Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King-Chapter 646 - 375: Fanning the Flames

Humans are strange creatures; no one can refuse the joy of getting something for nothing.

Even Han Mocheng, the wealthy master Han, who could easily manipulate some resources from his family to make millions on a matter, felt an irresistible allure when he heard Zhang Yang mention the possibility of skimming off some silver from the outside teams in the Winter Fishing Hall.

"So how do we play this round? Shouldn't we use some strategies or tactics? How about you take the lead, and I'll hold back a bit?"

Han Mocheng glanced sideways and lowered his voice to speak so only Zhang Yang could hear.

Zhang Yang reacted instinctively to Master Han's proposal with a smile: "Haha, what are you thinking? There's no need!! Everything is the best arrangement; just give it your all and perform normally!

Catching fish means you need to bait the hook; there's no need to gamble much on this! We happened to draw a fishing spot near the east gate, let them taste some sweetness, and as long as we break even, it's fine! Ever heard of 'to capture, one must let loose'?"

"Got it!" Master Han nodded, saying no more.

The captain is the captain; his way of looking at things is truly impressive!

"Is everyone ready? I'll count down from five, and then we'll start, okay? Five, four, three, two, one, go!!"

Brother Da shouted out loud, and all the anglers raised their fishing rods again as the fifteen participants began the fish-skimming competition!

Zhang Yang joined the others in the casting lineup, flicking his wrist to gently throw out the fishing line and bait.

After warming up in the previous round, Zhang Yang had a general understanding of the fish conditions on the south bank of the warm shed, and for him, the situation was almost transparent. After just over ten casts, he slowly started catching fish.

The fish conditions were slightly worse than the last round, but still within Zhang Yang's acceptable range. He methodically cast his line, utilizing the quick sinking feature of his steel-foot float to firmly control the pace of catching fish.

In the last round, the second-place winner caught sixty-one fish. So for this round, keeping the catch pace between fifty and sixty would be sufficient. Based on the current state of the fishing spot, Zhang Yang adjusted his casting and bite-catching rhythm slightly, easily maintaining a pace of several fish per minute.

Zhang Yang had just mentioned the strategy of to capture, one must let loose to Han Mocheng, and now he was practicing it himself. With the current fishing conditions, Zhang Yang could potentially catch around the low sixties or even seventy.

But Zhang Yang didn't do that; he kept his score around the fifty to sixty mark, leisurely catching two or three fish per minute.

In contrast to Zhang Yang's ease, Han Mocheng next door was much more tense. Without Zhang Yang's steel-foot float, he used a short-bodied, number two crucian float, casting with effort after starting and frequently monitoring Zhang Yang's fishing techniques.

Only in close competition does one truly appreciate Zhang Yang's superb fishing skills. With the same casting and retrieving, Zhang Yang always managed to be a touch faster than others. Every cast was just a bit quicker, which added up over the course of the round, giving him a significant lead in catch count.

Han Mocheng knew this logic and initially forced himself to try to keep up with Zhang Yang's pace, but he gave up after a while. In addition to differences in casting accuracy, even when Han Mocheng timed his bites to coincide with Zhang Yang's, he found himself consistently a second or two behind in the unhooking process, no matter how hard he chased.

At this juncture, Han Mocheng truly understood the meaning of Zhang Yang's oft-repeated statement that fundamentals are the foundation of everything.

Without any fancy baits, additives, or 'high tech' to create a gap, starting from the same baseline, Zhang Yang relied solely on his fundamental skills to outperform Master Han, earning Han Mocheng's utmost admiration.

Twenty minutes flew by.

Just as they were engrossed in the intense fishing, time seemed to pass quickly, and then Brother Da's timer alarm went off.

"Time's up, time's up! Everyone put down your rods! Teacher Ma, organize the guys to count the catches!" Brother Da stood up and shouted, directing his words across several anglers to Ma Yuhua.

This was a gesture showing respect to Ma Yuhua since asking someone to organize the work recognized their status and influence. Ma Yuhua reveled in this flattery and respect, and Brother Da, with a lifetime of experience, knew how to handle such small nuances very well.

Ma Yuhua nodded and shouted to his top disciple: "Xiaodong, you and Liangzi go lend a hand and help everyone count the fish tails!"

"Okay, master!" The two disciples obediently stood up from their fishing spots, took the basin handed to them by Brother Da, and quickly squatted down to start counting the tails.

In the last round, the top five catches were around the low fifties, and this round saw a slight drop, but it didn't affect much.

In a warm-room Winter Fishing Hall, they stocked at least a thousand pounds of various-sized crucian carp. After practicing casting for only two or three days, most fish were still in a state untouched by hooks, a condition that would last for some time before gradually changing.

"Number one, 45 tails!"

"Number two, 47 tails!"

"Number three... "

Each time Liu Xiaodong finished counting an angler's catch, he solemnly reported the total number of tails, and next to him, Liangzi diligently recorded the results in his phone's memo.

Soon it was Han Mocheng's turn.