My fishing raft will ask for help.

Chapter 61 Successfully Caught a Giant Grouper

Lu Xiaoxiao carefully placed the fish into the tank, her face beaming with delight: "It's so valuable?"

She came to help out tonight, but unexpectedly gained something from it.

"If there are no fish at the fish rafts in the future, you can bring your guests here to try," Zhou Miao suggested with a smile.

"You're bringing customers to such a great place?" Lu Xiaoxiao asked, somewhat surprised.

"This place isn't particularly good." Zhou Miao's gaze drifted to the distant sea. "If you really want to make money fishing, you'll have to go to the deep sea."

On the surface, his focus is on the fish raft business.

In reality, only he himself knew that the system was the true foundation, which was why he was destined to conquer this ocean.

"The deep sea..." Lu Xiaoxiao mimicked his gaze into the distance. Although it was pitch black before her eyes, her heart was filled with the same longing for the great fish of the deep sea.

It was no accident that she caught a grouper. After catching a lot of small fish, about half an hour later, she caught another rockfish, a grouper weighing about five pounds.

Live green grouper are reasonably priced, around 70-80 yuan per kilogram, and this one can sell for around 400 yuan.

Lu Xiaoxiao was secretly delighted; she had earned about seven or eight hundred yuan that night.

Zhou Miao didn't go fishing for small fish with her, mainly because there weren't many groupers.

The fishing rod in my hand hadn't moved at all, and I didn't know if the big fish would appear that night.

Zhou Miao still hoped to catch some fish that night. Tomorrow was high tide, so he could go fishing at the shipwreck site with Yu Muzhou and see how many lobsters there were.

After so much time, the bait should be worn out by now, so he slowly reeled in the fishing line.

Sure enough, the bait hanging there had long since gone cold.

So he switched to a mullet weighing over two pounds, which Lu Xiaoxiao had also caught.

These fish, which are of decent size but not very valuable, are perfect as bait.

Only fish weighing over ten pounds could possibly swallow such a large bait.

Because pig's blood attracts many predators, as soon as the injured mullet entered the water, many fish rushed over.

Unfortunately, they themselves are not very large, so they have no way to deal with aconite.

Some fish with sharp teeth try to bite with their sharp teeth, but they are not fish with particularly good teeth like piranhas, so the food is right in front of them, but they can only watch helplessly.

Many fish then returned to the bait trap and circled around it, hoping to find some food.

More than half an hour later, the smell of blood had been successfully pushed to the habitat of the large fish by the ocean currents.

In fact, the place where the big fish is located is also a place with very good resources.

Moreover, it is particularly well hidden, with a huge cave where one can hide.

It's thanks to this treasure trove that it's grown so big.

Fish are instinctively drawn to caves that appear safe.

However, most of the fish that went in never came out again; the big fish could simply wait inside for food to come to them.

But as it grows larger, it naturally needs more food.

This forces it to come out and forage for food, just to fill its stomach.

The reason why fish appear in fish passages during high tide is because there are a lot of fish on that day, making it easy for them to catch enough food.

It was just that it was tricked in the morning and wasted a lot of energy.

I didn't feel it when I took a nap in the afternoon, but I felt extremely hungry when I woke up at night.

So as soon as it smells the familiar scent of blood, it eagerly swims towards the direction where the scent is strongest.

Underwater, the mullet evaded the attacks of several fish and ran to a place it felt safe to hide in.

But Zhou Miao wasn't going to let it get away with that so easily. He turned off the spool, turned the handle to tighten the line, and the mullet was forced to be pulled to a conspicuous position.

Its struggling sounds attracted some fish from the vicinity once again.

But the next moment, the fish seemed to have encountered something terrifying, and suddenly scattered in panic.

The black cat naturally noticed this as well. It desperately thrashed its tail, but it was firmly controlled and had no way to escape.

Then, a huge black hole appeared out of nowhere, and its figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.

On the boat, Zhou Miao felt an immense force strike him, and his fishing rod was almost snatched away!

"Wow, Qianqian really didn't lie to me!" Even though Zhou Miao was mentally prepared, she was still startled by the force.

But he immediately tried to lift the fishing rod to hook the fish, but this time the fish was even stronger than the spearfish he caught that afternoon, and he couldn't lift the rod at all.

The fish at the bottom kept pulling downwards, forcing the fishing rod to touch the side of the boat.

Zhou Miao knew this wouldn't work, so he immediately mustered all his strength and forcibly lifted the fishing rod as if he were lifting weights.

The fishing rod was making a constant creaking sound, clearly indicating that it was under tremendous pressure.

At this moment, Zhou Miao was certain that Luo Qianqian hadn't lied to him; the fish in the water was very likely a giant grouper.

Only grouper, once hooked, will relentlessly burrow downwards, searching for a cave to hide in or even driving piles into the ground.

By then, unless the fish escape on their own, Zhou Miao on the boat will be completely helpless.

So at that moment, he desperately lifted the fishing rod, even disregarding the danger of falling into the water, and stood up.

Only in this way can he exert his strength more effectively.

Lu Xiaoxiao, standing next to her, involuntarily opened her mouth. Was there really a second big fish?

Zhou Miao didn't show her his chat history with Luo Qianqian, since she was emotionally unstable today and he was afraid of upsetting her.

I just told her that there were big fish here tonight and suggested she try fishing.

Lu Xiaoxiao came simply because she wanted to stay by his side, but she never expected that a big fish would actually appear.

"Brother, do I need to start the boat?" She was a little at a loss because Zhou Miao didn't ask her for help this time.

"Need not!"

Zhou Miao gritted her teeth and forced out two words, having no energy left to care about Lu Xiaoxiao.

He braced himself on the gunwale, using all his strength to prevent himself from being pulled into the water by the fish.

The force was so great that he felt like he was pulling an angry bull.

However, this struggle caused the fishhook to rip into the soft flesh inside the fish's mouth, causing it unbearable pain. Unable to withstand the pain, the fish became extremely ferocious and immediately went berserk.

"Holy crap!"

Zhou Miao suddenly leaned forward, startled, and the small boat rocked violently.

The sudden burst of force caught him off guard and almost pulled him into the water. Fortunately, he managed to stay safe by pushing backward with his feet on the gunwale.

"Brother!" But Lu Xiaoxiao was so frightened that she turned pale and quickly rushed over to grab his pants.

Fearing that he might be in a dangerous situation again, she grabbed his legs without hesitation to help him regain his balance.

"I'm fine... Go over there, you're getting in my way," Zhou Miao said, panting.

While having his legs held prevented him from being pulled into the water, it also prevented him from unleashing his full strength.

Moreover, he was afraid that if anything happened, Lu Xiaoxiao would get hurt.

"But..."

"Be good...be obedient."

Lu Xiaoxiao naturally obeyed. Although she hesitated upon hearing this, she eventually released him slowly.

Seeing that Zhou Miao was indeed able to stay calm, they felt a little relieved.

But instead of leaving, she grabbed the fishing rod from the side and lifted it up.

Although she wasn't very strong, and it was even more difficult for her to exert force while standing to the side, her presence did alleviate some of the pressure on Zhou Miao.

So this time he didn't say anything, tacitly accepting her actions.

Fish that can be caught with a line are actually not difficult to catch if you master the techniques.

Fish that can only be tackled head-on are the most difficult to handle, which explains why Americans have strongmen who specifically seek out and challenge these giants.

Fishing for these giant groupers requires a winner to be decided from the very beginning.

If the stalemate is maintained, humanity has already won more than half the battle.

However, Zhou Miao had not yet reached a stalemate with the fish, since the fish had just taken the bait and was at its strongest with plenty of energy.

The "body purification" function, while slowly improving his body, primarily cleans up accumulated toxins rather than enhancing his physical fitness.

Fortunately, Lu Xiaoxiao's arrival allowed him to hold on for the time being.

Perhaps realizing it couldn't dive to the bottom, the big fish gave up after a few minutes of trying and began to change its strategy, swimming back towards its home.

In its mind, home is the safest place; as long as it hides inside, nothing will happen.

Therefore, Zhou Miao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the spool spinning and releasing the line.

"Xiaoxiao, you can let go now. The fish has changed course and won't dive to the bottom like before."

"Hmm~"

Lu Xiaoxiao nodded, released the fishing rod, and went to the side to calm herself down.

Although she only helped lift the fishing rod, she actually used all her strength and expended a lot of energy.

Zhou Miao stood for a while, and after confirming that the fish was swimming in one direction, he confidently held the fishing rod in his arms and then sat down.

However, judging from this trend, the fish are unlikely to stop swimming anytime soon.

Although it's not fast, if it swims too far, it's not easy to catch it.

So after sitting down and regaining some strength, I rested the fishing rod on my belt, leaned back, and tried to reel in the line.

As a result, the crank didn't move at all; it was stuck completely.

This giant grouper is really difficult to deal with!

Even a 300-pound marlin isn't as difficult to catch as this.

Having no other choice, Zhou Miao said to Lu Xiaoxiao, "Xiaoxiao, go and steer the boat to follow us. Remember to use a flashlight so you don't accidentally run into a reef."

"Okay!" Lu Xiaoxiao put away the anchor, grabbed a flashlight, went to the stern, started the small boat, and chased after them.

She was already very familiar with chasing fish, but this time she was going a bit slower, mainly because the fish weren't swimming very fast.

Zhou Miao took the opportunity to reel in a significant amount of fishing line. After confirming that the distance to the fish was only about fifty meters, he instructed Lu Xiaoxiao to slow down again.

He then pushed the drag force of the large drum upwards, using the fish as an ox to pull the boat along.

Since I can't quickly deplete the fish's energy, this is the only way I can do it.

This way of fishing allows Zhou Miao to rest and recover his strength, preparing for the final burst of fish.

In other words, he didn't know that the big fish at the bottom of the water was planning to retreat back to its cave; otherwise, he would have immediately applied pressure to make it even more difficult to swim.

Fortunately, the return journey wasn't short, and the grouper's endurance wasn't as exaggerated as the marlin's in the afternoon.

From the time the big fish started pulling the boat until now, only a dozen minutes have passed, and the force transmitted through the fishing rod has obviously weakened a lot.

This startled Zhou Miao, who had sensed it; the fish was actually tired!

It was his first time fishing for giant grouper, and he thought it would be like fishing for marlin in the afternoon, taking two or three hours!

He quickly told Lu Xiaoxiao to stop the boat, and then tried to lift the rod and reel in the line.

Despite his efforts, the big fish still put up a lot of resistance, but this time it no longer had the upper hand and instead became the weaker party.

Once Zhou Miao noticed this, he didn't hold back and began to exert his strength, increasing the consumption of the fish.

The two sides pulled back and forth for another ten minutes or so, and the strong force underwater finally weakened.

Lu Xiaoxiao had already lowered the anchor again and moved closer to him. She was also very curious about the big fish at the bottom of the water and wanted to see it as soon as possible.

Zhou Miao turned the handle round and round to reel in the line. The fish was very heavy, and even when he was exhausted, reeling in the line was not easy.

It took more than ten minutes to finally pull the big fish to the surface, a distance of several tens of meters.

Zhou Miao himself was also exhausted, and he would loosen the crank and shake his hand from time to time.

"Wow, what a huge grouper!" Lu Xiaoxiao exclaimed as she shone her flashlight at the fish and saw its silhouette.

This grouper wasn't as long as the marlin we caught in the afternoon, but it looked to be over two meters long.

The grouper is visually more striking than the marlin because it grows horizontally and looks fat and plump.

"This thing is really difficult to handle; we probably can't get it onto the boat!" Zhou Miao also saw the fish and identified it by the patterns on its tail.

It is indeed a giant grouper, scientifically known as the saddle-banded grouper.

This is probably the only type of giant grouper that can appear in the shallow sea area of ​​Nanzhen.

There is another type of grouper that lives near the shore, called the giant grouper, but that kind doesn't grow to this size.

"Then should we drag it back?"

"We can only tow it back, but we still need to deal with it first. We can't feel safe just having it hooked by the fishing line."

Zhou Miao continued to exert force and pulled the grouper to the side of the boat.

It just so happened that the fish's head was facing the boat, which made it easier for him to handle.

He had Lu Xiaoxiao hold the fishing rod, while he pulled out a diving knife and stabbed the fish twice in the head.

However, the fish's violent struggle before dying unexpectedly snapped the fishing line.

Lu Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no, the wire broke!"

Then, together with Zhou Miao, they watched helplessly as the fish disappeared into the water and escaped.

"What should I do, brother? It's all my fault for not holding the fishing rod properly." Lu Xiaoxiao was very anxious and blamed herself, her voice even sounding a little tearful.

"It's probably because the fishing line is too worn out, it has nothing to do with you." Zhou Miao's expression was calm as he slowly took off his clothes and pants, took the flashlight from her hand, and handed her his headlamp.

"I went into the water to look for fish; they can't swim far."

"Okay, be careful." Lu Xiaoxiao hesitated, feeling that diving at night was dangerous, but she knew that Zhou Miao would not give up on this big fish.

"Don't worry, I won't risk my life." Zhou Miao smiled, took out a mask from his bag, put it on, and then jumped into the water.

Just as he expected, the fish couldn't go far. As soon as it entered the water, he spotted it about ten meters ahead.

By this time, the grouper was almost dead and could no longer swim. It couldn't even float in the water and its body was slowly sinking.

Normally, fish float to the surface after they die, but this huge grouper doesn't, unless it was caught in the deep sea.

Zhou Miao quickly swam over, grabbed the grouper, and pulled it towards the surface.

I thought it would be very heavy, but to my surprise, it was surprisingly easy thanks to the buoyancy of the seawater.

He used only a little force to lift the fish to the surface of the water.

Seeing that Yu and he appeared at the same time, Lu Xiaoxiao on the boat breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly steered the boat over.

Since they couldn't get the fish onto the boat, they had to braid the Dyneema line together, thread it through the fish's gills, tie a knot, and hang the fish behind the boat.

Zhou Miao didn't even get on the boat; he was dragged along with the fish to Luo Hao's fishing raft.

The main reason for coming here is to use his winch to help get the fish onto the fish raft.

Zhou Miao's dilapidated fishing raft originally existed, but like some of the better fish cages, it was taken away by the previous owner.