The so-called water station might be unknown to those who haven't seen it before.
To put it simply, it can be understood as a gate equipped with a large water pump. When the water level needs to rise, the pump is switched on to transfer water from the lower side to the higher side.
Once the water level rises, it flows back toward the lower side, raising the overall level.
Therefore, in the canal, when the pump operates, the water moves quite fast, and those who occasionally sneak in to fish find it difficult for the bobber to stand still.
The group didn't rush to unload their gear but leisurely followed into the small iron gate of the water station.
Just as everyone wondered what Captain Liu was up to, they reached the place.
This was a square inlet similar to a competition pond.
The surroundings were all built with cement, looking very solid.
But from above, the bottom seemed quite deep, with the water surface estimated to be nearly three meters below the upper edge.
Under such circumstances, it's difficult to fish from above; with a short rod, it doesn't reach far, while a long one can't be swung easily in limited space.
The advantage here is that perhaps for maintenance convenience or other considerations, a cement terrace protrudes about one and a half meters wide and several dozen meters long, near the water's surface, accessible by stairs.
"I don't really know about fishing. You can go down there; probably the spot is good, right?" Captain Liu pointed to the steps and terrace.
"Not just good, it's exceptionally good! Fish tend to swim upstream, so when the pump runs, they'll surely gather at the gate! What a great spot!"
Meng Fan inspected the fishing spot, nodding in approval endlessly.
"If it works, you guys can enjoy yourselves here. Park the car a bit further! I won't lock the small gate of the water station. Just help me lock it up when you leave after having fun!" Captain Liu said generously.
"Thank you so much! Could you leave me a number? I'll call Xiao Hu and we'll meet up!"
Meng Fan climbed up the pole grinning, determined to get a key for the small gate.
It's essential to maintain a good relationship with Captain Liu; after all, King Yama is approachable but his men can be tricky.
Captain Liu was waiting for this, and without hesitation exchanged numbers with Meng Fan, even adding each other on WeChat.
"Alright, you guys enjoy. I have to keep an eye elsewhere. Call if anything comes up! I'm off!"
"Got it, we'll stay in touch!"
After seeing off Captain Liu, Zhang Yang nudged Liu Zi, who had been glancing around: "What are you looking at, Liu Zi? Did you see how your Fan brother handles things? Learn from him!"
Liu Zi scratched his head awkwardly: "Hehe, I'm just assessing which spot would be good! We're sitting together, about six or seven people, hope there are enough fish below!"
"Well duh, the closer to the gate is definitely better! Hurry, grab your gear and claim a spot! Whoever gets there first sits!"
As Zhang Yang spoke, he sprinted toward the parking area, and the rest of the friends quickly reacted, running wildly too.
Many adults love the outdoors chiefly to unwind from daily routines and embrace nature, leaving behind life's constraints.
Like now, with everyone yelling to grab fishing spots, no one cared about ranks; even little Liu Zi was sprinting fast, afraid of missing out on a prime spot.
A group of adults, collectively hundreds of years old, sprinting in the wilds of early spring to claim a fishing spot, panting as they reached the water station, swiftly carrying their fishing boxes down the stairs.
After finishing, the group exchanged glances, laughing heartily as they caught their breath.
Being the quickest with the best physique, Zhang Yang claimed the closest spot to the gate, while others sat row by row, similar to private angling pits, averaging two to three meters per fishing spot.
"Don't bait the spot, guys. Fish just thawed out can't eat much, let's just attach the red worm and try fishing for a bit!" Zhang Yang called out, stopping Han Qiang who intended to use Rice for Making Wine.
"Shouldn't we drop some Rice for Making Wine to test the waters?" Wang Yan curiously inquired.
Zhang Yang: "Let's not rush to bait and prepare; we'll try fishing first then see!"
"Alright, better to heed advice. With everyone here today, if fishing is good, let's schedule lunch or dinner later?" Wang Yan suggested again.
Zhang Yang was naturally fine with this, given his ideal spot, but Meng Fan and the others shook their heads repeatedly: "Forget it, fishing with red worms without bait, what kind of nonsense is that? There's no skill involved!"
While Meng Fan's point held some truth, as the red worms came bundled from Zhang Yang's shop, no one's worms were imported.
No baiting, hooking directly, indeed seemed to lack technique.
Then Zhang Yang cheerfully proposed: "We could forego weighing fish total and count tails; let's compete single-tail weight for pure luck! Who wants to try?"
"What! Pure luck, just appearances? With my looks comparable to Daniel Wu, I've never lost at appearance-based contests! Count me in!" Wang Yan brazenly raised a hand.
Intrigued by Zhang Yang's proposal, the others joined in too; after all, brothers were here to play, luck-based fishing was about who had the lucky touch.
Decided on fishing rules, everyone busied themselves adeptly.
Setting new lines, adjusting bobbers, finding water depth, hanging lively red worms to hooks, flick of the wrist, here we go!
In this unique water station space, the rods between 3.6 meters to 3.9 meters worked perfectly; the only drawback was considerable depth, over 2.8 meters, nearly three meters.
Before casting, everyone envisioned the size of fish in the artificial canal but, having never fished here before, the anticipation surged as the rig and bait entered the water.
However, great expectations often lead to great disappointments. After a flurry of activities, no one hooked a fish after a good ten minutes.
"Darn, this place seems underwhelming, no bites! Boss, are you getting bites being near the gate?" Wang Yan frowned and asked.
Zhang Yang shook his head: "Nothing here either! Not even a nibble!" Check latest chapters at novel✦fire.net
"Shoot, can't be fooled, canal might not have fish? Not seeking big ones, even small crucian carp should be plenty!" Meng Fan couldn't help but complain.
From sitting down and casting, Zhang Yang continuously studied the surroundings.
This was closest to the water pump; if the pump operates, water comes from here. Between two water stations, the artificial canal spans several kilometers, hasn't dried in over a decade, with clean, live water, there should be fish!
After pondering briefly, Zhang Yang drew a blank; just then, the sunlight broke through from the east, illuminating the spot where everyone sat.
Seeing the light, Zhang Yang suddenly realized: "I've got it!"
"What's up? Are there no fish?"
"Yeah, boss, tell us; good fishing spots, nice area, but what to do if there's no fish?"
The group bursting with eagerness since yesterday, facing no bites now was indescribable frustration like cats on hot bricks.
Zhang Yang pointed at the bright sun while tightening his down jacket and slowly explained: "Just post-New Year, nighttime temperatures can still drop below zero! This water doesn't get sunlight, low temperatures will keep fish away from here!"
"Dang! Makes sense! Then what now? No fish, this nice spot's wasted!"
"Should we move spots? Try somewhere else?" Meng Fan suggested.
Zhang Yang shook his head: "There's no need, the entire channel has uniform depth. At this time in the morning, other places won't be much better either. Let's patiently wait for the temperature to rise, and the fish should bite more!"
Zhang Yang's rationale was sound, likely accurate of the water station's real situation. Listening to this, everyone had no better options and resorted to patiently waiting.
Little did they know, soon they'd encounter not fish nibbling bait, but a terrifying swarm of fish crazily gathering upstream at the gate during the scheduled pumping period.