As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Getting the Fishing Rod, Planning to Charter a Boat

“What! Pregnant?” Chu Mingcheng’s face was full of shock when he learned from the vet why little Mimi’s belly was so big. Who had harmed my little Mimi?

“Yes, and she has been pregnant for more than a month now. The mother cat is very healthy and will give birth between eighteen and twenty-three days. If she gives birth before eighteen days, that would be preterm.”

Over a month already?

Well, that’s a relief, at least it didn’t happen after she became my cat.

This means little Mimi was already pregnant when she met me; I simply took over the responsibility.

Perhaps she stole the fish because there were babies in her belly and she needed more food?

Leaving the pet hospital, Chu Mingcheng looked at little Mimi lying lazily on the passenger seat with a complicated expression.

Having one cat was okay, but more than that, he worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of them all.

After all, he often went fishing and didn’t even have time to find a girlfriend, let alone care for kittens.

Luckily, there were only three kittens in little Mimi’s belly, which wasn’t too many; she could take care of them herself when they were born.

If there had been five, six, seven, or eight kittens, then that would have been a real hassle, and he definitely would have had to give some away once they grew a bit.

On the way back, Chu Mingcheng stopped to buy a wearable action camera, spending 3,000 yuan.

He tested the recording quality and felt it was okay, so he decided to start using it.

After getting home and barely starting to eat lunch, the owner of the fishing gear store called to say that the two sea rods had arrived.

Hearing that the sea rods had arrived, Chu Mingcheng hurriedly finished his meal in a few bites, locked up his house, and immediately drove to the fishing gear store.

The owner of the fishing gear shop smiled and brought out the rods he had ordered when he saw Chu Mingcheng come in.

The two rods were not very long, one was two meters and the other was two meters and seventy centimeters.

The sea rods he bought were actually boat rods, intended primarily for use on sea fishing trips.

The five-thousand-yuan rod was a thirty-number boat rod, two meters long.

The ten-thousand-yuan rod was an eighty-number boat rod. This type of stiff rod was used to catch big fish and was generally not needed for everyday use.

In the future, when going to the Far Sea and running into big catches like red snappers, it might be necessary to buy an electric reel to do some night fishing for deep sea fish as well.

Considering that, a dedicated sea fishing enthusiast’s gear could add up to the price of a decent car.

And Chu Mingcheng was resolutely walking down that path.

Both boat rods were fine, and after he paid the ten-thousand-yuan balance, the fishing gear shop owner brought out a large bag of fishing line with a smile.

“I got you these two rods and also brought you some good stuff to check out.”

Chu Mingcheng curiously took out a box of fishing line and noticed that it was a brand called Sufix832.

“Is there something special about this fishing line?”

The fishing gear shop owner explained, “Let me start with the downsides of this line. It tends to absorb water and expand, the color fades quickly, it’s less smooth compared to YGK, and its casting performance is also not as good as YGK.”

After mentioning four drawbacks, the owner saw Chu Mingcheng’s silent reaction and felt a bit disinterested, but continued nonetheless.

“But its knot strength is the best in its price range and diameter, and its abrasion resistance is also the best in its price range and diameter.”

“Plus, it’s very cost-effective, 300 yards of 832 for less than two hundred.”

“This 6LB is equivalent to YGK’s 0.8 diameter, and with the M-tuned lure rod you bought from me, you can easily handle fish over ten pounds, like the Qiao Zui.”

“20LB is equivalent to YGK’s 2.0 diameter, and with your MH lure rod, you can catch wild fish over thirty pounds, and if your technique is good, even sixty pounds isn’t out of the question.”

Chu Mingcheng was noncommittal about the fishing gear shop owner’s statements. Before, he had, in fact, handled a thirteen-pound green spot with an MH-strength lure rod.

Sea fish cannot be compared with freshwater fish; the strength of this thirteen-pound grouper in the water is probably much more powerful than that of three Qiao Zui of the same weight combined.

This green spot also made him realize that with good fish-playing techniques, it’s entirely possible to catch big fish with light rods and fine lines.

However, his two lure rods were mainly designed for casting from the shore, and the 2.4-meter boat rod was a bit too long for boat fishing; it was not quite so handy.

So he said to the shop owner, “I’ll take two spools of this fishing line to try first, and also give me an iron plate rod.”

“Alright~” The fishing gear shop owner, having achieved his goal, agreed and took out several iron plate rod models suitable for Chu Mingcheng and introduced them one by one.

In the end, he spent five hundred and bought a straight-handle iron plate rod, 2.03 meters long, with FF action, ML stiffness, and weighing only 103.5 grams, even lighter than the other two lure rods.

This was a versatile straight-handle rod that could handle the vast majority of fish during a sea fishing trip, even relatively easily dealing with larger fish.

Of course, while that’s the saying, the main target fish for this iron plate rod were sea bass and some sea bream, and maybe mackerel or mackerel if luck was on his side.

Now Chu Mingcheng was not just a game character who only knew how to use basic attacks. If he encountered a big fish, he wouldn’t be as nervous as at the beginning, afraid that the rod would explode.

If possible, play the fish; if not, then it wouldn’t be a big deal to cut the line if the rod blew or the hook was lost.

Add a spinning reel and fishing line and the whole set would cost another thousand yuan.

It was only because he was making money quickly now that he could afford it.

With the fishing rod in hand, of course, he wanted to try out the feel. But today’s rods were all for boat fishing, so he needed to take a boat out to sea.

Joining a shared boat was a good idea, but if possible, he still wanted to ask Zhang Wei and Chen Yang if they wanted to come.

If they were to come, they could directly charter a small boat to go out to sea.

“Hey, Ah Wei, my boat fishing rod has arrived. I’m planning to go out to sea to test the rod. Do you want to come along?”

“Damn, aren’t you afraid of getting blown up like last night? But of course, I’m in for sea fishing. When do you plan to go out to sea?”

Any fishing man cannot resist the temptation of sea fishing, and Zhang Wei didn’t even consider whether he had a boat fishing rod or not; he just agreed.

“Sea fishing is said to be over when the green spot appears in Huaxia. As for timing, I’ll go ask about the chartering situation and get back to you. Oh, and ask Ah Yang if he wants to come, too. I’ll lend him a rod.”

“Okay, I’ll ask him for you, and you can send me a message once you’ve got the timing down.”

After hanging up, Chu Mingcheng thought about the chartering situation. There wasn’t a sea fishing charter service on Yanmen Island; he would have to go to the docks in Wen City, which was a bit of a hassle.

Just then, as he was driving past a yard, he noticed two people mending nets inside, and his eyes lit up.

That’s Zhao Jun and his wife; maybe he could solve the chartering issue!

He parked his car by the side of the road and then walked into the yard.

Zhao Jun felt someone approaching, looked up, and saw Chu Mingcheng, looking somewhat surprised: “Ah Cheng?”

“Sister-in-law,” Chu Mingcheng greeted Zhao Jun’s wife first, then said to him, “Brother Zhao Jun, you didn’t go out to sea today?”

“With the neap tide coming in, I just pulled in the nets to mend and dry them with your sister-in-law,” Zhao Jun said with a smile, lifting the fishing net in his hand.

Chu Mingcheng suddenly understood, calculating the dates, the neap tide did indeed start today.

But this fitted his plans perfectly. With no plans to go out to sea due to the neap tide, it would be easier for him to charter the boat. Otherwise, he would have felt awkward to even ask.

“Brother Zhao Jun, does that mean your boat is just sitting idle?”

“The boat is indeed free. Why, you want to use it?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking of chartering your boat, from two o’clock this afternoon to ten o’clock at night, how about 1,500 yuan? We’re not going far, just to that abandoned pier near the Yanmen Island Bridge. But come evening, I’ll have two more friends joining.”

Chu Mingcheng had a general idea of the chartering prices; for four hours of sea fishing, it usually costs about eight hundred yuan per person, and the boats are quite small, with only four spaces available.

However, the boat owner is responsible for finding the fishing spots. Underneath the Yanmen Island Bridge is a great spot, and the proximity made the deal of 1,500 yuan quite beneficial for Zhao Jun.

Of course, it was a good deal for Chu Mingcheng too, given the length of time involved.