The lure hit the water and Lin Yang gently pressed down on the rod tip, immersing the latter half of the fishing line. He then rhythmically started reeling in, maneuvering the lure’s swimming action.
The previously stiff little mouse became vivid and lively in the water under his erratic and varied control.
It shook its head and swayed its tail rhythmically from side to side, mimicking the motion of a small mouse skimming across the water surface.
After moving about three to four meters, there were no strikes; however, when it reached a position about three to four meters from the splash point, the drone’s camera captured a shocking scene.
A ripple under the water moved swiftly towards the little mouse, the sensation of the fish speeding and parting the water was captured very clearly.
Seeing this, the viewers held their breath. Was it going to strike? The fish’s target seemed very clear.
At this critical moment, Lin Yang executed a masterful move: his right hand suddenly increased its reeling speed, causing the little mouse to make a short sprint, followed by two more continuous sprints. After three sprints, the little mouse paused for about a second and glided by inertia.
The next second, a massive mouth opened from the water, violently engulfing the rear half of the little mouse along with its rubber tail.
A negative pressure sound burst as the large fish snapped its jaws underwater.
Thud!
The little mouse was hit, and the large fish instantly turned around and plunged back into the water.
"Got it!"
A glint of excitement flashed in Lin Yang’s eyes, and he quickly jerked the rod to set the hook.
Unlike other lure fishing methods, this surface water technique is the highest in terms of aesthetics.
The drone camera captured the entire sequence: the lure entering the water, its swimming strides, the predatory fish’s pursuit and strike—all were clearly visible.
Especially the moment when a large mouth breached from under the water, the viewers felt a tingling on their scalps, and their adrenaline surged.
After setting the hook, Lin Yang raised the rod with both hands and started reeling in forcefully.
Being in shallow water had its benefits; the fish faced much less resistance in the water, giving him greater control during this stage.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
After reeling in more than ten meters of line, the fish beneath the water started resisting desperately.
Initially, Lin Yang hadn’t realized how large the fish was, but once it began to fight back desperately, the force became dramatically strong.
The nearly locked drag was pulled taut, clicking loudly, and the sensation from the rod tip felt as though he had hooked a motorcycle—controlling the fish was extremely difficult due to its astonishing power and speed.
"I have a feeling this might be a dogfish, and a meter-long one at that. Its strength is much greater than all the fish I’ve caught in Dongting Lake before. Thankfully, I moved the boat a bit, giving me a few dozen more meters of line—need more line...."
Lin Yang was calm in the beginning but became tense halfway through as the fish beneath the water surged again.
Click, click, click, click, click.
The line kept running out non-stop from the spinning reel, discharging seven to eight meters in the blink of an eye, almost reaching the drag’s limit.
At that moment, the performance advantage of his lure rod became apparent. Power transmission was extremely smooth, spreading the force evenly throughout the rod, valiantly withstanding the shock from the large fish.
As the line retrieval slowed, he immediately began winding back, pulling in the line that had just been taken out. This push-and-pull state ensured that as long as the spool wasn’t empty, the fish wouldn’t escape. His confidence as an angler rested in the reserve line in his spool.
After a dozen back-and-forth tugs, finally, the large fish’s strength diminished, its energy progressively exhausted.
"Phew, it’s a bit easier now, my hands are starting to feel weak...."
Seeing the large fish surface, Lin Yang took a deep breath.
Though the physical exertion was minor, the key was his mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness.
"Wow, this fish is huge, at least a meter long."
"It’s definitely a meter-long dogfish. Identification complete."
"It’s kinda scary looking, almost like a python."
Under the drone’s lens, a large fish with light-colored spots and a robust, elongated body floated on the water, allowing Lin Yang to reel in continuously, drawing it closer.
Next to the boat, the size of the fish became even more apparent. Visually, it easily surpassed a meter, perhaps even longer.
"Wow, Brother Yang, it’s so big!" Yue’er couldn’t help but exclaim upon seeing the dogfish up close.
Lin Yang nodded and then said to her, "Yue’er, hand me the large fish controller and the measuring tape."
"Okay, got it." She responded, turned to the toolbox, and quickly brought back the largest fish controller and a tape measure.
Lin Yang first slipped the anti-slip ring of the fish controller onto his wrist, then bent down carefully to clamp the fish controller onto the fish’s lower jaw. He engaged his arm and core strength to lift the large fish directly.
After bringing the large fish into the cabin, he managed the fish to give everyone a close-up view of it gulping down the bait.
The mouth of the meter-long dogfish, when opened to the fullest, could almost fit an adult’s fist, and the once seemingly sizeable mouse lure easily fit inside its jaws.