As Zhang Yang walked to the fish truck, he felt someone pull him from behind.
He turned around to see Wang Yan, whom he had met earlier that afternoon, grinning at him with his big teeth.
Zhang Yang thought Wang Yan was merely greeting him, so he nodded in response, but the next moment he heard Wang Yan mumbling.
"Hey, Zhang!"
"What's up? Something you need?" Zhang Yang asked.
"You're not fishing tonight, right? Can you help me out?"
"I'm not fishing tonight. Tell me what you need..."
"Can you teach me some fishing tricks tonight? Using your usual methods. I made a bet with Old Han on who could catch more fish, so I need your technical guidance."
Zhang Yang came to the fishing spot to check the quality of the fish and chat with familiar customers and fellow anglers. Wang Yan's request didn't really conflict with his plans.
Zhang Yang had been intrigued by Wang Yan's aptitude with the scatter bait earlier in the afternoon, so after a brief hesitation, he nodded, "Alright, I can give you some tips!
But aside from acting as your helper with the fish, I can't assist you directly! If I intervene, it would be cheating in your bet!"
"No need for hands-on help, just tell me what to do and when to do it! I learn quickly!
Honestly, I should've watched a session before starting myself, it would be more stable.
We're buddies, so it just came up in conversation, you understand!" Wang Yan gave Zhang Yang a knowing look.
"Got it!"
Having already seen how they interacted earlier in the afternoon, Zhang Yang nodded in agreement.
Soon, the delivery guy pulled up the first basket of fish, and Zhang Yang glanced over the fish brought today.
The quality, skin, and size were decent enough, but after weighing, there was half a basket less than the total intended weight.
This time, the fish weighed only around 750 pounds with the baskets, and deducting the weight of eight baskets left just over 700 pounds.
With so many people around, Zhang Yang didn't feel comfortable bringing it up, so he just let it slide and started preparing.
The fish were quickly placed, and the anglers each went to their positions to get ready.
Walking to the south shore, Zhang Yang greeted Old Zhao and chatted briefly before moving through half the fishing spot to reach the positions on the northern shore slightly east.
Wang Yan was next to Han Qiang, though not in the best central spot, in this area it was still a decent position.
"Zhang, the kid said you'd be his helper today?" As soon as Zhang Yang arrived, Han Qiang asked.
No need to guess, Zhang Yang knew for sure Wang Yan had spun some tale for Han Qiang.
"Ah, yes, he said you two were competing on fish, so I agreed to give him a hand," Zhang Yang replied.
"Be sure of this, it's fine to help as a fish helper, but don't touch the rod! This guy keeps saying my skills are trash, today I'll show him what a real difference means!"
Zhang Yang nodded, "No problem, I'll only provide verbal guidance and be his helper, nothing more!"
Quickly, the details of the fish contest were settled, with Zhang Yang acting as Wang Yan's external support against Han Qiang.
Zhang Yang, not letting himself feel unlucky, grabbed a stool from Diao Changhe's shack and sat beside Wang Yan.
"Zhang, can you check if the bait I prepared based on your suggestions from this afternoon is okay? Help me ensure it's right!"
As soon as he sat down, Wang Yan brought out his bait bowl asking.
Zhang Yang glancing at the state of the bait, grabbing a handful to feel the moisture, thought higher of Wang Yan.
Having only watched the baiting method once in the shop that afternoon, the guy had already prepared it at the fishing spot.
The key was the moisture level, almost acceptable, only small clumps weren't entirely softened, which essentially didn't affect usage.
"Not bad, the state is usable! Just a few small lumps not smoothed out! Next time, smooth them out evenly when preparing the bait, and the overall will be better!" Zhang Yang commented.
"Alright then, earlier I practiced baiting a bit, hands are a bit stiff!
But I should be about the same speed as Han Qiang! Later, watch me start with high frequency to stop him always joking about me!
By the way, want some chewing gum? My Great Front Door became all scattered this afternoon!"
Not waiting for Zhang Yang to refuse, a stick of Green Arrow was handed over, Zhang Yang took it without hesitation, tore the foil, and put the gum in his mouth.
"I plan to start with high frequency and continue until the spot opens! Do you think this strategy is okay?
When we've gone fishing before, it was always hand-toss bomb nests first! In my opinion, the old method is not as advanced as yours!"
Zhang Yang replied, "Start lead-skin, bait with egg-sized balls for a base spot is fine, no need for excessive hand-tossed nests.
However, starting fishing does not mean fish bite immediately. You must plan the bait usage! Don't run out of ammunition before the real battle starts!
Two pounds of scatter bait, if used sparingly, should be enough, but if wasted too much early on, it'll be tight!"
"Oh, you're right, nearly forgot about this. Should've brought another pack, I'll keep it in mind."
After a short conversation, Wang Yan only asked Zhang Yang these two questions and stopped inquiring further.
Still some time before fishing begins, Wang Yan placed the rod on the stand, sat on the folding fishing chair looking quite composed.
When seen in action and demeanor, he doesn't at all resemble someone who'd only recently taken up fishing, doing black pit fishing on his own for the first time.
At 6:25, Diao Changhe announced the start, and fishing formally began!
Again, the pit was bombarded with overwhelming hand-tossed nests, even Han Qiang next to Wang Yan used leftover nest material, prepared a bit and tossed three fist-sized spots.
But Wang Yan did rightly, squeezed some scatter bait onto lead skin, stingily making two rods with egg-sized spots on the short position in the 3.6 meters range.
Truth be told, the lead-skin nest method was somewhat inexperienced, but not panicked.
Afraid the lead-skin nest would miss, he squeezed the bait tighter, knowing this, let the bait ball settle longer to the bottom before lifting the rod.
Zhang Yang didn't speak but quietly observed his series of detailed moves, gradually discerning his mindset changes through these subtleties.
Even just these little details, Zhang Yang could tell this guy uses his mind in fishing, far superior to those who fish aimlessly for a few years, knowing the actions without understanding reasoning.
After a few balls laid the base spot, Wang Yan began patiently waiting, changing bait about every minute.
The rate seemed slightly slow to Zhang Yang, but with Han Qiang nearby, it was sufficient enough, considering the left side was open and competitive pressure wasn't high.
So unhurriedly, over twenty minutes passed.
Someone on the south bank already caught fish, yet looking at the entire spot, the new batch likely hadn't significantly opened up.
At this time, Zhang Yang noticed another fishing detail from Wang Yan.
When not baiting the rod, Wang Yan didn't remain idle, continuously observing others' situations.
In particular, when a fish was caught on the south bank, he watched intently as others maneuvered and controlled it.
When the fish was landed and secured, Wang Yan suddenly said, "That's a bold old fish, seems the fresh ones haven't opened up yet!"
Just this one sentence startled Zhang Yang!