The Top Fishing
Chapter 72 - 071: Fishing Ground Renovation

Chapter 72: Chapter 071: Fishing Ground Renovation

He had finished the live broadcast just before ten o’clock.

Lin Yang glanced around, and saw Yang Xincheng and Old Sun were still not wrapping up at the fishing site, apparently wanting to play a little while longer.

After cleaning his gear and washing the fish basket, then hanging it to dry, he found himself with nothing to do.

"Finished already? If you’re not in a hurry to leave, come in and have some tea with us," Wang Jian Country invited him when he noticed him idling.

After dealing with two fishing events, Lin Yang had a pretty good impression of this pit boss, so he nodded and entered the house.

Moreover, he did have some questions about black pit management and development strategies that he could discuss with Wang, as constantly stocking such small amounts of fish was not conducive to his future development.

"Brother Xiao Yang, you really have some skills. Take a seat, would you prefer black tea or green tea?" Wang Jian Country greeted him.

"Doesn’t matter, either is fine. I don’t know much about tea; to me, they all taste the same."

"How long have you been fishing, Xiao Yang? Your consecutive catches in the last two events have really taken me by surprise."

Lin Yang casually fibbed, "I never formally studied it. When I was in university, there was a local classmate whose family was in the fishing gear business. I worked in their shop over the summer break and picked up a little bit. Black pit fishing developed later around here, so I just had a bit of an advantage in what I had seen."

"Oh, so you have some understanding of how black pits are managed elsewhere? Could you tell me about how they operate? I’ve been thinking about this issue recently, but my vision is too narrow, and I lack suitable ideas."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yang started to speak with a smile, "I wouldn’t say I understand fully, I can only give you the basics. Actually, the fish stocking and fees in other places aren’t much better than ours, but there are many different rules. For example, reserving fishing spots, they don’t do that anymore elsewhere."

"If they don’t reserve spots, then how do they solve this issue?"

Lin Yang: "It’s simple, they use a lottery system. Everyone draws lots based on when they sign up, and fishing spots are marked with numbers. Whichever spot you draw is where you sit, and it’s all down to luck."

"Ah, that’s a good method. How come I didn’t think of it! Between you and me, I’ve been bothered by this issue of people reserving spots in the middle of the night. Just today, someone was banging on the gate before four in the morning, ruining my whole night’s sleep."

"Besides the issue with reserving spots, nobody uses hand-thrown fishing anymore, as it often causes conflicts. There are also unruly anglers who disrupt things halfway through—and many other problems like that."

"More?"

As Lin Yang opened up, Wang Jian Country’s eyes brightened. These suggestions were exactly the type of precise insights that addressed his current dilemmas.

"Personally, I suggest that if you want to regularize the fishing site, our irregular river branches won’t do; there’s too much disparity in the spots. Elsewhere, they use man-made standard ponds that are easier to manage, reducing the impact of luck and making it fairer and more transparent for the anglers."

"Standard ponds? What size do you think would be suitable for our current surroundings? I can start the excavation now, my brother is in construction, and I have access to all sorts of excavators and loaders, just a shout away, and a bit of oil money will do."

"Is there an appropriate site? I think a reasonable size would be at least 80 meters long and 20 meters wide. Any smaller and it lacks development potential."

"That’s small enough? There is, see that big poplar grove to the east outside the cabin? That’s all mine, on a 20-year lease. Not just one pond—I could fit five!"

Lin Yang: "Then dig a rectangular pond running east to west, 80 meters long by 20 meters wide with a depth of 2 meters. Use layered clay for seepage prevention and install pipes and gates at both ends for water intake and discharge, drawing water from the river for regular changes."

"That’s sensible; I like this plan! You’ve really helped me out here. I was thinking of visiting other places for ideas, but after this enlightening talk with you, it’s all clear now!"

During the ensuing casual conversation, Lin Yang detailed various other aspects he knew for Wang Jian Country.

The more Wang Jian Country listened, the more excited he became, afraid that he might forget some details, so he took out a notebook and recorded Lin Yang’s ideas.

An individual’s perspective on issues can be limited due to various constraints. But when elevated to a higher dimension, many things become simpler.

The knowledge that was common in Lin Yang’s mind became a huge revelation for Wang Jian Country, opening a new door of possibilities for him.

"Brother Yang, talking with you for a bit really solved a big problem for me. Lunch is on me; I’ll treat you to a meal!"

Lin Yang smiled and shook his head, "It’s just a little immature suggestion. No need for lunch. If you really want to make a standard pond, let’s have a good drink together when you open for business."

"Okay! I’ll make a phone call right after this. This afternoon, I’ll have someone mark the lines with lime. If all goes well, we start construction tomorrow!"

Wang Jian Country’s decisiveness took Lin Yang by surprise. It was just a conversational brainstorm over tea, and he had already made his decision.

As expected of someone with a military background, his actions were decisive and full of vigor.

Lin Yang gave him advice, not because their local Black Pond was too scarce or even immature.

He needed to rack up points, so he needed to catch a large quantity of fish frequently, but wild fishing didn’t always provide such generous resources for him to fish every day.

So coming here occasionally to fish was still very good for him.

The two of them continued to drink tea for a while until it was eleven in the morning.

At that time, Yang Xincheng started packing up to sell his fish. He had a record haul that day—45 pounds, earning him 135 yuan in return, curve included when he got ashore.

Old Sun also had about 40 pounds, likewise including a curve upon landing ashore, also used Lin Yang’s bait, which made these two enthusiasts ecstatic over their catch.

That afternoon, Wang Jian Country posted a photo of Lin Yang’s second protective explosion to the Black Pond WeChat group, causing quite a stir once again.

Many people were skeptical about the catch of over eighty pounds in three hours, but with so many witnesses and a livestream of the entire process, even those who were not convinced started to get ideas.

Could there really be some sort of magical rice wine bait?

Of course, Lin Yang’s two protective explosions had something to do with his enhanced rice wine, but more importantly, it was about the technique of fishing, including how to bait a nest and when to pull the rod, and so on.

After all, Black Pond Fishing is all about who has better fish snatching skills.

.....

At this moment, in a fishing gear store in Dongyang Town, Zhang Qiang, who only caught six fish by the time he packed up, was completely devastated.

So much for regaining his dignity, he only looked cool for three seconds before being effortlessly knocked out and shut down.

Seeing Lin Yang’s continuous catches on the live broadcast felt like a public execution to him, and the social death was unbearable.

For the sake of his face, he left the fishing spot at half past eight and hid in his car, waiting for Lin Yang to pack up and leave before going back to clean up his gear and slink home dejected.

When he got home, the more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became—how had he performed so well at the start only to lose in confusion?

He couldn’t help but call an angler he met a while ago.

The person was also a local and a professional angler he had met by chance who was idle recently as there weren’t any competitions since spring.

After ringing for over 30 seconds, the call was finally answered, followed by a somewhat weak and confused voice: "Hello? Qiangzi, what’s up?"

"Brother Tian, where are you? I need to consult you about something. Today I...."

Wu Tian had just had an all-nighter playing mahjong, not returning home until after five in the morning and had slept in. He was still groggy when Zhang Qiang’s call woke him up.

His mind was initially a bit foggy, but after more or less hearing about Zhang Qiang’s ordeal, he quickly perked up: "Really that amazing? You’re not just trying to pull my leg, are you?"

"How could I? There’s a video in the group, I’ll send it to you if you don’t believe me."

"Alright, send it over, we’ll talk later."

A few seconds later, two videos of weighing and returning fish were sent over.

The basket was jam-packed with the catch, and from the video, it wasn’t captured in just one shot. Especially the fish in the keepnet with damaged scales, it was clear they had been caught and rolled inside the keepnet, causing the damage, which made the video seem quite credible.

"When will they stock the pond again? I’ll come with you to check it out when I’m free."

"Normally, they stock the pond on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, so the next stocking should be on Saturday if nothing unexpected happens."

"Okay, contact me in advance."