When his gaze scanned around, he quickly realized, damn it, position number four is right in front of the oxygen machine, no wonder the fish bites are noticeably stronger than beside at number three.

The advantage of the fishing spot was obvious, and Zhang Yang’s fishing technique was appropriate. This session of the competition went very smoothly, while Liu Xiaotao, next door, took over the empty spot left by Zhang Yang, still in a half-dead state, occasionally encountering a fish.

In contrast, after Zhang Yang pinpointed the precise spot with good fish bites, every few casts he would catch a fish. The speed of catching fish increased to more than double that of the previous session.

With the right fishing technique, impeccable skills, and the obvious advantage of being right in front of the oxygen machine, Zhang Yang’s performance in the second session was superb.

In the thirty-minute competition, he managed to land 24 fish, and among them were two carp weighing around a pound each.

It’s worth mentioning that these two carp were caught in the last few minutes of the second session. The two carp were caught successively with less than three minutes apart.

If he had only caught one, Zhang Yang might have considered it a low-probability chance occurrence, but with two carp in a row, it certainly made Zhang Yang cautious.

Was it because the position was right in front of the oxygen machine, leading to more bites from the carp, or was it because the oxygen-deprived carp slowly recovered and started feeding again?

If the reason was the former, it didn’t impact Zhang Yang much since there was a position change in the third session. But if the reason was the latter, it would significantly affect Zhang Yang.

Just think, in the first two sessions, with all that effort, he barely managed to secure a lead with a few pounds of fish. If the mixed pond’s carp start biting, catching up to the weight of the first two sessions’ fish would be relatively easy. A crucian carp weighs only about a few ounces to half a pound, whereas the smallest carp weighs over half a pound, with some even reaching over a pound or two to three pounds.

Zhang Yang was very alert to changes in the fish’s behavior and understood the stakes involved. So, after the second session, he moved his fishing box to position number 05. With just a few minutes left before the competition resumed, Zhang Yang decisively prepared a small bowl of loose bait targeting carp.

Most of the time, the critical point between a fish being oxygen-deprived and ready to feed is clear-cut. They don’t open their mouths when uncomfortable for a day or even several consecutive days. This situation is usually due to poor fundamental water quality, algae issues, and the fish’s poor condition.

However, there are many times when the critical point between oxygen deprivation and feeding is a bit blurred, akin to the current mixed pond competition setting. The water quality management is excellent, and the fish’s vitality is quite good. Once they start biting, a small fish peak could occur over a short period.

Zhang Yang, currently the leading figure in his group, knew he needed to be clear-minded to maintain his advantage. Even if prepared materials go unused, it’s always better to have them ready than be caught unprepared, as the key wet feed setup from the morning might not hold up when it counts.

Meanwhile, other anglers were scrambling with unimpressive catches, but Zhang Yang? After moving to the new spot, he used his bait bowl to prepare a normal-water-ratio bait.

Witnessing this scene, Liu Xiaotao, finally at the position with the oxygen machine, felt utterly confused.

"Mr. Zhang Yang, are you preparing loose bait again?"

"Huh? Yes! I haven’t used much of his bait and I am not too familiar with it, so I might as well prepare a bit in the downtime to get a good feel. After all, it’s free public bait, it’s better to be safe than sorry!" Zhang Yang said nonchalantly.

Liu Xiaotao nodded thoughtfully after hearing Zhang Yang’s words. Zhang Yang was right; public bait is offered free, and wasting a bit doesn’t matter. In such poor fish conditions, loose bait is hardly needed. At the start, Liu Xiaotao spent at least five minutes aggressively baiting, only to end up with nothing.

In this specific scenario, Liu Xiaotao once again was led astray by Zhang Yang’s brief remarks.

Keeping in mind the opening of the carp, after the third session started, Zhang Yang consciously conducted targeted tests.

He would throw a few casts with the usual fly-lead bait, and then pinch a small amount of loose bait to test the water. After positioning the bobber, Zhang Yang didn’t immediately switch bait for the next cast. Instead, he delicately lifted the rod tip to tempt and tease any potential bottom-dwelling fish into biting.

In the beginning, there was no response, but about eight minutes into the third session, Zhang Yang habitually teased the rod tip, and the bobber, with a sudden sound, nearly dipped a mark.

The bite was prompt, and Zhang Yang decisively flicked his wrist to hook the fish. After hooking it, he gently led the fish out of the bait zone.

An eight or nine-ounce carp was eased to the water surface by Zhang Yang after a couple of rounds with a 0.4 thread, and then gently netted and secured.

If the two carp at the end of the previous session alerted Zhang Yang to the changes in fish behavior, this teasing of the bait and subsequent bite confirmed his suspicions. The fish’s behavior was indeed changing!

The biting action triggered by the teasing bait usually mimics small aquatic creatures escaping during feeding, prompting predatory behavior in fish. The appearance of such action indicates relatively high overall fish activity, further corroborating Zhang Yang’s assessment of the changing fish behavior.

Realizing this, Zhang Yang, starting with the next cast, decisively switched from pulling the bait to using the pinched bait, occasionally adding a small loose bait on the hook shaft to attract fish.

In the first few minutes of attempts, there was minimal bobber movement, yet Zhang Yang persisted. He believed that catching four or five carp in the third session was better than continuing to target crucian carp. With one fish already in the keep, and about twenty minutes remaining, there was a substantial opportunity. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Sure enough, persistence paid off. With Zhang Yang consistently and moderately adding bait to the spot and intermittently teasing, fish behavior underwent a noticeable change in the bait area.

The second carp bit down.

With a nearly perfect dip bite, and weighing just over a pound, it bolstered Zhang Yang’s confidence further.

Then came the third, fourth, and fifth carp!

With the bait area consistently productive, Zhang Yang increasingly hauled in more carp. Even with eight minutes remaining in the session, Zhang Yang had already completed his plan of five fish.

Seeing Zhang Yang start catching carp, Liu Xiaotao got excited. Could it be that the carp are feeding now?

He immediately adjusted his fishing technique, re-throwing loose bait pods to gather fish, aiming to grab a few more before the third session ended to make up for the fish deficit.

But his reaction was too slow. Zhang Yang’s gradual accumulation over fifteen minutes merely started to gather a small fish population in the bait zone. Liu Xiaotao, using the same public bait, couldn’t expect a few hefty bait throws to quickly lure the fish.

One option was a relatively safe, somewhat baited, productive zone, whereas the other option was a barren, uncertain bait zone without food safety guaranteed. It’s clear where any fish would prefer. Naturally, it’s the gathering area with other fish.

Thus, the third session became a turning point for fish behavior changes. By the last five minutes, Zhang Yang was in rapid-fishing mode, bringing up a fish every two to three casts on average.

Liu Xiaotao, attempting to lure fish by brute force baiting, failed. His focus shifted to taking over Zhang Yang’s bait zone instead.

But Zhang Yang, a seasoned angler, wouldn’t give him that opportunity.

In the final three minutes before the third session ended, Zhang Yang had ceased using loose bait to attract fish, instead focusing exclusively on pinching small bait to clear out the bait zone.

If it were just that, it wouldn’t be detrimental, given there were still many fish around, and it was unlikely to catch all the fish in three minutes anyway.

The real blow was Zhang Yang’s action in the final minute.

This sly dog, within the last minute, deliberately lifted the rod in the fish zone three times to scare the fish away.

And just like that, the bait zone exploded once again, leaving Liu Xiaotao with nothing but an empty, barren fishing spot.