Chapter 377: Chapter 229: Take the First City
At this moment, the advantage of Zhang Yang practicing pole work and fishing here in the past two days became evident. He knew what kind of frequency to use for casting based on the fish situation and how long to keep feeding to gather a sizable fish group.
These details had all been summarized during the practice sessions, and now all he needed to do was follow the plan and execute the casts.
In this match, Zhang Yang decided to fish at a fixed depth to maximize his catch. After a few minutes of continuous casting, he tentatively paused to probe the changes in the fish situation until the twelfth minute, when he encountered the first high bobber bite!
With the bite, it indicated that the fish group was gathering densely. Seeing this, Zhang Yang quickly adjusted his rhythm and started the first formal catch of the day.
In the next forty minutes, the fish situation was almost identical to the stage during practice where he caught over a hundred fish per hour.
Zhang Yang cast the rod with great agility, hooked the fish, and deliberately slowed down to catch double fish in the latter half an hour, maximizing fishing efficiency.
In this state of extreme concentration in the competition, time flew by,
and Zhang Yang’s full attention was completely immersed in the competition atmosphere. In his mind, there was only the fishing rod in his hand and the fish in the water, nothing else existed.
The bobber made a slight pause as it descended after flipping upright.
A second later, it slightly rose to the height of a small black grid and then made a slight dip of about half an eye’s height before either rising again or pausing in mid-air.
In Zhang Yang’s mind, each bobber motion represented a meaning: Was a fish feeding, or was it a tentative nibble?
Perhaps the first fish took the bait, and the second fish was still testing?
Or maybe both fish had taken the hook bait in their mouths. The subtle differences in bobber movements were vividly clear in Zhang Yang’s mind, and his rod actions to capture them were impeccable!
As the fishing event concluded, Zhang Yang felt extraordinarily fluid and successful,
Every small change in detail kept shifting with Zhang Yang’s adjustments.
It was like a martial arts tale of reaching the level of man and sword becoming one, where every thought and adjustment quickly yielded feedback, offering an exhilarating fishing session!
...
"All participating anglers, please note that there is one minute remaining until the end of the first match!"
The judge’s reminder through the loudspeaker brought Zhang Yang back from his absorbed state.
Zhang Yang glanced down at his electronic watch and used the corner of his eye to scan the situation of the anglers on both sides, exhaling slightly in relief.
On the left, angler number seven was still steadily fishing, with slow bites but never stopping altogether.
On the right, angler number nine was having a bit of a tough time. After securing some catches in the first half, his bait in the nesting area became insufficient, resulting in sparsely getting bites,
which had already stopped for a while now. Pitifully watching the bobber with no mood to fish, he occasionally glanced around at the actions of anglers catching fish.
The minute passed quickly, with the referee counting down five seconds before the end,
After which the sound of the final whistle ended the session, and all anglers put down their fishing rods.
"Hey, what’s your name, buddy? You fished really well in this round! Been playing for a long time?"
As Zhang Yang put down his fishing rod and bent down to rinse his bait bowl, the angler on his left, number seven, initiated a greeting.
Zhang Yang looked up at him and replied with a smile, "Hello, my name is Zhang Yang! What’s your name?"
"Wei Song! I’m from W City! I originally signed up in Spring City, but because the venue changed, I followed over to W City! Are you a professional angler? Who’s your mentor? Your technique is very solid!"
"Haha, just playing around, no mentor! I’m a local here in the W City District, have a small fishing tackle shop, just playing casually with friends!"
Zhang Yang, seeing the sincerity in the other fellow’s words, didn’t mind this kind of social exchange, keeping the conversation measured.
"A local, huh? No wonder! Yesterday when I came to practice, the fish situation was a bit tricky. You locals probably tested the waters in advance, right?"
Wei Song nodded, finding the answer to his question.
Zhang Yang continued, "You came late! In the morning yesterday, the bites weren’t good, and the pond closed in the afternoon! A few days ago, the fish situation was similar to today’s match, and we got familiar with it through some practice fishing!"
"Shall we add each other on WeChat? If I have any fishing questions, I’d like to ask for your guidance! I have no other hobbies, just enjoy meeting fishing-loving friends from all over!" Wei Song suddenly proposed the idea of adding a friend on WeChat.
Actually, among anglers, especially in competitive fishing, it’s relatively rare for strangers to exchange contacts. Most exchanges happen within small circles, or among friends of friends or those with related connections.
Situations like Wei Song talking a bit and then wanting to add a WeChat friend because of being stationed near a stranger due to the draw, Zhang Yang rarely experienced in his past years of chasing competitions.
However, Wei Song left a good impression on Zhang Yang. His fishing was regulated, and his words were honest without appearing overly opportunistic or slick.
Based on this first impression, Zhang Yang almost did not hesitate, nodding and taking out his phone to find the QR code for adding as a friend on WeChat.
Wei Song took his phone, scanned Zhang Yang’s QR code, and quickly submitted a friend request.
Upon seeing Zhang Yang’s WeChat avatar and nickname, Wei Song’s eyes widened in amazement, his face filled with disbelief.
"Zhang Yang from Mingyang Fishing Tackle, based here in W City, could it be you’re the master known for the yellow dough?" Wei Song asked with a slightly exaggerated tone.