On this day, with the announcement from the host Xiao Xue, the contest officially began!
And with her introduction, the rules of the contest were quickly popularized.
It has been mentioned before that the fish in Cha Gan Lake are mainly Fathead Carp, although various other cold-water fish can also be found.
After discussions with the local authorities, the program team finally established a rule.
That is to focus on fishing for Fathead Carp as the main theme, as Fathead Carp are the main attraction in Cha Gan Lake.
Fathead Carp basically generate the highest revenue during the annual winter fishing season in Cha Gan Lake.
Targeting Fathead Carp not only facilitates the competition but also serves as ample promotion for the area.
Imagine if, during the competition, everyone catches a large amount of Fathead Carp, watching one large fish after another being pulled from the water would certainly bring great positive publicity to Cha Gan Lake.
During the coordination to reserve Cha Gan Lake, the locals were also very supportive.
Promoting them through the competition, of course, is the right thing to do.
Therefore, the rules for this round are very simple, with only one target fish: Fathead Carp.
Fathead Carp, everyone is very familiar with them, which are bighead carp, also called Hua Lian, commonly known by fishing enthusiasts as Catfish, among which are Carp.
As the target fish for the competition was set as Hua Lian, some participants and spectators were thrilled.
Among the participants, the first to show excitement were some professional anglers.
Because for professional anglers, fishing for bighead carp couldn’t be more familiar. It’s the most habitual and skilled fishing method for them.
A few people were particularly noticeable, the first being Deng Guang. Deng Guang is one of the top anglers in the country, but he’s not famous for his performance.
On the contrary, he became famous through a series of reservoir fishing challenges against Boss Pan.
And during these challenges, the most common method was fishing for bighead carp.
Bighead carp are very common; almost all reservoirs have them.
Because bighead carp have a purifying effect on the water quality, regardless of what fish are farmed in the reservoir, mixing in some bighead carp not only increases output value but also purifies the water—it’s a win-win situation.
So fishing for bighead carp in reservoirs is also the most common method for anglers.
Additionally, bighead carp are relatively large and comparatively easy to catch; as long as the bait is correct, the fish layer is identified, and fish are successfully attracted to the spot.
Catching rod after rod of bighead carp is not a dream.
It was through countless bighead carp fishing experiences, along with Boss Pan’s challenges, that Deng Guang, a master in the fishing community, rose to fame, even sparking a fishing craze.
At the time, on platforms like TikTok, Deng Guang’s reservoir challenge videos exploded in popularity, surpassing many top accounts, and even fishing as an activity became a moderate craze.
An originally very niche activity, typically viewed as something for retirees, suddenly became popular.
Many young people started getting into fishing and quickly became avid fishing enthusiasts.
Many people suddenly realized that what seemed like an activity that required little movement, sitting all day long, was actually so exhilarating.
The moment the bait, hook, and float hit the water, the excitement was no less thrilling than a basketball buzzer-beater.
When you lift the rod and the fish dart around, causing the rod to roar, the thrill compares to the World Cup in soccer.
Thus, Deng Guang greatly propelled the sport of fishing, turning it from a very niche activity into something not so niche anymore.