It's 5 am, and as the first rays of sunrise touch the waters north of Dalian, Liaoning province, several fishing enthusiasts board a yacht bound for a "sea ranch", hoping to land some big game fish.
Near Changhai county's Zhangzi Island, one of the fishermen, surnamed Li, once landed a Japanese amberjack weighing 17.5 kilograms.
"The thrill of fighting a giant fish — that heart-pounding duel with the sea — is something only those who have experienced it can truly understand," he said, still vividly recalling the moment.
"It's a story I can keep telling until I catch an even bigger one," he said.
Li describes himself as an ordinary hobbyist using affordable gear. His catch, he said, owes much to the location, a premier big-game fishing spot.
"Since the bait fish are mostly active in the upper water, it is possible to land large fish with ordinary light tackle and thin lines," he said.
On the eastern side of the Liaodong Peninsula, Changhai county consists of 195 islands, 18 of which are inhabited. The islands are collectively known as the Changshan Archipelago, which is the country's first island-based national tourist resort.
Nestled within one of the country's most productive fishing grounds, the archipelago offers pristine marine resources and serves as critical habitat for large migratory species such as yellowtail amberjack and Japanese amberjack.
The yacht carrying the fishing enthusiasts belongs to Liu, a seasoned angler with fishing experience across the world's top big-game destinations. He runs a high-end homestay and owns two specialized yachts.
Liu's proudest catch came in the waters off Komodo Island in Indonesia, where he battled a giant trevally for 2.5 hours, eventually landing a specimen measuring more than 1.5 meters and weighing 62 kg.
Yet for him, Changhai's waters hold a unique charm, with each season offering different species for anglers of all skill levels.
"Visitors start arriving from mid-April, and the season lasts until December," Liu said.
During last summer's peak tourist season, Liu said that he once saw more than 200 people on the same stretch of water, all bent over their rods, tirelessly working their jigs.
In recent years, the slogan "to catch big fish, come to Dalian — head to Changhai" has drawn professional anglers from far and wide.
In 2023, the county launched an elite sea fishing challenge, and last year's event attracted about 140 competitors from home and abroad. This year's tournament is scheduled for August.
Zhang Shengzu, the county chief of Changhai, said the local government aims to build the annual event into a stage for top anglers to demonstrate their prowess.
"Beyond their exceptional natural endowments, another major advantage of Changhai's fishing grounds is their proximity to land," he said, adding that it takes only 20 minutes by yacht to reach the fishing spots, allowing anglers to return to shore easily.
Given the rapid growth of sea fishing, the tourism service infrastructure is in urgent need of an upgrade, and a standardization system for the sea fishing industry is also being expedited, Zhang said.
"With safety as a prerequisite, the sector will further strengthen the capacity of tourism services," he said.
Dalian is transforming into northern China's marine leisure hub. In March, the city signed a 15-billion-yuan ($2.2 billion) agreement for a yacht manufacturing base — a signal that the harbors may soon welcome even more boats.
