The Top Fishing
Chapter 439 - 209: Catching Fish in a Row_3

Chapter 439: Chapter 209: Catching Fish in a Row_3

"Another Big Mouth Bass."

He scooped up the fish again with the net, unhooked it, and showed it to everyone.

This fish was clearly smaller, Lin Yang held up the ruler in front of the camera, indicating it was about five centimeters shorter than the minimum length requirement, not meeting the standard.

After measuring, Lin Yang shook his head in disappointment, "This one is a bit small, not meeting the minimum standard for the competition. According to the rules, it cannot be counted. Not only does it not add points, but if we were to bring it in, we would actually lose points upon tallying up ashore. Little guy, you’re lucky."

While speaking, he tossed the Big Mouth Bass back into the water.

Onshore, a member of the competition crew—a black lady monitoring the boat’s camera—noticed Lin Yang’s second measurement and said to her colleague, "Hey, Alex, that Chinese angler who was temporarily in first place has caught another fish, but it looks like his luck isn’t so great, the second Big Mouth Bass didn’t meet the requirements, so he released it."

"What, so fast? The competition has just started less than fifteen minutes ago, right?" remarked another white man nearby, unable to help but exclaim.

"Indeed, according to the boat’s position analysis, the spot where he’s fishing now isn’t a traditional marked area. In other words, he’s fishing in an unmarked area and still caught a target fish," someone added.

"It’s amazing. Keep an eye on his boat camera; I have a feeling today’s competition is going to be exciting. Besides this angler named Lin Yang, no one else has caught a target fish yet," Alex mentioned.

"OK."

....

Even though this fish didn’t qualify, it still made a significant impact on the captain. Just a few casts and another target fish was caught. This angler from China really wasn’t like the ordinary ones.

After releasing the fish, Lin Yang did not rush to switch to a new marked point but instead cast out the lure again, trying his new guess.

The previous fish took the bait in the middle to lower layer, suggesting there might be others in this layer. A lack of bites on the bottom does not mean the middle to lower positions also lack bites.

Big Mouth Bass indeed like to attack from below, their anatomical structure deters them from chasing targets from higher positions downwards.

With this thought, Lin Yang and Wang Feng made corresponding adjustments to their fishing strategy, not waiting for the lure to reach the bottom before beginning to reel in. Instead, they counted silently in their heads, and at just over three seconds, they began reeling in, making the sinking lure start moving ahead of time.

This adjustment had a clear effect. Only a short while later, the other side’s Wang Feng felt his rod tip dip as if he had caught a fish.

The force of a fish caught in mid-water is a tad less than one at the bottom, but it was still within Wang Feng’s stable control. Many anglers, after hooking a fish, would be in a rush to subdue and lift it out of the water to confirm its identity. However, with Lin Yang’s guidance, Wang Feng’s composure was surprisingly good. The first few rounds of handling the rod after hooking the fish were incredibly delicate; he wasn’t rushed or panicky at all.

Once most of the underwater force had dissipated, he firmly raised the rod and pulled the fish out of the water.

Indeed, the first fish he caught was also a Big Mouth Bass.

Moreover, this Big Mouth Bass was significantly larger than the one Lin Yang had caught earlier. Even before it was aboard, Lin Yang judged it definitely qualified.

Once scooped up and measured, indeed, it was about seven centimeters longer than the one Lin Yang released earlier; that is, it was two centimeters longer than the standard measure of 30 centimeters, making it a valid target fish.

"Look, everyone, Brother Feng and I just adjusted our fishing method and clearly, our guess was right. Another Big Mouth Bass that meets the requirements is in the boat," Lin Yang announced.

"No way, didn’t the host say it was quite difficult to catch target fish that meet the requirements in this competition? But looking at it now, it seems not so tough," someone commented.

"Right, in just this short time, the host has caught three target fish, with two qualifying," said another.

"Host, with our two valid fish, what place would we be in now?"

"Those foreigners are always so full of themselves; Master Lin and Master Wang should perform well and give those who don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth a lesson on Chinese fishing techniques," cheered a supporter.

Seeing the comments in the live stream, Lin Yang laughed and casually put Wang Feng’s caught fish into the live well, "Regarding our current score, we should be in the lead for now. Before we started fishing, I gathered some information; in similar competitions over the years, from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon, spanning two days, the score is generally in the teens to place well."

"Alright, enough chitchat. We’ve found our fishing method and analyzed the fish behavior. Let’s catch a few more while the temperature in the morning isn’t too high," Lin Yang concluded.

Having said that, Lin Yang began to focus more intently.

He pinched the lure and checked the triple hooks to make sure there was no deformation or damage before casting it out again.

After controlling the sinking pencil lure at the mid to lower layer of water, he started reeling in rhythmically, making the lure perform various seductive swimming motions to attract the attack of the Big Mouth Bass.

However, after about ten more casts in this marked spot, and having searched all probable layers of water without another catch, it seemed no more fish were attacking.

Confirming there were likely no more fish in this area and that no spots were missed, Lin Yang notified the captain to start the boat again.