Zhang Yang shared his experience with Xiaobao about the details of using bait, leaving nothing undisclosed. What seed like simple details made a world of difference in catching fish at critical monts.
Following Zhang Yang's thod, Xiaobao also attached two weights of bait and cast it out again with high hopes.
At this mont, an unexpected situation occurred.
The bobber moved at the sa point during the descent, dipped a half eye, and then just hung there, not moving.
Xiaobao lifted his rod to set the hook again.
Swish!
Whoosh...
As Xiaobao lifted his rod, it seed as if the fishhook was snagged on a speeding motorcycle underwater, and the fish took off like crazy.
In just three or four seconds, the line produced a sharp, whistling sound. Xiaobao, tilting his rod and subrging the tip in the water to control the fish, ultimately could not make a difference—the hook was cut, and the fish got away.
"Damn! What was that, is there a big fish in this mixed pond? It was so strong!" Xiaobao scratched his head, glancing at the broken fishing line.
Zhang Yang curled his lips: "That fish was snagged! Didn't you notice it was pulling in the wrong direction underwater? A hook in the mouth and a hook in the body make the fish swim differently!
Now that the spot is disturbed and the gathered fish are scattered, swap to weight bait and cast a few tis again!"
"Alright, will do!" Xiaobao nodded. After switching to a new line, he continued to fish with weight bait.
When the fish activity is chaotic, the details of the bait technique aren't apparent, but now, with the school dispersed and calm again, the characteristics of the weight bait co into play.
With a small amount of bait thrown, entering the water quickly, the bait ball is small, and the fish's tentative bites have a high success rate.
After a few casts, finally, Xiaobao saw a clear and strong dip, lifted his rod to hook the fish, and finally had a catch!
"Got it, got it! A big bite, more than one eye!" Xiaobao excitedly shared his capture mont.
Zhang Yang nodded: "Now that the fish activity is sorted out, just keep fishing, you stay here and fish while I check out other spots!"
Greeting Xiaobao, Zhang Yang moved towards Han Mocheng's fishing spot.
Four ponds—two for target fish and two mixed. The general conditions of the other three ponds were already known. Now, only Han Mocheng's pond, number four, remained to be learned.
Unlike with Xiaobao with whom he was casual, Zhang Yang didn't start a conversation with Han Mocheng, a newcor. He quietly moved to about three or four ters behind him and silently observed.
From his observation, Zhang Yang noticed so small details. Han Mocheng's fishing technique was much better than Xiaobao and Liu Zi's, with casting and reeling in fish done skillfully, revealing him as an experienced angler.
The fish activity in his number four mixed pond was noticeably slower than what Xiaobao experienced in pond number three earlier.
Zhang Yang stood behind him for at least five minutes. Han Mocheng cast his rod seven tis and only saw one hesitant bite which he missed.
Just as Zhang Yang was about to patiently observe further, Han Mocheng put down his rod, turned sideways, and took out a cigarette from his pocket. As he lit it, he caught a glimpse of Zhang Yang behind him with the corner of his eye.
"Hey, buddy, what are you doing here? When did you start standing there without making a sound?" Han Mocheng asked, surprised.
"Hehe! Just for a few minutes! The fish aren't biting much in pond number four!" Zhang Yang smoothly changed the subject.
Han Mocheng replied, "Yes, the fish in pond four are quite finicky. Local friends say the fish here have been fished and released repeatedly for at least four or five years; they have beco very picky, with high demands on bait taste and status. If the bait isn't right, they ignore it completely!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Zhang Yang's interest was piqued.
At his skill level, regular fish activity presented no challenge to Zhang Yang.
With just a few quick casts, Zhang Yang could roughly gauge the current fish activity.
But today was different—the fish in pond number four were selective about specific flavors, stirring a trace of challenge within Zhang Yang.
With nothing else to do, he might as well study what flavors pond number four's fish preferred.
In a way, an expert angler fishing these seasoned, cautious fish in old ponds was like a math genius tackling a complex problem.
Simple 1 1 = 2 questions hold no interest for a math genius, but proving a conjecture perks their interest. This was Zhang Yang's current state of mind.
"Why not try it yourself? I've tried several baits; none of them worked well!" Han Mocheng invited.
"Sure, there's not much happening with my target fish!" Zhang Yang readily agreed.
Returning to his previous fishing spot, he moved his tackle box over and soon relocated to pond number four.
With preparations complete, the main event began. Zhang Yang took out a basic carp bait mix and opened his tackle box to bring out a collection of additives.
Yes, indeed, it was an extensive collection.
When it cos to playing with additives, Zhang Yang is a top master. Before trying, he didn't know what these picky old pond fish liked but needed to add a bit and test it out.
"Whoa, you've got a full range of additives. Is your family in the additive business?" Han Mocheng couldn't help but laugh and tease when he saw this.
"Haha, sort of! Just giving it a try," Zhang Yang replied, not pausing his quick work of kneading the bait into over ten small balls.
Discovering what unknown fish prefer in taste is quite challenging for typical anglers, who, having shallow understandings of additives, often rely on hearsay without knowing the reasoning behind it.
Bait testing is primarily about mixing different additives and trying them with luck to find a possible result.
At first glance, it seems like a random probability math problem, but it isn't.
In general, the taste preference of seasoned, cautious fish still follows certain rules.
For example, all seasoned fish, no matter their size, have no aversion to alcohol-based substances. Fernted leftover bait at the bottom of the pond produces alcohol, which seasoned fish are long accustod to.
Furthermore, in this hot weather with poor water quality, fruity acidic additives are also a must.
Besides these two types, Zhang Yang, patient, resisted using other single-item additives, conducting a fishing experint instead.
Adding a few drops of additives to each small bait ball and stirring evenly, he placed them aside for use. In under five minutes, Zhang Yang had over seven or eight different concentrations of bait in front of him.
For the next ten minutes, Zhang Yang entered a bait-testing mode, casting ball after ball into the water.
After a series of trial casts, Zhang Yang quickly identified a relatively valuable pattern in the fish bites.
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