The Top Fishing
Chapter 435 - 208: The Competition Begins_2

Chapter 435: Chapter 208: The Competition Begins_2

Robert, seemingly in an effort to regain face, cast the lure towards the marked spot under the water without any commentary, very casually.

Lin Yang and Wang Feng also refused to show weakness, choosing the same spot to cast their lines.

The three lures fell into the water within three meters of each other. Lin Yang’s chosen lure was slightly smaller, so it took a bit longer to sink, but Lin Yang didn’t mind this detail at all, allowing Robert to start reeling in first.

Feeling the lure touch bottom, Lin Yang remembered the approximate sinking time and gently lifted the rod tip, animating the underwater lure.

A brief hover, followed by a slight acceleration, then another pause and a slow descent—Lin Yang repeated the process.

Under his control, the underwater lure mimicked a lively fish that had ventured into unfamiliar territory, somewhat confused yet curious about everything around it.

Although the action of the lure was undoubtedly convincing, there were no effective bites.

The initial catch gave him a false impression that the fish were easy to hook, when it was actually just accurate casting combined with a bit of luck.

After switching to a second mark, Lin Yang’s divine-like performance disappeared, and both he and Wang Feng switched through several marks with their rods to no avail.

The two glanced at each other and shrugged in silent agreement.

Robert also cast his rod towards several spots without any luck, and then said, "This spot has a stack of stones under the water, making it a decent mark. There’s no obvious reference around it, but the instruments on board record the spot. When you come fishing later, if you’re nearby, you can try your luck again. Let’s move on to another location."

Lin Yang nodded, "Okay."

In the next hour and a half, Robert’s boat took Lin Yang and the others on a tour around half the lake, pointing out seven different spots to them.

Some of these marks had fixed reference points, while others were similar to the second mark, featuring underwater structures.

The other spots weren’t bad, yielding catches for both Lin Yang and Wang Feng. By mid-morning, the tally was 7:3 in Lin Yang’s favor, but since one of Lin Yang’s catches was too small to count, the actual score was 6:3.

After completing the round, the fish situation was much worse than anticipated, which puzzled Lin Yang.

"Coach Robert, I have a question. In my understanding, there should be a high density of fish in this lake, but after switching through so many marks, we’ve only caught a few fish. Is there a problem?" he asked curiously, unable to hold back.

Hearing this question, Robert smiled at the corners of his mouth.

"Recently, there have been several Sea Bass competitions in these waters, along with many competing teams coming here for pre-competition fishing practice, so the fish have been somewhat affected. Although the fish that are caught and released back into the water are not fatally injured, their condition is definitely impacted," he explained.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yang understood that even in international waters, there were fish that had been caught and released back.

Continuous competitions and practice fishing turned many into "recooked" fish, no wonder their willingness to bite was compromised.

Lin Yang nodded, "Oh, I see. When I was competing in pole fishing contests back home, I was really good at catching fish that had been released back into the water. Perhaps I can think of other strategies for tomorrow’s competition."

"Oh? What ideas do you have? I can help you consider them," offered Robert.

Lin Yang didn’t give a definite response, but instead said vaguely, "The fish at the old marks have become wary of being caught, maybe opening up some new fishing spots could yield better results. It’s just that I don’t know where tomorrow’s competition will start, so I’ll need to adapt as necessary."

Robert agreed with this theory, acknowledging that while spots signify terrain where fish traditionally hunt, their absence doesn’t mean fish aren’t present. Fresh locations might contain naive fish, unlike the cunning ones that have been repeatedly caught and released.

"Tomorrow’s competing teams have to draw lots to determine their starting positions. It’s completely up to luck," said Robert. "There are forty starting points in total to ensure everyone is spread out at the start of the competition."

Lin Yang nodded, "Got it. I understand the general situation. Let’s head back and do some more prep work, hoping for a good result tomorrow."

"Ok! Let’s head back then, and I wish you a good catch in advance," Robert nodded and started steering the boat back.

Once they landed, the boat, along with a driver, was temporarily lent to Lin Yang and his group for use during the two days of competition.

In fact, the adjustments suggested by Robert were only a small part of Lin Yang’s own ideas. In such fishing conditions, where many fish were "recooked" at old spots, he had many more strategies in mind.

His confidence stemmed mainly from his rich experience in pole fishing, which gave him a significant advantage over foreigners who were only experienced with lure fishing.

Along the way, the marks pointed out by Robert were just a fraction of what the entire freshwater lake had to offer. There were at least twice as many suitable fishing spots, which Lin Yang could discern with just his eyes.

Back at their accommodation, they did one last round of prep before the competition. Knowing the fish situation, Lin Yang reselected his lures and made timely adjustments to hooks, lines, and other gear.