I thought he was looking at something, but unexpectedly, this guy was analyzing whether the fish was new or an old one!
Whether the fish is new or old doesn't affect the overall fishing process to follow, but the angling mindset reflected in this decision is very important.
This shows that in Wang Yan's mind, he already has awareness and consideration in this area.
This kind of fishing mindset is rare, and many anglers don't even think about it after years of fishing.
Zhang Yang didn't remind him about this, Wang Yan learned "instinctively" in terms of fishing mindset!
After another ten minutes or so, around seven o'clock, Zhang Yang looked at his phone and reminded, "According to the usual pattern, about half an hour after starting to fish, it should start biting gradually!
You can start to speed up your frequency a bit now, after all, there's little bait down there!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Wang Yan nodded and immediately accelerated his casting frequency.
He seemed still a bit rusty with the double-hook and Triangle Cannon, but his technique was basically fine; he just needed more practice over time.
Zhang Yang also noted Han Qiang's Triangle Cannon technique, and it was clear that Wang Yan was slightly better.
Less than ten minutes later, Qian Wenbo from the middle of the northern shore was the first to catch a fish, and Wang Yan turned his head to take a look, then accelerated his casting frequency again.
"There's a bite! Amituofo, come on, Amituofo, come on!"
Wang Yan was muttering like a shaman while casting at a quick frequency, not looking around anymore, focusing his attention on the feeding box and the bobber in the water.
As soon as the double hook was in place, he immediately lifted the rod, without even intending to wait.
At this high frequency, there was soon action in the fishing spot, and the somewhat bulky electronic bobber swayed slightly, prompting Wang Yan to grip the rod handle tightly.
Zhang Yang whispered, "Don't be so tense, don't worry about the small movements early on, just keep attracting fish, slowly start fishing when the spot is full of them!"
"Slowly fish? Oh!" Wang Yan was puzzled but didn't ask why and continued casting.
Soon, there was a bite as he drew out the line, not even reaching the fishing indicator, then a couple of rapid downward jerks, and it was on!
"Here we go!" Wang Yan lifted the rod decisively to hook the fish, pulling the pole up directly.
The arm-lifting movement was significant, but the motion of hooking the fish was not.
Based on this alone, it's hard for Zhang Yang to believe that Wang Yan was a novice who only recently started learning to fish. At least he was better than Han Qiang next to him.
"Haha, got a bite, just now it bit fiercely!"
Wang Yan held the rod steady with one hand, reeling it in for two rounds, not rushing to bring the fish to the surface.
Seeing this one-handed rod maneuver, Zhang Yang continued to remind him, "Rest your left hand on the fishing rod, using your right hand to control the fish will save a lot of energy!"
"Rest the back of the hand on the fishing rod? There's no need, with the little strength of the fish underwater, it's not tiring at all! I'm just worried about the line not holding, or else I could easily pull it out with a gentle force!"
Seemingly to prove his point, Wang Yan exerted strength in his arm the next second, indeed bringing the fish to the surface, pulling it back along the waterline until it was at his feet.
Zhang Yang held the landing net in the water, smoothly coordinating to get the fish in!
"Not bad, you have quite a bit of strength in your arms and wrists!" Zhang Yang exclaimed.
"Haha, I'm not being modest, working in the workshop at the tractor factory, dealing with cylinder blocks and crankshafts all day, everyone has some strength in their hands!
Even if I don't look like it with my biceps, guys from the gym might not even be as strong as I am when it comes down to it!"
"Awesome!"
Zhang Yang believed him; this was something you couldn't fake. At least if he were to control the fish solely with arm strength, without considering technique, he would admit his inferiority.
"Hey, I've got a bite, the first one! Got anything going on over there?"
Wang Yan held the fish tightly with both hands, fearful it might escape, clumsily lifting it for his buddy to see.
"Hmph, don't flaunt it, if it slips away, you'll have peace!" Han Qiang sneered with a look of disdain.
As luck would have it, just as he finished his words, the fish in Wang Yan's hands struggled vigorously, the slippery surface made it hard to hold, and it slipped into the water.
"Haha, I told you not to show off, and now it's gone!" Han Qiang laughed with an open mouth.
"Damn!" Wang Yan barely had his moment of glory before instantly falling silent with frustration.
Zhang Yang couldn't help but grin, casually handing him a towel, "Wipe your hands, don't get worked up. Your fish handling technique is wrong; I'll teach you on the next one!"
"What a pity, this was my first official catch, and it was over before it even began! My first time is gone just like that! Isn't this like getting milk delivered to your doorstep for free?" Wang Yan grumbled gloomily.
"Stop whining like you've been jilted, look at us… I've got a bite here too, come up!"
Han Qiang began with a sneer, but upon seeing the bobber move, he paused slightly mid-sentence and lifted to hook the fish, catching his first one of the day too.
By comparison, Han Qiang's 3.6m fishing rod was softer, making reeling in slower, though his hooking force remained quite strong, the sharp whistle of the fishing line slicing through the water drew curious glances from anglers nearby.
After a few rounds, Han Qiang landed the fish and, across from the landing net, teased Wang Yan while accurately placing it into the fish cage.
Wang Yan, determined to catch another, waited slightly before his next cast, and indeed got another bite, landing another fish.
"Little Zhang, brother, how should I hold this fish?" Wang Yan asked Zhang Yang this time without flaunting.
After unhooking the fish, Zhang Yang casually pinched the recessed area behind the carp gill plate with his right index and thumb.
"Just hold it like this, how about it? The fish is pretty calm, right?"
Indeed, this carp, slightly larger than the previous one, remained quite still in his hand, as if pressure-pointed.
"What's the reason behind this? Amazing! Did you really pressure point it?"
Wang Yan was astounded seeing Zhang Yang's effortless fish handling, as this was his first encounter with someone dealing with fish this easily.
Zhang Yang explained, "The two sides behind the gill plate are near the heart at the back of the fish head, there are indentations there, and pressing these points restricts the fish's blood circulation, stopping its struggle.
But you also have to consider the fish's size and your hand size; if the fish is too big, grabbing it this way is still quite difficult!
In that case, I use a second method!
The next moment, Zhang Yang lightly cradled the fish belly with his left hand, and his right hand transitioned suddenly, with the thumb and index finger pressing directly onto the fish's eye sockets!"
Wang Yan swallowed reflexively, "The first trick was okay, but grabbing the fish eyeball? That's pretty intense!"