Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 75
His inner thoughts ended when they found the end floater of the long line bobbing atop the waves.
Brandon used the hand hook to grab the floater and started pulling the line. He knew how longline fishing worked and had done it quite a few times, so he was not a rookie regarding this chore. The line was thin but tough, it was wet and slightly cut his fingers.
He stood up, adjusted where the line was, and pulled it... He was shocked when he realized that the line was heavy. The muscles in his arms tensed as the line resisted.
"Do you need help?" Karlos asked, leaning forward and looking at the water. This was his first time doing longline fishing, and he wanted everything to start great.
"I'll handle pulling the line, just hold a blunt wood and hit any dangerous fish. If we caught something big such as a Blue Marlin or a Swordfish, I want you to hit their heads. I witnessed a swordfish stabbing a fisherman in the stomach... He survived, but we had to leave everything in our net just to take him back to the hospital as soon as possible."
The net sank into the water, and they lost fish, time, and money because of that incident. Well, the boat owner was the only one who lost money, to be precise.
"Alright," Karlos sat a few distances away from him, holding a blunt piece of wood as he eyed the sea warily.
The first and second hooks had nothing, the sardines were still attached to the hooks. As for the third hook, it also didn't catch a fish, but the bait was missing. Perhaps the bait came off the hook because of the waves, or perhaps a smart fish ate the bait but avoided the hook. The line swayed slightly in the current as Brandon muttered under his breath.
"Fourth time's the charm, I guess."
Once the fourth hook was near the surface, Brandon grinned as he saw a weak fish trying to move against the pull, its silver scales flashing beneath the water's surface. The fish was already too weak to fight back.
"A salmon," he said with a smile.
Brandon put down the weak fish in the boat. The salmon was the size of a leg, lengthwise and thick. Its gills fluttered weakly as it gasped for air or water... However you define it.
The fifth hook also caught a salmon, a bit bigger than the first one with reddish scales at the tail.
"How many fish will we catch after casting the long line for 3 hours?" Karlos asked Brandon, his tone light and curious.
"We are lucky if we catch at least 30 fish."
"That's not bad."
Karlos could also catch that amount, but he had to take 7 hours. He only had a fishing rod to rely on, and casting a hook every other minute was time-consuming. So he decided to try longline fishing. If this method had a faster catching speed, then Karlos would have no problem with it.
Lately, he had to return to the villa at 1 or 2 p.m. every day because he spent most of his time fishing for salmon.
Brandon kept pulling up the line, and the boat was slowly filled with fish, the thick scent of fish lingering. Most were king salmon, some were red snapper and grouper. Unfortunately, the groupers were already dead when they got them. Their stomachs were bloated, and they couldn't sell them for a higher price.
"... This is it." Brandon reached the last hook and grabbed the end floater. He looked at the boat and was shocked by the number of fish they caught, his eyes widening in disbelief.
The boat was almost filled to the brim, and three-fourths of the hull was already sinking into the water.
"We caught about 50 fish, right?" Karlos was impressed, his grin stretching wide. They caught that many fish in just 3 hours. It was faster than his traditional use of a fishing rod. He was thrilled by the idea that he could return home earlier this time and couldn't help but let out a satisfied laugh.
"Yeah, I think so too."
Even Brandon was impressed. He didn't think that half of the hooks would catch fish. He thought 30 fish was already a huge feat, but 50 fish for 3 hours of waiting plus 2 hours of pulling was definitely amazing.
He looked at Karlos, who was grinning. He had been a fisherman far longer than Karlos, and today's fishing was considered a miracle in his dictionary.
'... I don't believe in superstition, but if Karlos is really Blessed by the Sea, I won't deny it either.' He chuckled silently, his gaze wandering over the deep blue sea.
"We have to spend at least a day just to gather 500 kilograms of fish."
Davis's bangka could handle 3 tons of weight without breaking, hence they would rather spend days at sea and meet their quota before returning to the fish port to sell everything. Of course, Davis had to spend a huge amount of money on ice to keep the fish fresh once they docked. Brandon could still remember those long nights drifting at sea.
"Let's go back," Karlos announced happily. It was still 9 a.m., four hours earlier than his usual return time.
Brandon looked at the messy long line... It seemed that he had to untangle it for tomorrow. He didn't find it tiring, in fact, he was excited for today. The first day seemed fruitful.
'Karlos will pay me 500 pesos plus 5% of the profit... No matter how many times I think of it, it'll be a huge blast.' Brandon grinned and faced the cold breeze of the morning without a problem. The wind brushed against his face, cool and refreshing.
Once they reached the fish port, Karlos and Brandon worked together to sell their catch quickly. The chatter of other fishermen and the yells of buyers filled the air.
The 26 spiny lobsters were sold for 23,000 pesos, while the 50 fish, including salmon, snapper, and groupers, were sold for 138,000 pesos. The money was good, far better than Brandon expected.
Brandon was stupefied, his mind blank for a moment when Karlos showed him the receipt.
"Let's go back to the shore first and settle the money there. I want to see how my house is getting built," Karlos started the engine, his expression bright.
Before landing on the beach, the two decided to calculate their shares first. Brandon didn't finish high school, but he had an idea of how much money he earned today. His heart raced a little.
"Also, Brandon, can we cut the long line to 70 hooks? I feel like if we catch 100 big fish, my boat will sink."
"I was thinking the same thing. Glad you said that to me. I'll handle it."
They earned 161,000 pesos today, a remarkable sum that made the hard work worth it.
"Let's see, my daily expenses on the boat are 1,000 pesos. Then we'll consider 160,000 pesos as our profit."
"I have no problem with that."
"Here's 8,500 pesos. This is your earnings today." Karlos gave a stack of money to Brandon, the crisp bills felt heavy in his hands.
"Haha, thank you, Karlos. So, same time tomorrow?"
"Same time tomorrow."
"Alright."
The boat landed on the beach, and the young men helped carry it away from the waves. These teens rarely saw Karlos lately.
"Here's 50 pesos. Take a look at my belongings, I'll have to check the house, but I'll return fast."
"Got it, we'll take care of your boat," they said, grateful for the easy money. They would gamble it later.