Chapter 361: Chapter 221: Strength Earns Respect_2
Now the fish layer is higher, so let’s switch to a smaller bobber. This reduces resistance and allows the double-hook rig to enter the water more quickly and reach the vicinity of the fish layer, shortening the time and enhancing bite efficiency to some extent.
Zhang Yang adjusted and resumed normal baiting and casting.
Sure enough, the time for the bobber to flip into place was noticeably faster, and since the fish density was adequate, the bait could easily be accepted, boosting the catching efficiency slightly.
By the thirtieth minute, those anglers still sticking to the frequency of floating were beginning to struggle a bit.
Half of the time cost has been invested, and those restless individuals tried to grab a bite, only to find the fish weren’t being extracted until below a meter, barely giving a bite, far from the density and height requirements for floating.
At this point, those choosing to float were getting uncomfortable.
Continue floating? At the current height of the fish layer, it’s hard to reach the surface; even after a frequency cast, the fish may not gather enough by the end.
Should I adjust the fishing method to fish at the bottom or near the bottom of the set layer?
Floating casts are full-length, and the bait enters the water near the furthest point. The underwater position for normal bottom fishing is at least half a meter away from the floating spot, so even if adjustments are made now, with too much focus on the spot earlier, the actual fishing effect is greatly reduced.
To put it plainly, it’s a situation where advancing or retreating is impossible, creating a dilemma.
Seasoned anglers like Ding Wen and Chen Xueqiang, upon realizing they couldn’t meet expectations, decisively adjusted their tactics. When thirty minutes passed without successful floating, they quickly switched to bottom fishing, catching whatever they could, which was better than nothing.
Other slower-reacting anglers felt uncomfortable, hesitating for another ten minutes and missing the last chance to escape successfully.
However, not everyone failed at floating; Liu Zi, sitting at the outer edge, made use of terrain advantages and successfully extracted fish at the 32-minute mark.
Liu Zi’s approach was simple; with Zhang Yang backing him up, he could afford to gamble extravagantly.
If floating works, great! If not, it doesn’t matter, overall he wouldn’t lose.
With both geographical and personal advantages, Liu Zi naturally achieved results.
In the remaining half hour, many were preoccupied with ulterior motives, having lost the mood for fishing.
Though performance wasn’t great in the first round, at least everyone didn’t fall too far behind.
But the second round went awry, with one careless move leading to complete defeat.
When the scheduled bell rang, out of fifteen people, at least seven to eight caught less than eighty fish—a dismal score relative to the fish density of Pond No. 1.
"Ring-ring-ring!!!"
The crisp alarm bell rang for the second time, and Ding Wen reluctantly put down his fishing rod and stood up from the tackle box.
"It’s over, it’s over! The second round is timed out, everyone put down your rods!" Ding Wen shouted again.
"Damn! Old Ge’s pond is a bit of a scam; the fish were quick in the first round, and no floating in the second! I wasted over half an hour with the frequency cast!"
"Who says otherwise, I kept up the frequency cast until 35 minutes, tried casting for a bite, and the action was still below one meter underwater!"
"Lost, lost, this round stinks, not even a hundred fish!"
The angler friends who put down their rods started to chatter and complain about the fish’s condition in the second round, expressing deep dissatisfaction with their performance.
While some were happy and others were sad, many grumbled about fishing in vain, Liu Zi felt his performance was quite satisfactory.
With around half an hour to catch fish, although his haul wasn’t as exaggerated as Zhang Yang’s in the first round, it was far better than others.
Chen Xueqiang was the first to count Liu Zi’s haul. After a round of counting, it turned out to be 191 fish—a very good amount.
"Impressive, young man, almost hit 200! What’s your name?" Chen Xueqiang asked Liu Zi meaningfully.
Liu Zi smiled shyly, "I am Wang Dazhi! Brother Yang and others call me Liu Zi!"
"Oh, oh, you’re with Zhang Yang! How long have you been learning to fish? Had Zhang Yang arranged tactics for you after drawing the lot?" Chen Xueqiang continued to ask.
"What tactics? I was just fishing randomly and got lucky! I just started learning," Liu Zi said, half-jokingly.
"Oh, oh, that’s nice! I’m Chen Xueqiang, let’s hang out sometime!"
"Okay!"
After Chen Xueqiang finished counting and moved toward the second angler, Liu Zi’s shy smile remained.
At this moment, Liu Zi’s feelings were mixed; because of his young age, he rarely received open respect.
Now, just because he used the right floating tactic in one fish grab and achieved good results, even Chen Xueqiang started greeting him and making friends.
Seeing Liu Zi fish well, besides Chen Xueqiang chatting with him, even the angler next to him exchanged a few words, offering Liu Zi a deeper experience of the world’s realities.
This was a feeling Liu Zi had never felt before—earning strangers’ respect through one’s ability.
Soon, the second round’s results came out.
First place, Liu Zi, who successfully floated, deservedly leads with 191 fish.
Second place, Zhang Yang, caught 187 fish on the fixed layer, only four fewer than Liu Zi, taking second.
Third place, Meng Fan, who efficiently fished on the fixed layer, caught 161 fish, coming third.
Fourth place, Chen Xueqiang, with 124 fish.
Fifth place, Xu Tao, with 107 fish.
Even Ding Wen, usually skilled, only caught 92 fish this round, failing to secure a top spot.
Others had worse results, with the least being sixty-some fish, mostly averaging seventy to eighty.
Just Zhang Yang’s simple analysis and reminder before fishing allowed his small team of three to sweep the top three in the second round—something even Zhang Yang hadn’t expected.
With 125 yuan accumulated from the previous round and 450 yuan from this round, the total prize pool reached 575 yuan. Liu Zi, as the champion, took half, pocketing a little over 300 yuan—enough even if he lost the next round until nightfall.
"Well done Zhang Yang! You three brothers swept the top three! Putting everyone under pressure!" After the distribution, Ding Wen, with a cigarette in his mouth, cheerfully approached Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang grinned, talking while waving Liu Zi over: "There’s no constant winner in fishing! Just lucky, come over Liu Zi!"
"Brother Yang, what’s up?" Liu Zi approached, looking puzzled.
"Kid, you got lucky, just started fishing and already took a champion. Won some money, don’t be stingy, get ice cream, and properly meet everyone!"
Liu Zi knew Zhang Yang wouldn’t trick him, so he nodded and ran off towards the cabin. Before long, he returned with a bag of cold drinks and ice cream.
Everyone sat under the shade of the trees smoking, Liu Zi delivered to each angler starting from the first one he fished against.
This treat alone cost over a hundred of the freshly acquired prize money.
Enjoying Liu Zi’s ice cream, everyone warmed to this lean kid much more.
Especially Ding Wen and Chen Xueqiang, who gathered around while eating ice cream.
"So, Master Zhang plans to take someone into the competitive circle?" Ding Wen asked.
Zhang Yang laughed, shaking his head, "I’m like you two, live-streaming fishing on Yingke daily, you know that. We’ve just switched to night streaming recently, allowing time to play during the day!
Meng Fan wants to pursue competitions; I’m just tagging along! Liu Zi is Meng Fan’s relative, keeping the young guys company!"
Chen Xueqiang interjected, "I thought you were aiming for the master title! Turns out that’s what’s happening!
We’re planning to stream and pursue competitions too; why not team up for a group? Safety in numbers!"
Hearing Chen Xueqiang’s suggestion of forming a group, Zhang Yang was intrigued.