It's like how the same ingredients, in different proportions and with different cooking processes and times, can result in vastly different tastes and textures when prepared by an average person versus a national-level chef.
Likewise, with bait ingredients, how they are prepared, the proportions used, the purity of the medicinal liquors and essences added, and the duration of sealed fermentation all greatly affect the fragrance and purity of the bait.
Two bags of bait ingredients were more than enough, since he couldn't chum the water in advance.
As for the bait itself, he chose to stick with the old three options, since Crucian Carp and Carp have similar tastes, and the old three could still be used to catch Carp.
Taking the bait ingredients, and on his way out, Lin Yang also grabbed a landing net and several line rigs, spending over fifty dollars in total.
After paying, he hurried back to the riverbank, this time choosing a fishing spot with more aquatic plants.
The weather was good today, and it was nearing 11 a.m., with high temperatures expected at noon, so he wasn't worried about the bait taking too long to work. He threw in half the bait ingredients right away, using the same bait as before.
While waiting for the bait to take effect, Lin Yang adjusted his phone stand and restarted the live stream. Although there were only a few people, it was still nice to have someone to chat with and pass the time.
Moreover, with the Golden Finger now in play, he was confident that the number of people in his live stream would slowly increase.
Since he was aiming to catch big fish, Lin Yang switched to a 5+3 line rig, using a size 3 New Guandong Hook, and he kept using the same 4.5-meter fishing rod—he had no other rod.
However, this setup was still fine for catching Carp weighing under ten pounds.
Chumming for Carp usually takes a long time, generally between one to three hours. Since he was using finer bait ingredients this time, he estimated it would take about half an hour to an hour.
Patience is key when fishing for Carp. After baiting the hook and casting the line, Lin Yang sat on his small stool and quietly waited.
Although his chances of catching a big fish had increased by 20%, probability is always uncertain, so he wasn't too confident inside.
"Yo, brother, you changed hooks, huh? Getting ready to catch a big one?"
Lin Yang glanced at the phone screen to see the subtitle; it was from someone called Brother Aquatic.
In the past two weeks of streaming, hundreds of people had come and gone, but Brother Aquatic was one who always stayed and nearly always showed up when he streamed, making him Lin Yang's only familiar 'die-hard fan'.
"Haha, yes. It's not as exciting to catch little fish all the time. I'm trying something new to see if I can land a big one today."
"Bro, not to burst your bubble, but I've fished in that river a few times. Big fish? There are hardly any Crucian Carps bigger than a palm. If you can catch a big one today, at least three pounds, I'll send you a sports car!"
"Yeah, if you can catch a fish over five pounds from this little creek today, expect a plane to fly by."
"No planes or sports cars here, but if you manage to catch a big fish today, host, I'll definitely make my gift float across your screen."
"....."
Seeing the big brother make such a bet, the few remaining viewers in the live stream also joined in the commotion.
For a moment, Lin Yang's live stream was unusually bustling, though it was still just a handful of twenty-something people.
Seeing this, Lin Yang laughed: "No need, no need, just being here and having fun is good enough."
In his live stream, it was usually Brother Aquatic talking in the public chat, but it was the first time like today with continuous subtitles floating up on the screen.
After chatting for a few minutes, Lin Yang suddenly caught a glimpse of the fishing float, which had been quietly sitting on the water's surface, pausing momentarily, followed by a sudden dive as it completely submerged.
Seeing this, he immediately flicked his wrist and stabbed upward, "Got a bite!"
"Whoosh whoosh..." Accompanied by the whistling sound of the line being pulled up, the fishing rod was bent into a bow.
"Holy moly, actually caught a fish."
"The host's luck turned today, hooked a big fish in less than ten minutes after starting."
"Do you guys think it's possible he hooked the Earth?"
"Cut it out, it's obviously a fish on the line, waiting for the big brothers to flood the screen with gifts."
Seeing Lin Yang catch a fish, the barrage in the live broadcast room floated up nonstop, but at this moment, all of Lin Yang's attention was on the fishing rod in his hands.
Although he had previously only caught small Crucian Carp and small white fish, he had still caught a big one or two before, and he knew the fish beneath the surface wouldn't be small from the moment he pulled on the rod.
"Huff huff huff..."
Listening to the sound of the fish line cutting through the water, and seeing the tip of the line diving deep into the water, several viewers in the live broadcast room couldn't sit still anymore. As seasoned fishermen, they knew these were indications of hooking a big fish.
By now, Lin Yang had already stood up, lifting and firmly holding the fishing rod with both hands. Although his experience with big fish was limited, he knew he couldn't be hasty when hooking a fish, and that he had to slowly tire it out.
He kept adjusting his position, slowly dragging the fish back in.
Watching the commotion on the surface of the water, Brother Aquatic said, "Brother, that looks like a big carp you've got there!"
"Hm? How do you know it's a carp? Couldn't it be a Catfish or a grass carp?" Seeing the comment above, another viewer couldn't help but ask.
"It couldn't be a Catfish, nor a grass carp. Each type of fish has its own pattern of movement when hooked. If it were a Catfish, it would move like an airplane underwater, darting around erratically, occasionally surfacing before plunging down again. A grass carp would move rapidly within a certain range, showing strong bursts of energy at the beginning..."
"But carp react differently. After being hooked, they tend to swim into deeper water, not struggling violently, seemingly lacking in force, and then they suddenly exert their strength in the latter half. From what we see of our brother here, it's clearly a big carp on the line."
Brother Aquatic continued to type a barrage of messages on the screen, explaining as he went. It was clear that he truly knew his way around fishing.
Indeed, as Lin Yang gripped the rod, he felt the force in his hands growing stronger, but after holding out for a while, he still managed to slowly drag the fish back to the shore.
After feeling that the fish in the water was running out of strength, he took the opportunity to lift upwards, and then a large carp with a blackish-gray back was pulled out from the water.
Carp actually look similar to Crucian Carp, but their size makes them easily distinguishable at a glance.
At this moment, Lin Yang looked at the large carp, almost fifty centimeters long in the water, and his heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate. It might not seem particularly long, but due to a carp's big belly, it weighs much more than a grass carp or Catfish of the same length. He conservatively estimated it to be around ten jin.
It was his first time catching a fish over ten jin, and the feeling was indescribably thrilling, not to mention the Golden Finger reward.
Seeing the big fish pulled to the shore, flipping to reveal its pale yellow belly, the live broadcast room also became lively, with new viewers starting to click in.
"I'll be, it really is a carp, looks definitely over ten jin."
"Seeing the host catch a fish, I'm getting itchy to fish too."
"Si Ge, don't leave, what about the gifts you promised?"
"Hahaha, of course not, I get happy seeing someone else catch a big fish too. Gifts are on the way."