Feeling the fish start to move slowly underwater, Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
The worst case is when you lift the rod and nothing happens, then suddenly the fish bolts into a mad dash towards deep water.
When this happens, it indicates that the big fish has been startled and is in a panicked escape mode.
In such a state, even for Zhang Yang, it is very difficult to control the fish; it’s not much about technique, but rather about the strength of the fishing tackle and rod.
Like the state of the fish that just broke Zhu Wu’s rod and escaped; if it had been Zhang Yang handling it when the fish went crazy after the rod was lifted, he could only try his best to protect the rod. Whether the fish escapes or not is fifty-fifty, mainly depending on luck.
But now this slow-moving state is different. It indicates that although the big fish feels sothing foreign on its mouth, it hasn’t associated it with mortal danger. This gives Zhang Yang the opportunity to control and play the fish through technique and eventually bring it up.
Zhang Yang continued to keep a low center of gravity, squatting on the ground, carefully sensing the direction and strength of the big fish’s slow movent underwater. Whenever the fish showed signs of exceeding control, Zhang Yang would slowly apply force to adjust the angle of the rod, guiding the fish to turn and keep moving.
The eight-character fish-playing thod in Zhang Yang’s hands has beco almost an instinctive operation. He always kept the fish underwater moving within a relatively fixed range.
After more than a dozen rounds back and forth, Zhang Yang could clearly feel the fish’s swimming speed slowing down a bit underwater.
Only then did Zhang Yang return to sit on the fishing box to relieve the soreness in his thighs from squatting for a long ti.
Another ten plus minutes of continued fish-playing followed, and the pressure from the big fish on Zhang Yang beca less and less, with the fish-playing control becoming more and more skillful.
Zhang Yang had a premonition that the fish was about to surface.
After another five minutes, with the sustained stress from the rod’s waist power, the big fish gradually exhausted its strength and began to swim towards the surface.
About seventy to eighty centiters from the surface, Zhang Yang could vaguely see the outline of the fish in the water. Seeing its size, Zhang Yang’s heart finally relaxed a bit.
The big fish seed to be around ten pounds in weight. Having played it to this extent, it should be stable.
Adding so force with his hand, he successfully lifted the big fish out of the water. The fish, having exhausted its strength, no longer had the capacity to struggle. After Zhang Yang intentionally choked it with water a few tis, it quickly turned belly-up.
A fish turning belly-up is the clearest sign of exhaustion, indicating that it no longer has the strength to maintain even a basic swimming posture and can only be manipulated by the angler.
Zhang Yang carefully dragged the fish to the shore, holding the landing net pole in his left hand. He aid at the fish head position, gently probing and pulling forward. "Let’s go!"
The big fish entered the net successfully, this fish was secure!
"Referee! Weigh the fish!!" Before netting the fish ashore, Zhang Yang raised his hand and shouted.
It’s also a requirent in the competition rules: if a fish is estimated to weigh more than five pounds, you can call the referee to weigh it on-site and record the weight of the big fish. However, before the referee arrives, the fish cannot be removed from the water or brought ashore.
The carp caught by Zhang Yang was also the unique broad-bodied, short-round shape of Jiangsu carp, estimated to be over ten pounds. Calling the referee to weigh it fully complied with the competition process!
"Who needs to weigh the fish?" The referee worker, wearing a chest badge, walked over and looked around.
Zhang Yang raised his hand: "! Could you please help weigh it?"
The referee glanced at the fish still in the landing net and reminded, "Big fish weighing must be over five pounds. If it’s under five pounds, it’s a first warning; twice will disqualify the big fish from being weighed!
Also, after the big fish is out of the water, it can’t touch the ground, and the weighing must be done by the referee team staff on site. Did you understand this rule?"
"Understood! Thank you for explaining! The fish has turned belly-up, it’s definitely over five pounds. Ti in the competition is precious, so please weigh it now!" Zhang Yang said very politely.
"Alright, you can lift the fish out!" The referee nodded when he saw that Zhang Yang was polite, indicating that he could lift the fish out of the water.
Zhang Yang put down the fishing rod, grabbed the landing net pole with both hands, and slowly lifted it, easily bringing the fish out of the water.
The referee held a standard fish weighing net, indicating Zhang Yang to remove the fishhook. The two then cooperatively and easily transferred the fish into the net without it touching the ground the entire ti.
After the fish was placed into the weighing net, the referee handed a portable electronic scale to Zhang Yang.
"You hold it, I’ll make a video record for you!"
"Okay!"
Zhang Yang attached the electronic scale to the edge of the net and easily lifted the fish.
The weight displayed on the screen fluctuated continuously, soon stabilizing at one number, 6.25kg!
12.5 jin, slightly heavier than Zhang Yang’s estimation!
"Zone B, number 55, angler Zhang Yang caught a big fish weighing 6.25 kilograms, on-site weighing!"
The referee professionally recorded video with a phone, capturing close-ups of the angler, catch, and weight — the three critical indicators.
"Alright, filming is done; just place it in the keeper net as usual. Lucky! That’s the first fish over 10 jin today!" The referee completed the record and smiled at Zhang Yang, casually saying.
"Oh, sorry to bother you!" Zhang Yang nodded and imdiately placed the more than ten-pound fish into the fish keeper.
"I’m heading off, call if needed!"
"Take care on your way!"
...
After the referee left, Zhang Yang returned to his fishing spot, continued dipping the dough bait core with pellets, and cast it to the previous spot where he caught the fish. With more than two hours left in the competition, catching a few more would ensure today’s win.
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