The Top Fishing
Chapter 543 - 243: Vampire Fish

Chapter 543: Chapter 243: Vampire Fish

After continuing forward for over a hundred meters, they came upon a relatively high stone platform, where the water was about thirty to forty centimeters deep, easily waded through.

As Lin Yang and the others waded and detoured, the huge splashing sound erupted once again from the same area.

This time, the drone had anticipated and instantly captured the splashes created by the water disturbance.

"Holy smokes, what the hell is that? A fish? It doesn’t really look like one, I think I saw two big fangs coming out!"

"I saw them too! Could it be some unknown water monster, or perhaps a crocodile? So scary!"

Lin Yang operated the equipment to repeatedly review the footage, but he could only see a burst of white light from the splashing water, along with a vague and unclear image resembling sharp fangs; whatever it was, even at maximum zoom, it remained unclear.

Unable to see clearly, Lin Yang became even more excited, for an unknown fish species made things all the more intriguing!

"The water’s shallow here, there’s no danger for us, rest assured. I really want to see what kind of fish it is," he said.

Having said that, Lin Yang switched to a larger sized line set-up, and after readying it, he cast directly towards the area of the water disturbance.

The lure traced a beautiful arc, precisely landing about five meters upstream from where the water had exploded.

It wasn’t a case of poor casting technique; he had done this deliberately, reflecting the same concern as when fishing for Silver Dragon Fish; the water was too shallow and casting directly at the mark could scare the target fish away, thereby affecting the catch.

As the large lure hit the water, Lin Yang counted silently for four seconds; only after the lure had sunk to the bottom did he start reeling in smoothly, gradually bringing the lure near the area of the splashing.

However, even after a virtually perfect first cast, no fish took the bait.

Lin Yang slowly reeled the lure out of the splash zone and, upon reaching close proximity, he quickly reeled in to cast again.

Seeing this, Yue’er gently tugged at his sleeve.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Yang, his attention fixed on the distant fish, was slightly taken aback when he felt his sleeve being pulled.

"The fish just now was splashing on the water’s surface, in a shallow area. If you let the lure sink intentionally, wouldn’t you be missing the water level where it’s feeding?" Yue’er reminded him.

Indeed, outsiders often have a clearer perspective than those directly involved; her timely reminder was spot on.

The purpose of waiting a few seconds was to let the lure sink near the bottom, but that was the technique used while fishing for Silver Dragon Fish. The fish causing the current disturbance were feeding on the surface, which could mean they’re less interested in lures that are positioned closer to the bottom.

"Ah, right, I almost forgot about that," Lin Yang quickly agreed, nodding as he waved the rod to cast the lure out once more.

This time, he still aimed the cast three to four meters upstream. As soon as the lure hit the water, Lin Yang began reeling it in immediately. Due to the resistance of the water flow and the pull of the fishing line, the lure would appear to glide through the water, maintaining a high position in the water.

No sooner said than done, when about a meter and a half away from the splash zone, Lin Yang suddenly felt a jolt at the tip of the rod and the weight dipping sharply as the water erupted once again, the unknown fish had taken the hook!

The moment he hooked the fish, he immediately lifted the rod to set the hook, ensuring the hook’s point pierced the fish’s mouth. The next second, a burst of power greater than that of the giant Peacock Bass transmitted from the tackle to the tip of the rod, and then into Lin Yang’s hands.

In that split second, Lin Yang made a very wise adjustment, slightly loosening the tension to allow the big fish to run.

Some might be confused at this point, wondering why he would slacken the line when he had switched to a heavier line set-up. Loosening the tension is a double-edged sword; after hooking a fish, locking the line could bring the fish to the surface faster, but it also has its drawbacks. If the fish is too large, locking the tension is not necessarily a good thing.

Although the line and rod were strong enough, the treble hooks on the lure were of mediocre strength. Forcing the issue by pulling hard might rip the fish’s mouth or straighten the hook, resulting in a lost fish.

Currently, the water in this area flowed quickly, and there were no obstacles nearby; it was delightful to play the fish, using the slackened line and the reel’s line capacity to cope with the big fish – indeed, the most rational and effective strategy for the situation.

The onlookers only heard the fishing reel’s line zipping out in rapid succession, as the fish bolted, dashing at least ten meters away without slowing down.

Lin Yang felt a bit of retrospective fear; it was lucky that he had reacted quickly, for had he been even the slightest bit slower, the fish might really have gotten away.

While he was still engaged in outmaneuvering the fish, it felt the loosened tension and slowed down its forward rush, suddenly leaping out of the water.

The drone’s camera immediately caught the dynamic image, and the viewers in the live stream saw the large fish’s outline.

Silver-white in color, with a slender body similar to that of a Silver Dragon Fish, but far longer—the fish seemed to measure close to a meter and a half. It thrashed wildly out of the water and then plunged back in.

"Holy cow, that’s massive!"

"A meter-sized Silver Dragon Fish? That fish just now was at least a meter long!"

"This thrashing is so satisfying!"

"Be careful, host, don’t let it get away!"

Thrashing is an instinctive behavior that occurs in lure fishing, where a hooked fish jumps out of the water and shakes its head and body trying to get rid of the hook.

The bigger and faster the fish’s movements, the greater the force exerted outward. If the fishing line is too taut at this time, it may result in a cut, the hook tearing a gash at the lip of the fish, leading to the hook coming loose, and even with larger fish with sharp scales, there’s a risk that the gills may cut the fishing line.