Many anglers who aren't proficient in fishing have a misconception, thinking that playing and controlling the fish requires a high level of skill, but actually, this thing is not as difficult as lifting the rod to hook the fish.
In Zhang Yang's view, the skill of playing the fish is like a layer of window paper. Once pierced, improvement follows, and the main issue lies in the angler's psychology, not in the actual operation.
As long as an angler grasps the basic principles of playing the fish and operates with a bit of caution, the probability of successfully getting the fish on shore is still very high after stabilizing the fish underwater.
What you're afraid of is an angler who has no strategy after getting a bite and is mentally weak, where a mistake can be enough for a fish to escape.
Now, under Zhang Yang's personal guidance, Xiao Hui has successfully navigated the most dangerous few stages after getting a bite. He is continuously controlling the fish back and forth using the figure-eight technique, wearing down the fish's strength.
"Nice, Xiao Hui! With a 0.6 line, you really managed to stabilize it!"
Cheng was familiar with Xiao Hui's skills, and seeing the situation stabilized so quickly, couldn't help but marvel.
Xiao Hui was not at all cocky, still maintaining a tense state: "Everyone says playing the fish is technical, but after being guided by Master Zhang Yang on the spot, it doesn't seem too difficult! Once you understand the fish's movements, they behave so well in the water!"
Zhang Yang grinned, took the cigarette from Cheng's hand and lit it, saying, "Using small hooks, the fish aren't startled, that's why it's so easy to play them!
If it were a no. 6 or 7 Ise Hook, the fish would've been in a frenzy by now! The old saying, small hook, fine line for big fish, has some truth to it!
But don't relax too soon, if you want to safely play the fish and bring it up, there's still one more hurdle to go!
When you feel the fish is out of strength, ease up on the upwards pull a bit, and before it turns belly up, never let it break the water! The line is too fine to handle any sudden struggle!"
"Alright, alright, let's patiently play it under the water! No netting before it turns belly up!"
Xiao Hui nodded repeatedly, firmly noting down the key points Zhang Yang mentioned.
For the next twenty or so minutes, Xiao Hui maintained his posture for playing the fish, showing extreme patience.
After countless back and forth maneuvers, the fish was finally successfully played over and floated up.
Seeing the white belly floating on the water surface, Cheng shouted excitedly: "Grass Carp! Quite a size, looks like it weighs seven or eight pounds!"
Zhang Yang merely glanced and shook his head: "It's not a Grass Carp; with a red tail, it should be a Jian Carp! Brother Yan, there have also been carp stockings in the reservoir, right? Jian Carp seems to be a man-made breed of carp!"
Brother Yan nodded: "Yes, carps were indeed stocked! But they grow too slowly!"
When Xiao Hui safely bowled the fish to the shore, everyone gathered around, and indeed, Zhang Yang was right; it was a sleek Jian Carp, very much resembling an ordinary Grass Carp in shape.
Zhang Yang picked up the fish just below the head through the mesh scoop net, revealing its thick lips to everyone.
"Look at the lips on this wild big carp! A Jian Carp, male, with those thick lips, acting like an excavator in the water!"
Without Zhang Yang's reminder, everyone wouldn't have noticed, completely grown in a wild reservoir environment.
The lips of grown carp are more than twice as thick as those of farmed fish, slightly concave, continuously inhaling and exhaling. The no. 5 hook hanging on its mouth seemed particularly tiny, and the wound where the hook pierced didn't even bleed.
Cheng examined the fish up and down, very satisfied, and said: "A fish so lean must taste good! Let's keep it alive first, if we can't cook it later tonight, we'll stew it. I brought seasonings for cooking fish, and I'll show you my skills tonight!"
Zhang Yang: "I didn't realize, apart from loving fishing, Cheng is also a gourmet?
I've seen many people bring bait to fish, but it's the first time I've seen someone bring fish seasonings!"
"Haha, my fishing skills are mediocre, but when it comes to cooking fish, especially making fresh fish soup, I'm second to none! You don't know, I traded a whole case of Moutai just to get this fish soup seasoning package!!"
Mentioning making fish soup, Cheng's confidence rose immediately.
Xiao Hui also chimed in: "I can vouch for that; Cheng's fish cooking is top-notch! Tonight, we'll deal with this big carp!"
Zhang Yang nodded, looking at Xiao Hui: "Alright! Then we'll taste it tonight! By the way, Hui, after dealing with big fish now, do you feel more confident?
From your performance just now, you should have mastered playing fish! Time to take off the training wheels!"
"Take off the training wheels? What's that mean?" Xiao Hui asked, puzzled.
Zhang Yang laughed and said: "Didn't you learn to ride a bike as a kid? Holding the seat from behind for a while, then letting go, just keep riding!"
"Hahaha, that description is spot on!" Cheng and Brother Yan burst into laughter.
From hooking the fish to playing it up, Xiao Hui took over half an hour. The three of them were fishing relatively close, and due to the commotion of the big fish, there was little activity for the next twenty or so minutes.
But having initially uncovered the secret of preferred bait, they did not find the time hard to endure, leisurely re-baiting the lines and patiently fishing.
Around 4:30 in the afternoon, activity in the spot returned.
Zhang Yang gradually caught three big crucian carp from the spot, the largest of which weighed over a pound and a half. Although bites were sparse, the size was pleasing.
Having mastered the basic operation of holding the rod and lifting for bites, Xiao Hui and Cheng also caught several fish, while Brother Yan answered a phone call and left early for unknown reasons; the three anglers and one photographer were completely absorbed in the slow rhythm of the fishing environment.
Without noticing it, the sun set, the last ray of sunshine fell from the western peak, and the bobber on the water began to become blurry.
Xiao Yi keenly captured the unique beauty of the sunset over the reservoir, and without Zhang Yang's reminder, he began taking long shots with his equipment while the attention of the three anglers remained on the bobber in the water, still enthusiastic.
Cheng's ringing phone broke the current tranquility; it was Brother Yan calling, asking if everyone wanted to pack up and return to the accommodation to prepare dinner!
"Pack up, Zhang Yang? It's getting dark!" Cheng hung up and asked.
"Oh, okay! No one will steal the equipment if we leave it here?" Zhang Yang asked casually.
"No one will steal it; outsiders can't get in here! The old squad leader left his fishing rods and equipment here all the time!"
Zhang Yang nodded: "Alright, let's not fish today! I'll add some bait and make a sleeper bed, and we'll come back tomorrow!"
"A sleeper bed? Didn't you say the fish here recognize dates and that the baiting effect is limited?" Xiao Hui asked curiously.
Zhang Yang pursed his lips and smiled: "Ordinary baiting is limited, so add some flavor! Don't worry about it; I know what to do!"
Saying this, Zhang Yang took two bags of aged corn from the fishing box, along with a bag of Chinese medicine rice for making wine, mixing them with the leftover bait, and then opened the honey date syrup, pouring in three or four caps as if it cost nothing.
For a moment, the sweet glutinous smell of jujubes in the bait bowl overpowered the aroma of rice wine and aged corn; the fragrant sweet scent made people want to take a bite!
After mixing it evenly in a flash, Zhang Yang then made 'bombs' and tossed several balls into each nest, completing the baiting!
Just waiting to see the effect tomorrow morning!