"Alright, we'll call each other when the competition is over! I haven't even started making my bait yet, gotta get ready first!"
"Okay!"
...
After a while, the loudspeaker announced that it was time for the fourth match to draw lots!
Zhang Yang heard the commotion and quickly led his teammates to the drawing table.
While waiting in line, Zhang Yang glanced around. For the final match in the afternoon, there were even fewer participants than in the morning.
He secretly hoped to draw a large booth again.
After ten minutes, the numbers were drawn.
Zhang Yang was assigned to Zone 08, Position 16; Han Qiang to Zone 25, Position 4; Wang Yan to Zone 1, Position 02; Zhou Chu to Zone 33, Position 05.
Among the four, the positions of the other three weren't noteworthy, but Wang Yan managed to luck out with Zone 1, Position 02.
This position was worth much more than the typical edge positions you see in regular competitions; as long as you stay steady, you basically have half the points in your pocket.
"Tsk tsk, getting an edge position just like that! Who can stand it? Seems like I still have a shot at the top five!" Wang Yan boasted, showing off his position ticket.
Zhang Yang reminded him, "The fish situation at the edge should be good, stay steady! Also, drawing this spot makes targeting Bighead Carp risky, better prioritize getting the Common Carp and Grass Carp on the bottom first, consider Bighead Carp only if there are no bites!"
"Don't worry, I've got two plans! As long as there are fish, guaranteed no mistakes!" Wang Yan was equally confident.
The four of them chatted briefly, and when the entry started, they each carried their fishing gear towards their competition zones.
Zhang Yang headed to Zone 08, which was still close to the entrance, leisurely carrying his fishing gear to sit at his fishing spot. Photographer Xiao Yi chose a spot outside the red line in the viewing area, set up his folding chair, and arranged his equipment.
As Zhang Yang settled into his spot, he placed his rods and bait in suitable positions, then started surveying the surroundings.
At the moment, no one had arrived on either side, leaving him wondering if he might get to fulfill his large booth dream.
Just as he secretly hoped for a large booth, a fair-faced man with a smell of alcohol came from the left, carrying a fishing box, placing an imported 26L Daiwa box at Position 15.
The newcomer was none other than Xu Xiao, known on the streets as the Fair-faced Gentleman.
Before entering, Xu Xiao even mentioned top-ranked Zhang Yang, and didn't expect to end up drawing lots next to him in the final match.
Xu Xiao didn't know Zhang Yang, but Zhang Yang certainly remembered Xu Xiao.
Once Zhang Yang saw Xu Xiao's face, his heart skipped a beat.
Damn it, how come I'm next to this guy in the final round!
This seemingly harmless guy had numerous encounters on the field with Zhang Yang in his past life.
In the competitive fishing circle in his past life, there was a saying: South has the Fair-faced, North has the Lone Wolf, referring to Xu Xiao and Zhang Yang respectively.
During Zhang Yang's peak competitive performance and his most successful year, he had honed his fishing skills and rarely needed allies to pursue competitions.
He preferred going solo to save costs, and his cunning tactics secured him wins against many top competitors, earning the nickname Lone Wolf.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiao became renowned for his enormous drinking capacity, well-rounded and stable techniques, and uncanny ability to avoid a tan, making him equally famous in the circle.
Zhang Yang had multiple showdowns with Xu Xiao, though Zhang Yang had a slightly higher win rate, Xu Xiao did steal several crucial championship titles from him.
Without Xu Xiao's influence, Zhang Yang might have become a master even sooner; while the two had no personal grudges, their rivalry on the field made them arch enemies.
Who'd have thought, two of China's top fishing masters, who once turned the competitive fishing circle upside down, crossed paths earlier in this commercial competition in Zheng City.
Though Zhang Yang recognized Xu Xiao, Xu Xiao didn't recognize Zhang Yang. Xu Xiao just glanced casually over, saw Zhang Yang using a Dajia rod, and lost interest in knowing more.
Around 2013, domestic competitive rods lacked in performance; in the eyes of top competitors, using domestic rods in matches branded them as amateurs. High-end imports like Daiwa, Gamma, Shimano were the weapons of choice for masters.
But this dismissive attitude didn't last long. As soon as Lin Xiao took out his rod and hooked up the fishing line, he smelled the distinct sour odor of Bighead Carp bait from next door.
He turned to see Zhang Yang leaning over his bait bowl, filling the feeder box with Bighead Carp bait.
Zhang Yang also noticed Xu Xiao's glance, acknowledged it with a calm nod.
Since I could beat you in my past life, encountering you now, I can't possibly lose, Zhang Yang quickly adjusted his mindset, now as steady as a monk in meditation.
Xu Xiao's confidence in the afternoon match was largely due to his deep understanding of the Bighead Carp situation here.
If the next round follows the morning's pattern, netting few bigheads and getting a point isn't too challenging.
The premise being, the other competitors are focused on bottom-dwelling Carp and Grass Carp, not Bighead Carp.
But now, right upon entering the fishing spot, the neighboring angler is already working on Bighead Carp bait—being next to someone else targeting Bighead Carp isn't ideal.
What's tougher is that the canal's current flows from north to south, putting upstream Xu Xiao at a slight disadvantage.
In direct competition within a zone, choosing the same fish species with a slight edge disadvantage.
If Xu Xiao realized that the angler on his right was the top-ranked Zhang Yang, he'd probably throw up!
Moreover, luck was clearly favoring Zhang Yang in this match.
Up to five minutes before the competition began, the Position 17 spot on Zhang Yang's right still had no angler.
Now, Zhang Yang had once again landed a large booth.
Five minutes later, the whistle signaled the start, Zhang Yang pressed two lumps of bait slightly larger than pigeon eggs on his double hooks, flicked his wrist, and began his final fishing round.
As mentioned before, Bighead Carp feed on filtered bait in mid-upper water column, liking the most the haze-like baits. Zhang Yang's fishing strategy was very clear.
He prepared two bobbers with extra lead weight, adjusting the float with bait, setting it at three marks, initially fishing at a depth of about 1.2 meters. When the whistle blew, the frequency burst forth quickly.
Zhang Yang knew, with two people targeting Bighead Carp side by side, and limited bait performance differences, it boiled down to the bait casting volume. So, from the first cast, Zhang Yang went full throttle, casting relentlessly.
The 5.4-meter rod felt weightless in Zhang Yang's hands: baiting, casting, flipping the bobber to release the bait ball, then quickly preparing the next cast. His casting rhythm was even faster than catching Carp with Yellow Corn in a black pit.
Yet, Xu Xiao next door wasn't idle, seeing Zhang Yang's fast casting frequency, he couldn't resist speeding up too.
However, the two of them had subtle differences in the fishing setup.
Zhang Yang did a three-mark setup with bait on the double hook at half-depth, while Xu Xiao did a four-mark with bait on a single hook at half-depth.
The difference between four marks and three marks was negligible in impact, the real influence was one being baited on double hooks and the other on a single hook.
This put Xu Xiao at a significant disadvantage.
Why say so? Anyone who's fished Bighead Carp knows that, most of the time, you just bait the upper hook, leaving the lower hook bare for the fish to suck in while filtering food, thus triggering the bobber for a catch.
Xu Xiao followed this conventional setup method, bait on only one hook.
But Zhang Yang differed, after realizing he was next to Xu Xiao, he consciously adjusted to baiting both hooks, setting up for more casting.
What seemed insignificant had a huge impact; during high-frequency casting, Zhang Yang's bait volume was over twice Xu Xiao's.
Here, someone might ask, more bait is great, but with fish coming into the zone, won't baiting both hooks reduce catch rates?
Conventional Bighead Carp setups prefer baiting only the upper hook, as it boosts catching probability.
But Zhang Yang considered this too—if the bobber showed any subtle actions, he could simply switch to single hook baiting.
Higher bait marking meant slightly harder bobber observation, which for Zhang Yang's expertise made no real difference.
In a battle where stakes were high, within the first five minutes, Zhang Yang leveraged his richer experience for a major advantage!