Behind him, Meng Fan also chimed in: "Damn right, Yang! He's right!
Human life is as fragile as a bird's journey to the heavens. Let's do this! Who cares if our opponents are masters or experts? We're here to take them all down! We've trained so hard for this very moment! Let's fight!"
Liu Zi's gaze also gradually became resolute as he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it!"
Zhang Yang was quite satisfied with the duo's state: "This is the right mindset, compete well. I've got your backs!
Once we've completed four rounds, we'll go back, split the prize money, drink, and eat skewers!"
That phrase "I've got your backs" was said with full confidence. Even though the fish situation for the competition was unknown, Zhang Yang was very confident about achieving results.
At this moment, Zhang Yang gave off a feeling completely different from his usual low-key nature, his sharpness was unrestrained and dominant.
After some psychological guidance, Meng Fan and Liu Zi's state noticeably improved. The staff constantly called out names holding the list, soon calling Zhang Yang's name.
"Here!" Zhang Yang responded, striding towards the drawing box.
"Nice to see you again, young Zhang! Come, draw here!"
The referee responsible for drawing knew Zhang Yang from drinking together last time and greeted him warmly as Zhang Yang approached.
"Teacher Li, you're here!" Zhang Yang greeted back, simultaneously reaching his arm into the drawing box and grabbing a rolled-up number slip.
The draw slips for the competition are specialized, resembling small scrolls, and when opened, they show the zone and seat number.
Zhang Yang expertly opened his draw and glanced at it.
"Target Fish A08!" Zhang Yang showed his drawn number slip.
"Not bad, it's pretty central, good luck!" The referee nodded and quickly noted Zhang Yang's draw result on the form.
The position of Target Fish A08 is indeed quite favorable.
According to the competition rules, the target fish is the small crucian carp, with the venue set at Pit No. 1.
Zone A is numbers one to twenty on the south bank, starting from position one towards the center. Zhang Yang was seated at number 08, roughly in the middle area, leaning slightly left of position 10.
This position is relatively decent, aside from the four major edges and the aerator at the very center, it avoids the disadvantage of having no opportunity to perform due to bad positioning.
For Zhang Yang, drawing such a position is quite an acceptable outcome.
"Thanks for your kind words, I'm off to verify my rods!" Zhang Yang nodded at the referee, turning towards the entrance.
Unlike commercial competition rules, in the national competition, rod inspection is mandatory, with strict limits on rod length discrepancies of no more than one centimeter.
At the entrance, several tables are lined up, where anglers need to hand their competition rods to staff for precise measurement. If everything checks out, they receive a verification label, directly attached to the rod handle, allowing them to compete with verified rods.
When fishing for small crucian carp, rod breakage is rare, so many anglers only verify a 3.6-meter rod to save time and rush into the field.
In contrast, Zhang Yang is more experienced, willing to spare an extra half minute to have backup rods verified, ensuring at least a replacement option in case of unexpected issues. Otherwise, strict referees may deduct points or even issue penalties.
With both rods verified, Zhang Yang carried his fishing box, rod bag, and other equipment, leisurely heading to position 08.
He set the fishing box with the seat number against the red bar, instantly entering battle-preparation mode.
Food boxes were set for baiting, rods set into the platform, towels placed near the fish protectors, water for washing hands was prepared in the baiting tub, and the leader line box was positioned for easy reach.
A series of preparations were adjusted to the most optimal state for competition, just awaiting the start of the match.
An expert can be identified by their first move, and Zhang Yang's pre-match preparation is absolutely textbook standard, distinct from those who stand around looking aimlessly and casually set their gear, just waiting for the match to start.
Soon, anglers at positions seven and nine on Zhang Yang's left and right also took their seats. Zhang Yang used his peripheral vision to glance at them, and upon realizing they were unfamiliar faces, he boldly observed them further.
To achieve results in practice, observing the anglers beside you is a crucial part of the process.
Through observing their actions and behavior, one can preliminarily assess their skill levels. If these details are well utilized, they can even impact strategy and final competition results once the match begins.
By observing, Zhang Yang noticed the angler at position nine was an amateur, while the one at position seven seemed more competent.
With this insight, Zhang Yang made a decision in his mind. If the fishing situation was decent, he could slightly lean his fishing hotspot towards the right-handed side, near number nine.
While not to the extent of completely blocking them out, he could confidently snatch a few more fish from the less skilled angler, Zhang Yang wouldn't hesitate to seize the opportunity.
Twenty minutes of entry and pre-match preparation quickly passed, and upon hearing the referee's starting signal, all eighty anglers across two ponds simultaneously lifted their rods and cast them into the water!
The match officially began, and Zhang Yang immediately flicked his wrist, casting the double hooks into the area about eight-tenths of the rod's distance ahead.
Like the previous strategy of testing the waters first, Zhang Yang didn't rush to increase the frequency to build a baiting spot. Instead, he wanted to assess the current fishing situation first.
To his surprise, the actual situation was slightly better than expected. On the third cast, as the bobber reached the bottom, it showed a slight upward jerk, followed by a subtle half-eye pause.
From days of repeated practice at the pole pond, Zhang Yang was already content with getting a half-eye bite. With a flick of his wrist, he hooked the fish and quickly used the rod's power to lift the fish out of the water.
A small crucian carp, weighing about one ounce, emerged with several scales missing along its back, looking slightly injured.
Examining the hook's entry in the fish's mouth, straight at the 12 o'clock position, the hook's penetration wasn't too deep or shallow. After inspecting this fish, Zhang Yang had a clear understanding!
No wonder Boss Ge, who ran the practice pole pond for years, handled the fish's bite condition so adeptly.
The missing scales indicated that this fish had indeed been caught by a hook recently and hadn't fully recovered.
Though the missing scales indicated an injury, its bite was precise, at the exact 12 o'clock position, with enough strength, overall, scoring at least a 70.
This is the biggest difference between a veteran and a novice angler. From catching just one fish, Zhang Yang gleaned a lot of crucial information, making his subsequent fishing strategy instantly clear.
With the fish in good condition and a high feeding drive, fishing techniques could be slightly more aggressive.
Zhang Yang decisively opened the food box, fetching the backup bait from beneath, splitting the leader line to load the bait. With a pull, he crafted two large, round bait balls.
With fast fish, it's time to increase the intensity. Zhang Yang cast at full frequency, entering a crazy bait-building phase.
For most anglers, the fish situation at Pond No. 1 was anticipated to be tough, due to continuous days of practice without new fish stocked in, the fish conditions were expectedly poor.
Therefore, most anglers, after symbolically casting about a dozen times to start a bait spot, slowed down casting frequency, attempting to catch fish early on.
The angler on Zhang Yang's right, number nine, also used this strategy. After a few casts, seeing Zhang Yang catching fish right from the start, he impatiently joined the catching game, casting bait and holding for ten to fifteen seconds before retrieving, stretching his pace considerably.
In contrast, Zhang Yang, at this moment, with double hooks and large bait pulls, lifted rods after the bobber turned over about ten points, repeating the casting action; casting volume and frequency were completely set as if fishing random serial numbered fish.
Meanwhile, the angler at position seven on Zhang Yang's left, seeing Zhang Yang catching a fish right from the start and subsequently increasing casting frequency to lure fish, hesitated for a few seconds, experimentally caught a fish, and quickly joined the rapid frequency rod drawing to catch quick fish.
Less than five minutes into the start, the atmosphere on the field already began to feel noticeably tense.