"What is the anchor doing now, pushing the float so high? Has he given up struggling?"
"Master Lin is probably adjusting his fishing technique, studying the several unsuccessful attempts he just had."
"Possibly, but by pushing it that high, the float is almost useless, with half of the main line lying on the bottom. What’s the point?"
Lin Yang didn’t have time to explain to his online viewers what this was all for, as after pushing up the float, he replaced the bait and cast it again.
As the bait hit the water, just as the viewers in the live stream had guessed, the main line bent too much and the float completely shot up; pushing the float up any further would likely render it unable to even stand.
With the float maintaining this odd arrangement of the line setup, Lin Yang quietly waited for the float that had led him to miss several times before to continue its course.
After a minute, there were no signs of a sinking float motion. The fully exposed float standing tall suddenly bobbed vigorously, pulling the float under in an exaggerated fashion.
Seeing this, Lin Yang lifted his rod to set the hook.
He hit it this time!
The force transmitted from underwater surpassed any fish he had faced before. Its speed of fleeing wasn’t fast, but it carried an unmatched posture.
The fish hook felt as if it had caught the back of a steadily charging bull; the 8.1-meter Hanlong Pole was bent bit by bit, then pushed down further, quickly reaching a dangerous angle, soon it would turn into a tug-of-war.
If using the Losing Hand Rope had been allowed, Lin Yang would have released the rod already, but the rules didn’t permit it, so he could only watch as the rod continued to be pulled downwards.
As it neared the tug-of-war angle, he gritted his teeth and grasped the large handle of the rod, swinging it back and forth left and right.
This technique of swinging the rod was new to Lin Yang—it was a fishing skill that naturally occurred to him as his fishing level and technique improved. It could be considered an emergency measure for big fish in a tug-of-war situation.
Under today’s desperate circumstances, he employed it.
Though it was his first time using this method, the practical effects were quite good.
It seemed that the fish underwater felt the painful stimulation caused by the swinging of the rod on the surface, and the force of its charge lessened, and it actually turned around.
Feeling the change in the direction of force, Lin Yang let out a small sigh of relief. If it turned around, he still had a chance to slip away.
Slowly, he lifted the rod again.
"Damn, what kind of divine move is this? Are we shaking it up together with sister-in-law? Together, let’s shake it?"
"The person upstairs is mucky, I’ve already got a mental image."
"Where did the anchor learn these skills? How can he swing the rod like that after catching a big fish? What’s the principle here?"
"What kind of fish is it? Considering its reaction after getting hooked, it feels so mysterious. The anchor hasn’t relaxed at all, why can’t he control it completely? The big fish he caught earlier weren’t this tough."
"It must be a big fish. Looks like the anchor’s BMW is secure. Waiting for the anchor to win the BMW, the live stream will send red packets."
The atmosphere among the viewers was heated, but Lin Yang was not having an easy time.
The big fish had turned around, but the immense force was still ongoing. The rod emitted a frightening humming sound, as if it was about to snap at any moment.
During today’s competition, several anglers had already broken their rods for various reasons; he didn’t want to be the next.
After the fish turned around, it didn’t last long before swimming toward the front right again. Lin Yang, having ample reaction time this round, stuck the rod into the water, hoping the fish would turn around again.
Although downward bending of the rod could exert a greater elastic force to relieve pressure, there was a limit to this, and the force of the big fish had already surpassed that limit.
Seeing that sticking the rod downward wasn’t working, Lin Yang lifted the rod again and continued to swing it left and right.
At this battle level, swinging the rod left and right was more effective. After about 10 seconds, the second charge’s force was also dissolved.
Thus, Lin Yang began a prolonged struggle with the big fish underwater.
Each time the fish turned around, he seized the opportunity to lift the rod, stepping backwards a few paces whenever possible, and as the fish exerted force again, he moved forward a few steps, swinging the rod back and forth when it was nearly at its limit to make the fish turn back in pain.
The quality of the fishing rod Xia Xiaoxue had bought was proven again, as each time the rod bent into an arc, it felt like it was about to explode, and the high-frequency trembling sound of the line group made Lin Yang’s nerves tense.
Yet, he survived each dangerous moment; neither the leader line broke nor did the rod snap.
Lin Yang’s reaction after hooking the fish was distinctly different from others, a difference soon noticed by other anglers at their spots, including Xia Xiaoxue, who kept an eye on his movements from across the way.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Half an hour...
The stamina of the big fish seemed boundless; Lin Yang could barely perceive any sign of weakening. Holding the rod for so long made his arms numb, the muscle bundles in his lower back stiffened, and even wearing just a shirt, his whole body was sweating profoundly.
But fortunately, he had a stubborn spirit that helped him withstand one shock after another.
This had become more than just a physical contest; it was a battle of wills.
After enduring countless rounds of assault, finally, Lin Yang pulled the fish back again, this time feeling that the underwater fish’s struggle was noticeably weaker.
At that point, only 15 minutes were left until the end of the competition.
"My God, it’s been almost an hour now. Just how big is the fish the anchor caught, it hasn’t surfaced yet."
"It’s soon, it’s soon. It feels like the anchor’s lifting the rod much faster after turning it around this time."
A few more minutes passed, and finally, the big sturgeon, exhausted, slowly surfaced.
Its silvery-gray skin, long sword-snout, shark-fin-like tail, and body covered with bony plates, all spanned over 1.2 meters in length.
Such a huge sturgeon.