, who only fished occasionally with his friends, didn't hesitate either. "If you need money, I can lend it to you."
Zhao Jun looked on with a hint of envy. He was older than the three of them, but he didn't have friends who were as close as brothers.
With both Zhang Wei and Chen Yang offering their support, Chu Mingcheng's hesitation vanished. He decided to borrow the money and buy a boat himself. This was his hometown, after all. No matter how long he was away, he would always come back. A boat would never be a waste. If he did go out of town, he could always let Zhang Wei rent it out for charter trips. The charter business was quite profitable—all he'd have to do was share three or four of his secret fishing spots.
Of course, he could also just take the boat with him to another province and apply for a local fishing permit. It would take a little time, but it wasn't a complicated process.
【TN: Fishing vessels have corresponding regional restrictions. Medium and large vessels are generally only allowed to operate in specific fishing zones.】
With the decision made, the four of them began discussing what kind of boat to buy. A commercial fishing vessel or a sport fishing boat? How big should it be?
Chu Mingcheng had no intention of becoming a net fisherman. Most of the time, he worked alone. Casting nets was fine once in a while, but doing it every day was grueling labor. It couldn't compare to the freedom of angling. A commercial boat was meant for netting, so if that was off the table, a sport fishing boat was the obvious choice.
But no amount of discussion could replace seeing the boats in person. Chu Mingcheng set a budget of 100,000 to 150,000 yuan for a boat over eight meters long that would suit his needs.
After a good rest, the men picked up their rods, ready for a night session. Chu Mingcheng looked at his live loaches, thought for a moment, but decided against using them. Instead, he traded them with Zhao Jun for some frozen shrimp bait. Zhao Jun had a permit, so it wasn't an issue for him.
He'd tried the jigging rod that afternoon and loved it. At night, the bigger fish were likely hiding at the bottom near the pylons. He switched to a 30-jin boat rod, planning to fish the bottom and see if anything big would bite. As for Chen Yang, he was handed a lure rod and sent off with Zhang Wei to learn how to use it. Chu Mingcheng didn't expect him to catch much.
He attached a heavy lead sinker, let the hook hit the bottom, and then reeled the line back up about a meter. The bait needed to be suspended just off the seafloor for the fish to notice it. Chu Mingcheng was just testing the waters at this depth; if nothing happened, he'd go back to fishing the mid-layer.
But he had barely been in position for thirty seconds when his rod tip suddenly slammed down in a deep arc.
The moment he yanked the rod back to set the hook, he almost thought he'd hooked the planet itself.
The rod was bent into a deep U-shape. Even with the reel's drag engaged, the line was screaming off the spool with an audible
zzzzzzzz
. Chu Mingcheng gripped the handle, unable to gain any line back. All he could do was hold the rod high and try to keep the fish from running too far.
The sheer force was staggering. A twenty-jin black carp or bighead carp wouldn't even come close. Even the massive grouper that had given him such a fight before was nothing compared to this. It was a good thing he was using a heavy boat rod with a spinning reel to absorb some of the force. If he'd been using a hand pole, the fish would have been taking him for a walk. People getting pulled into the water by huge fish on hand poles wasn't a rare occurrence.
Chu Mingcheng was already struggling to control the fish with both hands. He jammed the butt of the rod against his stomach for better leverage. He wasn't wearing a fighting belt, however, and the rod dug painfully into his gut.
He was at the stern, with the helm console blocking Zhang Wei's view. Taking a deep breath, he yelled, "Wei! Can one of you come give me a hand? I'm hooked into a monster!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hearing the word "monster," Chen Yang immediately reeled in his line and ran over. Zhang Wei hadn't gotten a bite yet either and trotted eagerly behind him. Only Zhao Jun, not wanting to waste precious fishing time, stayed put.
"Where's the fish?" Chen Yang asked as he arrived.
"Still haven't seen it! The rod's killing my stomach. My fighting belt is in the cooler. Can you help me put it on?"
"You got it, you got it."
Chen Yang quickly grabbed the belt and helped him buckle it on. With the support, Chu Mingcheng instantly felt a wave of relief.