I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 234: Chapter 147: A Sunfish Is Bound to Flop

He wasn’t counting on tuna. Fish activity followed predictable patterns, and the only tuna that ventured into coastal waters were yellowfin. The other species stayed out in the open sea.

It was virtually unheard of for a yellowfin tuna exceeding 330 pounds to venture into coastal waters, so he wasn’t counting on it.

Even if he used his card, Gu Nan felt a large marlin or swordfish would be more worth it. Yellowfin prices were more or less fixed, with the unit price generally between fifty and one hundred.

Marlin and swordfish prices were similar, but they were much bigger; their weight would be at least double.

But Gu Nan would avoid using the card if at all possible.

In truth, he wanted to use the card to catch a Dahuang or a bluefin tuna. ’How much could a Dahuang that exceeds the standard size for its species fetch at the end of the year?’

And as for bluefin tuna, the mere thought was thrilling!

That’s right. The card Gu Nan had received was a tier above gold—a violet-gold treasure card.

Legendary Fish Selection Card (Real World): Freely choose one real-world aquatic species. Your next cast is a guaranteed catch of that species, and it will be Legendary-grade.

Right now, besides valuable, protected species, Dahuang and bluefin tuna offered the best return on investment!

But Gu Nan had checked before. Dahuang appeared in the coastal sea, so he could choose them.

To catch bluefin tuna, however, he would have to travel to a sea where they could be found.

Bluefin tuna were expensive, but a Legendary Dahuang would also be incredible.

Gu Nan knew that a few years ago, a Dahuang measuring 88 centimeters and weighing just under 12 pounds had sold for hundreds of thousands.

One weighing over nine pounds could sell for 140,000, but anything over eleven pounds was in a whole different league, so hundreds of thousands was a certainty.

A Legendary Dahuang would definitely be Meter Level or larger. Gu Nan didn’t know the exact size, but he knew its appearance would cause an enormous stir.

In that respect, not even a 1,100-pound bluefin tuna could necessarily compare.

It couldn’t be helped. The value and fame of Dahuang had been hyped up so much in East China that even Gu Nan, as an avid fisherman, was reaping the benefits.

’Even though I know the real value of a Dahuang isn’t that ridiculous, I don’t mind cashing in on it!’

It was a classic case of a willing buyer and a willing seller.

Besides, Pacific Ocean bluefin were smaller than Atlantic Bluefin. An exceptionally large one might be just over three meters long, with 770 pounds being the likely limit.

Unless he went all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, in which case he could catch a bluefin exceeding 1,100 pounds.

Bluefin prices had dropped quite a bit in the last couple of years, but a 770-pounder would probably still fetch a higher total price than a Dahuang. Gu Nan was honestly torn.

That’s why he still wanted to save the card. To do that, he’d need to find a decent school of fish to catch, then cut them into chunks for chum to attract the larger predators.

The organizers only provided Antarctic krill for chum; the contestants had to figure out the rest on their own.

The real giants weren’t very interested in Antarctic krill. Besides, it was hard to create a large enough chum slick with just krill to attract the big fish.

The night passed with Gu Nan having almost nothing to show for it. He only caught a few miscellaneous fish and hadn’t even run into a single school.

The mood was grim as they returned to shore.

Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from the docks. As it turned out, one incredibly lucky contestant had unexpectedly caught a Dahuang weighing just over four pounds. Its brilliant golden scales were incredibly eye-catching.

A middle-aged man carried the shimmering golden fish over to Gu Nan’s group and smiled at Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao. ”President Wang, President Guo, one of my club’s contestants got lucky and caught a large yellow croaker. How about you do us the honor of joining us for a taste tonight?”

”A yellow croaker this big is a rare find this time of year. Even though you’ve left the club, we’re still friends, aren’t we?”

Wang Junhe glanced at the large yellow croaker in the man’s hands. His expression was placid and unbothered, betraying none of his earlier frustration. He laughed heartily. ”Well, thank you for the kind offer, President Lin, but we have other plans tonight. A real shame we have to miss out!”

Guo Xiao chimed in, ”Next time. Next time, I’ll be the one getting a few four- or five-pound wild yellow croakers. You’ll have to do us the honor then, President Lin.”

”Of course, of course...”

After some more disingenuous back-and-forth, the middle-aged man, having finished his showboating, contentedly carried his fish away.

Gu Nan sighed. ’People can be so childish.’

’Not winning first place or the Dahuang prize wouldn’t actually be a major loss for the Fishing Fun Life Club. But since there was bad blood between them, a little psychological warfare was in order. The logic was simple: even if it doesn’t really harm you, making you unhappy makes me happy.’

Gu Nan didn’t try to console Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao. They didn’t need it.

’When I come back with a huge fish tomorrow, they’ll be able to get their own back.’

「Finally, it was the last day of the competition.」

Gu Nan hadn’t even gone on his date with Yi Chen last night. They just chatted for a bit before he turned in to rest and conserve his energy for the day ahead.

Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao looked grim. If they didn’t land a big fish today, they would have no choice but to be one-upped by their rival club. They’d have to swallow their pride, a bitter pill that would leave them frustrated for a long time.

Their only hope now was that Gu Nan would make a big catch, or that one of their other two contestants could pull off a miracle.

Gu Nan started his fishing boat and headed out to sea. He was crystal clear on his mission for the morning.

Whether he used the card or got lucky and ran into a big one, he still needed to prepare bait. Even if he used the card, he had to at least look the part.

Fortunately, luck was on his side. After cruising for an hour, he ran into a school of sardines.

He spent two hours fishing and filled two small crates, which he estimated at around eighty to ninety pounds—barely enough.