They say strength earns respect. In a fish-catching contest, Zhang Yang's small team of three earned Ding Wen's approval through their results. After all, those who know Ding Wen well understand how stingy he can be. Getting him to take the initiative to invite someone to dinner is no easy feat.
However, given Zhang Yang's understanding of Ding Wen's character, he was certain he wouldn't attend the meal. They simply weren't aligned.
"Sorry, we've already made other plans. Maybe next time!" Zhang Yang pretended to hesitate as he shook his head, politely declining.
"Oh, I see. Well, let's catch up next time when there's a chance!" A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Ding Wen's face.
Having declined Ding Wen's invitation, within minutes the draw for the second round concluded as well. At the judge's command, everyone began entering the arena.
Zhang Yang drew number 33, situated on the northern shore, slightly to the east of Pond No. 2. After entering the field, he meandered over to his spot carrying his tackle box.
There were ten minutes of prep time before the contest began. Zhang Yang readied everything according to his most accustomed routine, patiently awaiting the start of the second round of fishing.
For the first bout, Zhang Yang had a certain tactical plan for catching fish, but for the second round, he wasn't as confident.
The mixed fish were larger than the small crucian carp, but much more timid.
This means the chance of them biting again shortly after being hooked once is much lower.
So Zhang Yang wasn't sure how favorable the fishing conditions were, and could only adopt a trial and adjustment strategy as he fished.
With the initial ten minutes of prep time over, the starting gun sounded again. Zhang Yang pinched Triangle Cannon into a double hook, flicked his wrist, and cast his line into the water.
After making seven or eight consecutive casts to establish his fishing ground, he baited the double hooks and probed with a cautious cast while glancing around the area.
No anglers around him caught any fish; only a stranger across the bank hooked one.
Patiently, he made a few more casts, still with no bites. Zhang Yang inwardly sensed this wasn't good.
Damn, the fishing situation here is tough. With forty people fishing in Pond No. 2, the mixed fish conditions aren't promising.
The fish aren't eating vigorously, so pounding with scatter bait is pointless. Zhang Yang decisively paused the scatter bait and switched to small bait on the double hooks, kicking off Plan B.
But perhaps he'd used all his luck in the earlier round, as his first cast with small bait got snagged on the bottom!
"Damn! Getting snagged now? Shit!" Zhang Yang mumbled a quiet curse to himself when he saw his hook stuck on the bottom.
In fishing competitions, getting snagged is the second worst misfortune after a bait explosion. When a hook gets stuck on underwater obstacles, pulling up the rod will likely break the tackle line if not done delicately and can frighten away nearby fish.
Zhang Yang knew well how to handle a snag. Confirming it, he promptly leveled the rod and gently exerted pressure to cut the hook off the line.
Running his fingers along the line, he saw that the cut hook was the upper hook on the leader line, which made his heart sink.
In pole fishing, the leader line has two hooks: one upper and one lower. Under normal conditions, a snag usually occurs with the lower hook, which lies or touches the bottom, as the upper hook applies less force, making snags less likely.
This time the upper hook was cut, leading Zhang Yang to suspect that the woven fabric on the bottom had deteriorated over time.
This indicated that the bottom's terrain was unsuitable for fishing, making it significantly harder to catch fish under such conditions.
Should he switch spots and make a new fishing ground? Zhang Yang hesitated momentarily.
But despite the hesitation, he remained composed.
Before deciding, he swapped the leader line and cast a few times around the area of the fishing ground.
Just a 20 cm distance away, he snagged again on the second cast!
This time he didn't cut the line, instead managing to pull up some black, fuzzy, bottom-grown fiber. As expected, it was entrapped on nonwoven fabric.
The fabric had lifted in the fishing ground, completely ruling out the possibility of relocating and making a new fishing spot.
This area was one of the worst in the pond, where conventional bottom fishing would lead to unavoidable failure.
Having been a favorite in the first round, drawing such a frustrating spot in the second left Zhang Yang slightly exasperated.
What to do? What to do? What to do?
Zhang Yang's mind raced, weighing the consequences of possible actions.
Should he start nearby with frogs? Or bypass the main fishing area and cast far with a large flying lead?
Different fishing strategies would lead to vastly different outcomes. These approaches might catch a few fish, but to truly succeed, one can't just randomly hook a few and expect to score well.
It's like a college exam requiring sixty to pass; trickery to get 59 solves nothing. In essence, 59 isn't any different from 30 or 50 points.
Suddenly, while Zhang Yang was lost in thought, the angler beside him struck a fish, the motion startling Zhang Yang slightly.
Did the neighbor catch one? Zhang Yang remained acutely aware of his surroundings during the competition and immediately turned to observe.
Not much to see in terms of unhooking the fish; Zhang Yang focused on the opponent's baiting technique and Bobber movements.
Upon observation, he indeed noticed something.
The neighboring angler's skills seemed average, using leftover paste bait from the first round. The two bait balls were poorly done, trailing long from the hook shank, evidencing an amateur level.
However, after casting, during the Bobber's upright movement, Zhang Yang noticed several clear indications of off-bottom nudges. The slight half-target lift suggested the bait wasn't ingested, but there were definitely fish chasing it.