Many anglers had never seen such a scene before. You have to remember this was a wild fishing environment, not an expensive, fee-based "black pit" or a reservoir.
In the scene, Lin Yang had successively caught nine catfish, with even the smallest weighing about six or seven kilograms. Together, the nine fish probably weighed around 150 kilograms.
With this achievement, his individual catch weight was undoubtedly ranked first. Even among teams of three, this weight was enough to place in the top three.
Although several teams had steady bites, their catches mostly consisted of Crucian Carp, Carp, Bian Fish, and a few Grass Carp, which were generally smaller.
Most were about one or two kilograms each, with three or four kilograms considered large. The largest were only around ten kilograms, but these were rare with just two or three instances. Many teams had fished so hard their arms were practically sore, yet their combined catch barely reached around 100 kilograms.
Following this trend, it seemed impossible for them to catch up to Lin Yang’s individual haul by the end of the contest.
Even the current overall leaders, the Lotus Pond Trio, were only ahead by thirty to forty kilograms.
Lin Yang just needed to reel in two more somewhat larger catfish to surpass them.
Now with 40 minutes remaining, all the spectators were watching him to see if he could continue to perform strongly in the remaining time, thus achieving the feat of leaping from last to first place. If he managed, it would surely become a huge topic of conversation.
The production team also highlighted this aspect, frequently focusing the camera on Lin Yang to see if he could accomplish this feat.
Clearly, this challenge was no trouble for Lin Yang, as his bait area was full of catfish. Just casting a line would likely yield a decently sized catch.
It took him less than half an hour to consecutively hook five catfish. Although none were particularly big, this haul was unquestionably enough to put him in first place.
With little time left and a substantial lead, Lin Yang decided to stop fishing and simply rest.
Seeing this, many scoffed that he was slacking during the competition, yet he was still winning.
Lin Yang rested, not out of laziness, but out of genuine exhaustion.
Anyone who has fished more than a few times knows how exhausting it is to continuously cast for three or four hours, especially using a nine-meter heavy rod.
From clearing his fishing spot to continuously landing big catches, he hadn’t stopped for a moment, and his shoulders were aching terribly.
Although he could have caught more, there was no need. He wasn’t trying to set a world record. Winning the first-place prize of thirty thousand yuan was enough.
Soon, with the announcement by the referee, the leisure fishing competition officially ended, and all teams stopped fishing!
Over at the Lotus Pond Trio, the three anglers had been fervently fishing until the last moments of the competition, particularly the team captain Ye Long, who caught a five-kilogram Carp right as the contest concluded.
However, their final tally was just over 170 kilograms, ranking them high among all teams, but they were still far behind Lin Yang’s trio.
With Lin Yang alone nearing 180 kilograms, adding the catches of Li Xiaopeng and Yue’er – who hadn’t caught much but had continued competing earnestly – their total was about 40 or 50 kilograms. When combined, their total weight had surpassed 200 kilograms, reaching around 220 kilograms.
After the contest officially ended, all teams ceased fishing, and the competition judges began to weigh and announce each team’s results.
The team in spot number one had all opted for catfish, but due to issues with fishing spots or baiting techniques, their performance wasn’t great, tallying up to just over 80 kilograms – as if the three of them together had caught only about ten catfish.
The team at fishing spot number two also had a poor result of just over 90 kilograms.
Then, at fishing spots three, four... the total weight for each spot was announced one by one. Among the dozen teams, not one had a total weight exceeding 120 kilograms.
It appeared that in the almost purely wild setting of the Liuyang River, even fishing masters couldn’t guarantee a significant catch.
Soon, the competition’s weighing staff reached Lin Yang and his teammates, weighing their catches separately.
Lin Yang’s weight was 92.5kg, Li Xiaopeng’s was 18.3kg, and Yue’er’s was 9.2kg. Together, their total came to about 120kg, which is around 240 kilograms.
After their team’s weight was confirmed, the viewers of the official live broadcast were already aware that the champions had been decided.
Indeed, a few minutes later, the weight for the adjacent team, the Lotus Pond Trio, was revealed. Their combined weight was about 178 kilograms.
Had Lin Yang and his team not participated, or if Lin Yang himself hadn’t joined, the championship would likely have belonged to them, but unfortunately, there were no "ifs."
Not long after, the results for all competing teams were out.
Before the award ceremony, the female host interviewed several teams to share their thoughts, starting with the Lotus Pond Trio.
Ye Long shook his head regrettably at the camera, "I didn’t expect to lead by so much only to be overtaken. I have to admit Lin Yang is truly strong, truly a master among amateur anglers. Lastly, let us advertise the Lotus Pond Trio, and please follow our video accounts...."