At 10:20 in the morning, the second session of the competition at the mixed breeding pond number 2 had been underway for forty minutes.
The fish activity was very slow all over the pond, many anglers who didn't do well in the first round had already given up and started packing their gear.
Most anglers still persevering in the competition were mainly catching misfit fish, bites were rare, and the entire place seemed quite desolate.
However, among them were two exceptions, who were managing to keep a good pace with their catches.
Zhang Yang on the north bank, and old Zhao mid-way along the south bank.
After the first session of target fish, Zhang Yang's outstanding performance had already caught the attention of several judges,
and now in the second mixed session, Zhang Yang maintained his fast catch rhythm, quickly attracting a group of judges nearby who were murmuring amongst themselves.
"Little Zhang is on fire again in the second mixed session!"
"If I'm not mistaken, his bait is the aromatic type, right? It's yellowish, do any of you know what he's using?"
"Dammit, my friend has no bites at all on the far side of the south bank, how is he doing this!"
"He isn't using Marukyu's imported bait; it looks like it's that new stuff called Huang Mianmian that just came out not long ago! It's said to be great for black pit fishing, but who would've thought it would be this effective for mixed fishing too!"
"Huang Mianmian? Which manufacturer makes it? Why haven't I heard of it!"
"It's a newly surfaced bait brand, Zhang Yang's own bait brand!"
Everyone who managed to qualify as a judge at the fishing association was an experienced enthusiast.
However, there's a certain difference between the competitive and black pit circles, and many heard about the peculiar bait Huang Mianmian for the first time.
Among the four judges, only old Yang knew about it, so when they were whispering, old Yang got to show off a bit in front of the others.
While the four judges were exchanging thoughts, Sun Xiufeng, the owner of the event sponsor Danyang Fishing Gear, also joined in.
"Old Yang, is this Huang Mianmian the product of Zhang Yang?" Old Sun slightly furrowed his brows, his expression a bit solemn.
Old Yang didn't mind and nodded, saying: "Yep, the agent is at Guangfeng Xinda Wholesale, both old Ma and old Lang's shops are selling it. It's been out for a while now, pretty popular with the black pits nearby!"
"Don't be fooled by Zhang Yang's young age; his fishing skills are not bad, and unexpectedly he can develop bait too! A new star in W City's fishing circle!
He crushed it in the last session with a top score and basically nailed the mixed session too, looks like he might win today's competition!"
Old Yang: "Most people are hardly catching anything in the pond, yet he's catching quickly, definitely got skills, maybe I should get to know him!"
Sun Xiufeng's eyes wandered a bit, agreeing: "Yeah, truly a master!"
Old Sun knew about little Huang Mian, but didn't know the manufacturer was Zhang Yang, such a young fishing master. Old Sun felt he should report this to Marukyu Company.
Time passed, and the second session quickly reached its ending.
At 10:30, the whistle blew right on time, signaling the end of the competition!
Zhang Yang successfully landed his last fish as the whistle blew, placed his rod back on the rack, stretched, and waited for the staff to come and weigh in his score.
Scoring for the mixed session is based on weight, much faster than counting the number of target fish. In a short time, old Yang and another judge surnamed Chen approached Zhang Yang.
"Did well in the second session! Others weren't getting bites, I noticed you kept reeling them in!" Old Yang initiated with a cheerful tone.
Zhang Yang grinned: "Hehe, lucky timing! Not hitting them consecutively as exaggerated, just reeled in a few quickly."
"Come, lift the fish basket for weighing!"
Zhang Yang responded and nimbly lifted the fish basket out of the water.
As the basket emerged, the carp underneath squirmed around, roughly estimating at least thirty or more, considerably more than the neighboring anglers who caught only three or five fish each.
The kid responsible for weighing saw the fish dumped into a plastic container, covered with a small red blanket, and the electronic scale's numbers quickly stabilized.
"Nice, quite a lot! Should earn you a top score in your group! Even number 40 to the east hasn't caught as many as you! Sign here after your score!"
Old Yang spoke while handing Zhang Yang the score sheet that had already been tallied.
Faced with the judge's friendly gesture, Zhang Yang was quite grateful and glanced over the scores from top to bottom, noting that the highest previous score was only 4.8kg, making his the only one in the north group with a double-digit weight.
"Thanks for the good words! Thank you!" Zhang Yang nodded with a smile, took the carbon pen, and wrote his name at the bottom.
"Are you acquainted with old Zhao from the south bank? I noticed he did well too, looks like he used the same bait as you!" After signing, old Yang pointed at Zhao Bingguang mid-way on the opposite bank and asked casually.
"Yes! Zhao is with me! We came as a group of three!"
Old Yang nodded: "Great! I'm quite familiar with old Zhao, let's get together sometime!"
With the scores tallied, Zhang Yang already knew he was most likely secure in today's competition, humming a tune while packing his gear, quickly leaving with his fishing box from the second venue. The competition was over; now just waiting for the results and award ceremony.
Leaving the fishing grounds, old Zhao and Meng Fan were already waiting outside.
"How'd it go Yang? Did you get the second session?"
Upon seeing Zhang Yang, Meng Fan grinned ear to ear, his genuine excitement evident with a departure from his usual composed demeanor, making Zhang Yang feel a bit uneasy.