The Top Fishing
Chapter 100: Taking Turns

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Taking Turns

At this moment, Li Xiaopeng also came over with the live streaming phone in his hand.

"Brothers, we didn’t run into any big fish, but my cousin caught a big one! Let’s show you how he reels in the fish. Come on, cousin, give everyone a smile!"

Lin Yang cracked a smile, "Do you want to feel the power of a big fish’s pull?"

"Ah? Really?" Upon hearing Lin Yang’s offer to let him reel in the fish, Li Xiaopeng was a bit surprised.

For many anglers, when they catch a big fish and still have a bit of strength left, they definitely wouldn’t want to hand their rod over to someone else.

Li Xiaopeng hadn’t expected that Lin Yang, having just started, would hand the rod over to him so soon, and he was genuinely surprised.

"Give you a thrill, aren’t you trying to shoot some video? You can do it as well."

"Heh heh, sure! Thanks, cousin, I won’t be polite then," Li Xiaopeng agreed without hesitation.

"Alright, stand firm, I’m handing you the rod," Lin Yang called out, and without any hesitation passed the rod over to him.

Li Xiaopeng might have looked thin, but being young, he still had strength, and after taking the rod he checked the drag system then skillfully started reeling in the line.

After several continuous struggles against the fish’s power, Lin Yang was actually a bit tired as well. After handing over the rod, he discreetly took several deep breaths to steady himself before he felt his breath smooth out a bit.

Now that he wasn’t reeling in the fish, Lin Yang also held his own phone, live streaming the exciting process of reeling in a huge fish.

"Host, since you’re free now, could you talk about how to operate the fishing gear with a reel when you catch a big fish?"

"Right, set up a ’Treasure Trove Lecture,’ just in case I get lucky one day and run into a big fellow too."

Seeing the viewers asking questions, Lin Yang organized his thoughts and said, "Alright, let’s talk about it while I have a moment. If you’re using a rod with a reel and hook a big fish, you should pay attention to a few things.

Those friends who have used rods with reels should know some basic knowledge. No matter what type of reel you use—spincast, spinning, or baitcast—there is a drag system on the side of the reel.

The resistance of the drag varies depending on the reel model, ranging from a few kilograms to several dozen kilograms.

After casting and setting everything up, you need to adjust the drag to a smoothly releasing state. In this way, when the fish takes the bait and the first burst comes, it won’t cause a line break due to panic, which could lead to the fish getting away."

"When you first hook the fish, my personal habit is to set the hook with a rod-lifting motion to ensure the hook is firmly set. Then, when the fish starts to make a run for it, you can consciously adjust the drag strength."

"There’s a core principle here: the drag should never exceed the line’s breaking strength; otherwise, you risk breaking the line."

"Once you’ve adjusted the drag, the fish is essentially fighting against the resistance of the reel. After a weight-bearing run, it will lose energy. That’s when we take the opportunity to reel in the line, repeating the previous process until the fish is completely exhausted and surfaces."

"Compared to pole fishing, a rod with a reel is much more convenient for playing the fish, as the spool provides a great depth space for playing the fish. As long as the angler consciously controls the timing and degree of the drag, the fish can be safely landed after exhausting its strength."

While listening to Lin Yang explain, Li Xiaopeng was doing exactly what he had just described.

He repeated the actions of reeling in, adjusting drag, and releasing line over and over again.

A big fish has a lot more stamina than smaller ones, and it has been at least twenty minutes since the fish was hooked, but the fish hadn’t shown much sign of tiring yet.

Gradually, Li Xiaopeng began to sweat from his forehead and his arms started to shake.

"Can you still handle it? If not, let Tai and the others have a go," Lin Yang offered.

Li Xiaopeng glanced at the rod in his hand, really wanting to persist a bit longer, but his muscles had begun to tremble.

The big fish underwater was incredibly uncooperative, exerting a vast amount of strength when pulling out the line, making it tough for Li Xiaopeng to maintain his balance.

"I can’t hold on, it’s getting too hard," Li Xiaopeng said with difficulty.

"Give it to me!"

"Okay."

Tai, who had been waiting behind for his turn, walked up and took the rod.

His height of one-ninety, compared to Li Xiaopeng’s one-seventy, gave him a natural advantage in strength. After receiving the rod, he began reeling the line rapidly, bringing the already half-retracted spool back to a safer position.

In the next twenty minutes or so, Wang Bo, Yang Xincheng, and Lin Yang took turns fighting the fish. After forty to fifty minutes, they successfully landed the big fish.

It was a Large Crucian Carp that looked to be at least sixty or seventy pounds!

The sixty to seventy-pound Large Crucian Carp measured well over one meter in length; its blue-gray scales almost as big as hen’s eggs, and its gaping mouth, which opened and closed continuously, could almost fit an average person’s fist.

The fish boasted full fins and thick scales that looked exceptionally beautiful.

"Damn, that’s a huge bream."

"This one’s even bigger than the last carp we caught."

The rod finally got to Wang Bo’s hand, and Lin Yang, holding the special net for big fish, skillfully scooped the fish into the pocket.

"Done."

Holding the net, Lin Yang struggled to bring the fish ashore, removed the hook, straightened the line, and then boldly picked up the large bream.

"Whew! This is the second big fish we’ve caught at Qinglong Lake Reservoir. I estimate this bream weighs around sixty to seventy jin. It took nearly fifty minutes for the five of us to take turns fighting it. Doesn’t it look beautiful!" he said, bringing it right up to the camera for a show.

"The host is too ruthless, give the season some face, will you? It’s just the start of spring. What will the brothers who spent half a month guarding the reservoir in autumn without a bite think?"

"The host is so awesome, he could have landed the fish by himself but let friends have a go too, such a class act."

"Is this fish up for shares? My father-in-law loves big fish too...."

Lin Yang shook his head: "If it were bream or grass carp, and the live-stream viewers wanted it, I’d have no problem giving it away, but not the large bream. It’s rare to see a fish this size, and the meat isn’t very tasty. The only thing of value is probably the stone in its throat, but we’re not that hard up for cash. Killing the fish just for the bluefish stone isn’t really necessary, let’s release it instead..."

The Bluefish Stone, also known as Black Carp Stone, Fish Shock Stone or Fish Essence Stone, is a keratinous growth used to assist in crushing hard foods like snails, located under the pillow bone of the bream’s pharynx. That’s why some people call the bream a ’screw bream,’ since you can fish for them with screws.

Once dried, the Bluefish Stone hardens like a rock, glistening and transparent. In the Southern Region, it is considered a rare and precious item, suitable for making jewelry. Rumors say it wards off evil, prevents children from being scared, and attracts blessings and prosperity.

Privately, Lin Yang was actually tempted to sell the fish to get the stone, but considering he had started giving away fish in the live stream, and with many people asking, it’s difficult to please everyone without causing offense. So, it was better to release it.

"Good on the host, releasing such a big fish just like that, that’s a grand gesture."

"That’s a true angler right there, to give is to receive. The host’s attitude is something we all can learn from."

"I support releasing it, but it would be best to weigh it first. After all, it’s quite meaningful..."

Seeing someone mention weighing the fish, Lin Yang was troubled, as Wang Bo’s digital scale could only weigh up to 50 jin and couldn’t handle this big fish. Even the fish control weigher couldn’t measure something this size.

"Uh, our scale can only handle up to fifty jin, seems like we can’t weigh this fish."

Upon hearing this, Tai lifted his head: "I have a bathroom scale in my car; if someone holds the fish while standing on it, it should work!"

Sure enough, he soon arrived with a bathroom scale that looked quite thin, the kind people who exercise often keep at hand, capable of weighing up to three hundred jin.

Lin Yang found a piece of paper to place on the scale, then stood on it holding the big carp.

110.8kg!

After weighing the total mass, Lin Yang put the fish down on the grass and weighed himself.

75.5kg!

With that calculation, this big carp was actually significantly heavier than estimated, with an actual weight of a staggering 35.3 kilograms, which is about 70.6 jin.

"Alright, the net weight of this big fish is 35.3 kilograms, a little higher than everyone’s estimate. The fish shouldn’t be out of water for too long. We’ll release it right here and now, wishing all live-stream viewers big carps and years bountiful with fish!"

With that announcement, Lin Yang personally picked up the large bream and walked towards the water.

"For our future generations to be able to catch fish, I urge everyone to protect our fishing resources as much as possible. Since we have the conditions for a live fish release today, I’ll take this opportunity to educate everyone on some details to pay attention to when releasing fish.

When releasing a big fish, first do a preliminary assessment of it. Consider how long it has been out of the water and the condition of the fish.

During spring, the water temperature is relatively low and fish generally consume less oxygen, which is conducive to releasing them back into the water.

If it’s been stuck in a keepnet for several days, flipped over and half-dead, better not release it. In that state, releasing it would be equivalent to killing it; it’s better to take it home rather than letting it go to waste.

If the fish is in good condition, like this large bream we just caught, its scales and mucus are ample and it hasn’t been out of the water for too long, its vitality is good, and with proper release, it can mostly survive.

Now, let’s put the fish back in the water. In this state, the fish is exhausted and will mostly be quite calm."

As Lin Yang spoke, he bent down to place the big fish back in the water. The bream, having been out of the water for a short time, was a bit oxygen-deprived and kept moving its gills while flipped over.

"When we return the fish to the water, most of the time, they can’t maintain their swimming posture. At this point, we need to manually flip them over, like this."

As he talked, Lin Yang flipped the big fish over, supporting one side of its body to maintain a normal posture.

"The next step is crucial, use your hand to create splashes near the gills. This can effectively increase the dissolved oxygen in the water and help the fish recover its strength more quickly."

Lin Yang displayed the hand speed he had honed over 25 years of being single, one hand steadying the big carp, the other rapidly splashing the water near the head of the big bream.

Because of the splashing, a series of bubbles formed on the surface of the water.