The Top Fishing
Chapter 353 - 183: On the Eve of the Competition_3

Chapter 353: Chapter 183: On the Eve of the Competition_3

After choosing a fishing rod, Lin Yang began setting up his line, aiming for fish over three pounds. Normally, a 1.0+0.6 line would suffice, but since he was using someone else’s rod, he didn’t want to overdo it, so he used a standard 3+2 line, which could handle a fish around 11 pounds comfortably.

Once he had prepared his line and set his float, Lin Yang began to fish.

Before fishing, he specifically looked up the fish species in Qiandao Lake. Although the internet claimed there were all kinds of fish, including wild sturgeon and river dolphins, Lin Yang was skeptical.

He had also glanced at the other anglers, most of whom were fishing for species like Carp, grass carp, and Catfish; hence, these were Lin Yang’s targets as well.

However, he didn’t use any special enhancing bait, but rather the bait provided by Wang Feng. About ten minutes after his bait and hook had hit the water, he had a bite.

As Lin Yang watched the float bob, he suddenly struck, although this time, the odds were against him hooking a fish, as it was clearly just a nibble.

But with his current skill level, even a nibble had a decent chance of turning into a proper bite.

As he stood the fishing rod up and gently pulled the fish to shore, everyone could see what he had caught—a Carp weighing just over 4 pounds. Although it was a Southern China Carp, which many people didn’t prefer to eat, it was still the first fish landed.

At that moment, Wang Feng’s apprentice, Xiao Zhang, who was also his assistant, hurried over to help him net the fish.

Although he was just an assistant now, responsible for menial tasks, his fishing skills were quite impressive, certainly better than Li Xiaopeng’s.

He had spent the last couple of years competing with Wang Feng and had accumulated quite a few points. After this year’s autumn competition, he’d be eligible to apply for the third level master fisherman certification. He could likely become the first of Wang Feng’s many apprentices to qualify, although it mostly depended on his further fishing skills.

However, his netting technique was already perfected to a fine art.

When Lin Yang pulled the fish close, Xiao Zhang scooped it up with such ease, it reminded onlookers of the way Lin Yang and friends used to catch dragonflies as children, swiftly netting the fish.

Then, donning gloves, he swiftly grabbed the fish and placed it into a nearby fish keeper, all in less than three seconds, which was indeed fast.

With the first fish secured, Lin Yang continued to cast his line. Having finally gotten to fish in Qiandao Lake, he was eager to take advantage of the opportunity to possibly discover new species.

After the first fish, the second one quickly followed.

Upon seeing this fish, Xiao Zhang exclaimed, "What kind of fish is this? A Crucian Carp, or Bian Fish?"

The fish pulled up to the surface was silver-white in scale, its body shaped somewhat like a Bian Fish but not as broad, about twelve inches long, resembling an enlarged Silver Carp.

Initially, Lin Yang was also puzzled about what kind of fish it was, but as he drew it closer, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"It’s a Shi fish!"

"A Shi fish?"

Hearing it was a Shi fish, not only did Xiao Zhang’s eyes widen, but Wang Feng, who was fishing nearby, also came over.

Lin Yang carefully removed the hook and held the Shi fish in his hand.

"It has a gray-black head that is laterally compressed, the sides and belly are silver-white, the scales are fine and thin, the tail fin is deeply forked, showing a slight blue-green sheen... this really is a Shi fish!" exclaimed Wang Feng upon seeing the fish Lin Yang had caught.

Lin Yang sneaked a look at the fish guide; the Shi fish he had unlocked came with a reward of 1000 yuan, plus 10 points in both experience and points, and even a 0.1% increase in aquatic knowledge.

Shi fish, a migratory species, only appear in the Yangtze River during late spring to early summer, hence their name. They are mainly found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Shi fish has always been regarded as a delicacy in Southern China, esteemed enough to be offered as a tribute in ancient times along with river pufferfish and Knife Fish, collectively referred to as "the three delicacies of the Yangtze." However, the population of Shi fish has greatly diminished, and it was unexpected to catch one now.

Although this Shi fish was precious, all the fish caught in Qiandao Lake that day could not be taken away or sold, so after thinking it over, Lin Yang didn’t even bother with the fish keeper. He took a photo and immediately released the fish.

"Man, Lin Yang, you’re incredible! I’ve been fishing here for over an hour without even a glimpse of a Shi fish. You catch one on just your second try!" Wang Feng truly admired him since Lin Yang used his own fishing gear that time.

"Haha, just good luck," Lin Yang replied, then asked, "So, you’re planning to fish for Catfish in tomorrow’s competition?"

Wang Feng nodded, "Yes, Catfish are large, and they score well. I reckon many competitors will be targeting them."

"Alright, let me teach you a couple more tricks for catching Catfish, and give you some of my secret bait for them. Add a bit..." Lin Yang continued fishing as he instructed him on how to better catch Catfish.

They spent the whole morning fishing by the lake, during which Lin Yang unlocked several more fish species, the most interesting being the river pufferfish.

Fishing for river pufferfish was fun; they, like some sea fish, possess "beak-like" teeth which are very hard and sharp, easily cutting through regular fishing lines. If it weren’t for Lin Yang’s line protection buff, and using a thicker leader line, it would have been nearly impossible to catch such a fish.