More than two hours passed without anyone noticing; the temperature began to rise, but the fish situation remained unimproved. A bunch of grown men hadn't caught much, only Liu Zi, with some luck, switched to a thinner line and caught a carp weighing about two ounces.
Just as everyone was calculating that with the sun rising and the temperature increasing, the fish might bite better, suddenly the roar of the water pump's operation echoed from the inside of the water station.
"Damn! They're starting to pump water!" Zhang Yang couldn't help but complain upon hearing the noise.
Meng Fan said, "Before the waterway is completely cut off, they still have to pump water at set times every day, but the pumping duration is only half of what it used to be! Two hours during the day, two hours at night!"
"So what do we do? Keep fishing or retreat? Once the water is released, the bobber will definitely drift, and there's no point in staying! Considering the fish situation, we might as well fish for carp at Yaokeng Reservoir!" Wang Yan irritably flipped up his bandit's hat used for warmth, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, showing low enthusiasm.
"Since we're here, no need to rush back! Let the water flow; if we can't rely on bobbers, let's tighten up the rod tips! I don't believe that after the water temperature rises and the pumping stops, there won't be any bites!" Zhang Yang rallied enthusiastically.
Since the captain spoke, others naturally had no other thoughts and patiently continued fishing.
The water was drawn from one side, then flowed downstream, right where Zhang Yang and his group was positioned, which was the uppermost part of the current water section, essentially the intake area.
The water flow was a bit fast, and the bobber, as expected, couldn't stay stable, quickly sinking into the water due to the current.
Zhang Yang decisively removed the bobber, casting the rod to tighten the rod tip directly.
Experienced anglers might have tried the rod tip tightening technique, although it's rarely used in most Taiwan fishing methods.
How does this method work? It doesn't adjust the buoyancy balance of the entire line set using a bobber and lead weights; instead, it directly weighs the line down with heavy lead, loosening the space beans on both sides of the lead seat, making the entire fishing line taut.
When fish take the bait, they will pull the line, causing a movement at the rod tip, allowing the angler to feel the signal and strike the fish.
Objectively analyzing this method, it actually belongs to the category of extremely dull and tight fish situations, using strategies for biting to catch them, but losing many bite signals.
This method is only used under very poor visibility conditions on foggy days or severe drifting situations where bobber visibility is impossible.
After hooking fresh red worms on the double hooks, Zhang Yang recast the rod into the water, holding the rod in his right hand, patiently waiting for a possible bite.
The others imitated, removing the bobber but keeping constant grip on the rod, fearing missing a bite.
They waited over ten minutes, and nobody caught a fish. Hands kept gripping the rod, which was starting to get stiff in the current low outdoor temperatures.
"Boss, this method isn't working either! Still no fish bites! I think we might have miscalculated today! Should we just pack up and go?"
Han Qiang rubbed his frozen, stiff hands, muttering with a puff of white breath.
Even Zhang Yang was starting to have doubts at this point.
In his memory, this artificial waterway redirection did happen in his past life, but the best fishing phase occurred while Zhang Yang was away competing in an external tournament. This text is hosted at N()velFire.net
When he returned from the competition, the fishing situation along the river segment had reached an end. At dusk, the artificial waterway side was bustling with people, with anglers filling every spot like radishes in pits, more thrilling than dark pit cannons.
The reason Zhang Yang was so persistent despite the poor fish situation was that he had witnessed the fishing bonanza at the end stage in his past life, catching seven or eight large carp and frequently carp over a pound in one night.
Now that the group of buddies had a chance to enjoy a solitary fishing session, how could they easily pack up and leave?
As Zhang Yang pondered why there weren't any fish biting, he suddenly felt a slight vibration coming from the rod handle he was gripping.
At first, Zhang Yang didn't notice this slight vibration. As he was momentarily distracted, a stronger force from the water pulled, bending the rod tip into a curve.
"Damn, I've got one!" Zhang Yang reflexively flicked his wrist to lift the rod, feeling a heavy weight from the rod's front end.
The first fish was not small!
Hearing Zhang Yang's call, everyone turned their heads in unison to watch attentively.
Seeing the tip of Zhang Yang's 3.6-meter rod bending into two sections, everyone knew this wasn't a joke; it was a real catch!
Zhang Yang didn't know the exact size of the fish, so his technique of controlling the fish and lifting the rod was relatively conservative. After two rounds of maneuvering, the fish was pulled out of the water.
Seeing the fish, everyone's breath quickened.
From a simple visual estimate, its size could easily exceed a pound! Its silver scales shimmered captivatingly on the surface, looking incredibly beautiful!
"Damn! A big plate carp! Looks like it's over a pound! Xiao Fan, help me with the landing net! I'm using 0.4 line and don't dare to reel it in hard!"
Zhang Yang glanced at the fish in the water, hurriedly calling a companion to assist with landing the fish with the net.
Everyone had brought their landing nets down from the car, but due to the poor fish situation, none had been set up. Meng Fan hurriedly screwed on the landing net head and then helped Zhang Yang lift the fish up.
Once the big carp was on shore, everyone eagerly examined it closely.
Its actual size in hand was a bit larger than it had appeared on the surface. Zhang Yang felt its weight, estimating it to be over a pound and a half!