Just as Zhang Yang had figured out the pattern in the arena and was gradually increasing his catch, most of the ordinary anglers sitting around the mixed pond had not yet reacted to the sudden change in fish behavior.

On the first day of the competition yesterday, the fish in the mixed pond were abundant and active, with fish vying for food everywhere. But after fishing two matches and spending a night, when they returned on the second day, there were hardly any bites.

This abrupt change in fish behavior caught many experienced anglers off guard.

However, anyone who made it to this tournament was not lacking in skills; the only difference was the speed of their reaction to the drastic changes in fish conditions.

Compared to the ordinary anglers, the other members of Zhang Yang’s team performed much better. Zhang Yang had already briefed everyone beforehand and provided strategies for adapting. Meanwhile, teammates sitting directly across from or not far from Zhang Yang could observe his fishing techniques and imitate them when they were unsure, gradually securing their own catches.

Speaking of imitating, Liu Xiaotao was also an experienced angler. When Zhang Yang next door first started catching fish with a "frog gathering" technique, Liu Xiaotao was still stubbornly sticking to his own method and didn’t adjust immediately. Only after making a round without any bites did he begin to observe Zhang Yang’s adjustments.

The lead sinker was below the float, obviously visible to next door, "fishing with big flying lead, huh? If you fish that way, then I will too!"

Liu Xiaotao quickly followed suit, fishing with big flying lead.

Up to this point, Liu Xiaotao’s response was quite correct, but he hadn’t caught the fish he wanted.

Why? Because he only copied half of it, rigidly mimicking without grasping the essence.

To ensure the bait was within reach of traveling fish, Zhang Yang used "pull bait," while Liu Xiaotao was still using the pre-tournament prepared "paste bait," which was heavier and lacked detail. The double hooks entered the water as two small dough balls, descending too quickly, making it difficult for any fish to catch up, significantly reducing his success rate.

In the following ten minutes, Zhang Yang continued with the pull bait and big flying lead method, making only one adjustment in the last five minutes by artificially reducing the size of the pull bait ball.

The principle remained the same: no matter how many fish the bait could attract, Zhang Yang minimized this possibility as much as possible. This way, when the positions were switched, Liu Xiaotao wouldn’t gain any advantage in attracting fish.

Soon, the last five minutes of the first session ended, with Zhang Yang securing two more crucian carps in the keep net. In the half-hour competition, he had secured a total of 11 fish, the largest being less than half a kilo and the smallest around 100 to 150 grams, with a total weight of just over three jin.

"Attention all anglers, the first section will end in the last ten seconds. Upon hearing the countdown, everyone should put down their fishing rods and prepare to switch positions according to the sequence! Countdown 5 4 3 2 1, the first section is over!"

The whistle sounded, and everyone put down their fishing rods and stood up from their positions.

With the first section completed, out of the thirty-two anglers, almost ten had not even started fishing. Most people pulled their fish keepers roughly from the water with brute force, slung them over their shoulders, moved to the next spot, and then threw their keepers heavily back into the water.

In contrast, Zhang Yang’s movements remained as minimal as always. He didn’t lift the fish keeper out of the water; he gently dragged it along the bottom to the fourth fishing spot, quickly set up his tackle box, and then securely placed the keeper back. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Hey, Zhang Yang! Would you like some water?" As Zhang Yang settled into his new position for a brief rest on the tackle box, Liu Xiaotao’s greeting came from the side.

Zhang Yang paused slightly, turned to look at Liu Xiaotao, and saw a smile of ingratiation on his face.

Kindness without reason is either a crook or a thief, Zhang Yang instinctively judged.

"I have my own, so no need. Thanks!" Zhang Yang decisively refused.

"Uh, well, I wanted to ask you something! I noticed you used the big flying lead method earlier, right? I tried it too following your lead, but I got no bites!" Liu Xiaotao wasn’t put off by Zhang Yang’s aloofness and boldly began to inquire.

If it were a completely unfamiliar angler, even in the same competition, Zhang Yang wouldn’t hold back advice when asked sincerely, especially having secured such a large advantage in one section. But since the person asking was Liu Xiaotao, who was with Huang Zheng, it was a different matter.

Zhang Yang hadn’t forgotten how Huang Zheng and his group behaved provocatively yesterday morning, and now they were looking for advice on fishing methods? Sorry, I’m not that kind-hearted.

"It’s just the big flying lead, so keep fishing that way! Use common bait. There’s not much change in that, and it might be the spot, why don’t you try again?" Zhang Yang replied casually with a bit of a mischievous hint in his tone.

"Oh, okay, thanks! I’ll give it another try!" Liu Xiaotao, not catching any falsehoods in Zhang Yang’s words, nodded and fell silent.

The few minutes allocated for changing positions quickly ended, and at the start of the second session, Zhang Yang resumed his tactics, using the big flying lead with pull bait, mainly targeting bites during the travel.

After moving to position 04, the fish behavior was somewhat unexpected to Zhang Yang. Using the exact same method, he caught two fish in his first five casts, surprising him.