"Then I'll sit next to you. I don't really understand the fishing tactics here, so I can learn from you while sitting nearby!"
The young guy glanced around quickly, and instead of sitting at the northwest corner fishing spot designated by old Lang, he placed his fishing box in one of the three empty spots beside Lang Junfeng.
"That's fine, you don't have much experience, sitting next to me might cause fish to be snatched away, but it's okay, I'll let some water flow!"
Old Lang nodded, allowing his newly developed customer to sit down beside him.
Time flew by quickly and before they knew it, it was half past six, marking the start of the night fishing.
Old Lang followed his usual routine of sticking to the baiting and bowling method from previous sessions with precision, showcasing his professionalism and occasionally dropping a few tips to young Meng.
Meng Fan was a big client, working in the city government as a driver for leaders. If they got along well, not only could he make money from the store purchases, but the relationships behind the scenes could be useful too.
Old Lang had a great plan, taking all-in when Meng Fan went to the store, but after fishing with his head down for over an hour, he was dumbfounded.
Around the whole fishing area, most fishing spots were gradually catching fish, with the quicker fish action returning to the middle section of the northern and southern banks.
In contrast, there was no action at all for Old Lang, Little Liang across from him, Wenbo, and this newly developed potential customer Meng Fan in the southwestern corner.
No matter how good the bait tastes or how strong the specialized medicine is, the fish in the water simply aren't interested, and there's not even a single fish star in the large baiting spot.
This is when the difference in understanding of fishing between different anglers started to show.
Last time, Zhang Yang's perception of the tricky fish situation was extremely keen, and he quickly made judgments and adjusted boldly by changing positions.
Old Lang lagged far behind, fishing with his head buried for almost an hour without realizing anything was wrong. By the time he reacted to the situation, the prime fish stealing period was almost over.
At this point, Old Lang was embarrassed.
Despite boasting loudly before coming, his performance collapsed during the actual session; while others occasionally caught fish here and there, Old Lang's bobber was as steady as the pole with not a single bite.
Meng Fan had already been somewhat skeptical of his previous claims, and now with the reality in front of him, not to mention the flurry of consecutive catches of Boss Pan, not having a blank day would already be considered a good performance by Old Lang.
"What's going on, Brother Lang? Didn't you say there were no problems with the bait and baiting spot? Why can't we catch any fish while folks across the bank and to the east are catching?"
Meng Fan frowned slightly and asked in relatively mild terms.
Facing the "questioning," Old Lang really didn't know what to say.
They came with quite a few people, mostly gathered on the western side of the fishing area, with the south and north banks mainly consisting of Old Lang's folks.
Even if just one person had a good fish situation and caught some fish, Old Lang could deflect it to position or luck or other issues. Yet, up till now, not one among them had made a rod start.
Old Lang wanted to find an exception to argue a bit, but he couldn't find one.
"The bait and the specialized medicine, we've used them many times; they're definitely not the problem! You saw me prepare the bait right in front of you; we're using the same stuff!
Even taking a step back, if I intended to fool you, I wouldn't sabotage myself!" Old Lang explained weakly.
"Uh, true enough!"
Meng Fan nodded and didn't pursue the topic further.
One case of man-made revenge, Old Lang's face and dignity were lost, the expert persona gradually built up from previous sessions completely collapsed, making the situation a little awkward.
After a while longer, Meng Fan found it dull sitting around, greeted the others, got up from the spot, and leisurely wandered towards other fishing spots.
Though Meng Fan wasn't very old, he had a truly sharp mind, and being sharp is a necessity for someone who drives for leaders.
The scenario tonight was certainly not normal; it's just that, not knowing much about fishing, he couldn't figure out the reasoning behind it.
Since he was already there, admitting being unlucky if he couldn't fish well was fine, but he shouldn't waste the trip, learning from others would be good too.
Seeing anglers at the middle of the south bank catching fish successively, he instinctively headed towards the center.
Having sorted out Diao Changhe's camphor ball gauze wrap, Old Zhao and Wang Jun resumed their previous vigorous state.
The pair collaborated, fishing at one spot, with several empty fishing spots on both sides, finally getting an exhilarating fishing experience.
The continuous fish-catching period had lasted for an hour already and showed no signs of waning.
The pair caught fish one after the other, chatting while fishing and enjoying a steady stream of catches.
Then a young fellow unknowingly appeared behind them.
Wang Jun happened to miss a bite promptly and hooked a double tail, feeling tense, Meng Fan cleverly helped by grabbing the landing net and netting the fish for him.
"Thanks, man!" Wang Jun turned to look at Meng Fan, who had helped out, and said politely.
"No problem, you guys continue fishing. I'll just stand here and watch for a while! You guys are really good; the fish are coming up fast!" Meng Fan grinned and praised.
What makes an angler feel satisfied?
Answer: Consecutive catches!
Is there anything more satisfying than consecutive catches? Is there?
Yes!
It's consecutive catches with an audience behind!
People are social animals, and the sport of fishing is no exception.
At its core, fishing too is a way for anglers to showcase their technical prowess. What I know, you don't, makes me superior!
Isn't there a saying on forums? If fishing is not for showing off, then consecutive catches become meaningless!
Now, with a young fan with glowing eyes behind him, Wang Jun felt the fishing even more gratifying!
"Here to watch fishing with a friend?" In a great mood, Wang Jun took out a cigarette, turned back to offer one, and asked.
Understanding the custom, Meng Fan first lit one for Wang Jun, then ignited his own, replying: "Yes, I'm fishing too, with the owner of the Junfeng Fishing Tackle, at the third fishing spot on the west end!
I've been fishing in the wild a few times before, first time at a paid pond, there's no bites where we are, so I'm coming over to learn from you guys!
You have so many fish here, the bobber sinks immediately and gets action, it's really enticing!"
When Meng Fan mentioned Old Lang, Wang Jun and Old Zhao exchanged a glance and chuckled: "Oh, frequenting Old Lang's store, huh?"
With the cigarette in his mouth, Meng Fan shook his head: "Not really, I'm just starting to learn fishing, counting this time, it's only my third time holding a rod!
Sometimes when I need to accompany leaders for fishing, I buy some gear from Junfeng Fishing Tackle intending to learn!
Saw his prior ads in the group claiming good catches here, but today the bites are off!"
What bait and medicine brand are you using, may I buy a bit and try since my current ones might be lacking?"
Now, Old Zhao and Wang Jun were puzzled; a third-time angler stepping into a rod pit, this young man is quite something!
Moreover, seemed like he wasn't too satisfied with Old Lang's real-world performance.
"We're not using the same stuff Old Lang and the others are using, the packaging is behind us, you can check it yourself, there's a phone number and address on it!"
Wang Jun didn't intentionally push Zhang Yang's promotions much, given the actual results have already proven everything; forcing recommendations too hard would seem deliberate and be counterproductive.
Hearing what Wang Jun said, Meng Fan quickly spotted the fish bait packaging.
The big characters "Ming Yang Special Supply" were exceptionally prominent on the package.