My fishing raft will ask for help.

Chapter 36 Sharing Resources

"Wow! Such a good fishing environment in the open sea?" Zhou Miao was truly astonished.

Sea wolves are cheap, but a dozen or so red wolves are worth a lot!

"Hehe, normally there isn't one." Luo Hao chuckled smugly. "But there should be a large reef underneath. It was just a coincidence; I caught a glimpse of the top of the reef last night when the tide was out. I would have definitely missed it at another time."

"Thank you so much! We'll share resources in the future!"

Zhou Miao was just being polite; with the system's resources, he was destined to have plenty.

The exact amount to be shared depends on Luo Hao himself.

However, his main business is running fish rafts, so he doesn't actually need that many resources.

At the same time, this fishing spot also solved one of Zhou Miao's problems.

He was worried about not finding a suitable place to take Yu Muzhou fishing, and now the problem was solved.

Once we've settled the requests for help with the fishing rafts and the small beach, we'll invite Yu Muzhou to go there and test the waters.

"No problem, I'll definitely remember you when I find a good place."

Luo Hao smiled and agreed, then, remembering that they were going to set up crab traps, he added enthusiastically, "By the way, brother, after you buy the crab traps, why don't you stop by the Fisherman's Wharf next door?"

"When the fishing boats dock to unload their cargo, there are often small fish and shrimp that are sold as feed. They have a strong fishy smell and attract swimming crabs even more than krill. Plus, a box only costs twenty dollars, which is a great deal."

"Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll go buy the cage now." Zhou Miao nodded and made a note of it.

After leaving the fishing raft, he and Lu Xiaoxiao went straight to the fishing tackle shop.

"Boss, bring me ten of those small crab traps," Zhou Miao said familiarly.

"Sixteen for one, ten for one, that'll be one hundred and fifty."

The boss responded and turned around to bring out ten crab traps, each about forty centimeters in diameter, from the warehouse. Each trap contained a pre-set bait box.

Zhou Miao picked one up and examined it closely. The mesh of the cage was indeed quite large, slightly larger than a billiard ball.

The advantages of this design are obvious: small crabs and fish can easily squeeze out and escape, without taking up space or wasting bait.

Crabs that are large enough will be kept firmly in the cage, just as desired.

After paying readily, Zhou Miao noticed Lu Xiaoxiao bending down to move the stack of crab cages beside her and asked curiously, "Xiaoxiao, aren't you buying a few?"

"Me...do I want to buy one too?" Lu Xiaoxiao looked up, somewhat surprised.

Zhou Miao was amused by her reaction: "I already had Luo Hao and Qianqian go over there to set up the cages, why can't you buy them?"

"But..." Lu Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, a hint of hesitation flashing across her face.

She always felt uneasy about taking advantage of Zhou Miao like this.

"No buts." Zhou Miao saw through her thoughts and said gently but firmly, "Buy five. Earning money will motivate you to help me with chores at night, right?"

Lu Xiaoxiao's hesitation was written all over her face. Zhou Miao immediately understood her concerns when he saw her conflicted and embarrassed expression.

But he didn't think she was taking advantage of him.

This girl isn't the type who only knows how to take and takes others' efforts for granted.

On the contrary, she always tries her best to help and do what she can to repay the favor.

It was this simplicity and understanding that made Zhou Miao willing to take care of her more, and not just because she was his friend Lu Xingyu's sister.

Hearing him say that, Lu Xiaoxiao's inner turmoil vanished, and she readily bought five crab baskets.

Not only that, she also took the opportunity to pick out a set of entry-level boat fishing rods.

Since I've decided to make a living by fishing, I can't keep borrowing other people's equipment.

Afterwards, the two carried all the crab traps onto the boat and sailed to the bustling Fisherman's Wharf.

Early morning is the time when fishing boats in the nearshore waters return fully loaded with their catch.

The dock was bustling with activity, and the air was filled with the strong smell of the sea.

Just as Luo Hao had said, many stalls were selling miscellaneous fish and shrimp used as animal feed.

Zhou Miao spent twenty yuan to buy a box, which weighed more than twenty kilograms.

He dumped the pungent bait into the plastic water tank in the cabin, then started the propellers and steered the boat toward the small beach on the east side of Twin Cape Island.

Lu Xiaoxiao wasn't idle. She put on gloves and stuffed the small fish and shrimp from the tank into the bait box of the crab trap.

Upon arriving at their destination, some crab cages were still unbaited, so Zhou Miao helped stuff the bait into them, and then everyone tidied up their crab cages.

He placed the cages into the water one by one, according to the locations he had observed the day before.

To ensure fairness and to avoid interfering with each other, their crab cages were placed a distance apart.

Ultimately, how much you gain depends entirely on your luck.

After the deployment was completed, Zhou Miao did not stop. He started the small boat again and anchored in the center of the reef area.

He poured the remaining bait from the tank into the water to create a feeding area, while simultaneously washing the empty tank clean with seawater.

Then, Zhou Miao took out his short-section surf rod and changed the line setup, this time targeting fish weighing between one and three pounds.

He knew that the secret Antarctic shrimp bait could only keep out greedy small fish, and its effectiveness was greatly reduced against fish weighing more than half a pound.

Therefore, he decided to test the waters with artificial bait first.

With a deft skewer, Zhou Miao flicked his wrist, and the fishing rod traced a graceful arc, gently gliding towards the water's surface with the lure before disappearing into the depths.

Once the lure had sunk to the bottom, he began to slowly and rhythmically nudge the rod tip and reel in the line.

This allows underwater lures to mimic the movements of injured or fleeing small fish, luring predators to take the bait.

This time, the technique he used was slightly different from the one he used when fishing at the high tide point.

He needs to switch between "pulsing" and "pausing" and coordinate with the speed of reeling in, especially when the rod tip dips downwards, he needs to stop reeling in at the right time.

This alternation between dynamic and static states can cause a normally constantly moving lure to suddenly become "stagnant" and slowly sink.

For predatory fish that lurk in the shadows, they are often very patient when hunting, carefully observing the movements of their prey.

When prey suddenly stops swimming, it's a signal that they've determined it's the best time to attack.

This is based on Zhou Miao's experience from previous lure fishing trips.

Whether using minnows or other types, fish bites usually occur the instant the lure sinks, and are rarely intercepted while the lure is swimming.

Although the environments for sea fishing differ, the basic principles of hunting should be the same.

Lu Xiaoxiao, on the boat next to them, watched Zhou Miao's smooth and fluid movements with curiosity.

She seemed to understand it, but not quite; she thought there were so many tricks to fishing.

She continued to fish using her secret recipe for Antarctic shrimp, and her efficiency was quite high. Not long after casting her line, she caught a two-ounce rock bream.

It's a bit small, but as long as it can be sold, that's fine.

Fishing for small fish is quick; you catch one as soon as you cast your line, and she quickly caught a second one.

Zhou Miao, however, was slower, repeatedly performing the same operation.

As a former lure angler, he was very patient and didn't get anxious just because Lu Xiaoxiao had made some progress.

Ten minutes passed, and Zhou Miao's patience paid off. On the seventh attempt, as the lure sank, a fish finally took the bait.

The force was so great that the fishing rod was immediately bent.

Zhou Miao frowned slightly. The fish's strength was actually not bad, but his arm muscles ached, and he suffered as soon as he exerted any force.

Ugh, this is such a pain!

He deftly hooked the fish, then quickly lifted the rod and reeled in the line, pulling the fish relatively easily to the side of the boat.

It was a sea bass weighing a little over a pound. He grabbed the fishing line and pulled the fish up directly.

"Brother Miao, you're amazing. Even though it's only one, yours is bigger than all three of mine combined."

Lu Xiaoxiao had just taken off her third fish and put it in the tank. Seeing that his fish was being carried onto the boat, she took the opportunity to help him take the fish off as well.

"I specifically target larger fish, so my situation is naturally different from yours," Zhou Miao smiled and threw the lure back into the water.