It can be said that when the fishing gear store owner takes on a close apprentice, it's like gaining a loyal fan + an experienced Fisherman for the shop. Offering money, effort, and having a natural stance, these are the benefits of taking an apprentice!
This is why many fishing experts in the community like to take apprentices.
Like Ma Yuhua's apprentices, they're basically all like this. Every single one was carefully chosen by Old Ma and taken under his wing.
The quality of technique and insight doesn't matter, having money, being obedient, and able to handle matters are the strict criteria for Old Ma to take on apprentices.
Seeing this, some might want to complain: isn't it just fishing? Is becoming a disciple necessary? Isn't this a bit far-fetched? Could such a silly situation actually happen?
Absolutely, it can!
The reason this situation occurs isn't that apprentices are silly, the main reason is that information dissemination channels are too narrow. As a pioneer, the "master" holds the crucial technology, connections, or bait, little medicines that apprentices urgently need.
To obtain these things, becoming a disciple is understandable. Ultimately, it's a mutually acknowledged exchange of resources.
Now, more than one person wants to apprentice under Zhang Yang; in their eyes, his performance has reached or even surpassed other local experts.
This recognition and admiration from the heart are hard-earned by Zhang Yang through his skills and efforts.
However, unlike those so-called experts, Zhang Yang has been smilingly declining these apprenticeship requests.
Zhang Yang, who has returned anew, plans to overturn the traditional competitive fishing practices of the previous life, so how can he walk down the path of apprenticeship which he views as outdated?
In the later rapid development of self-media in the fishing circle, such family distinctions vanished.
As the fishing skills of the whole nation improve, only then will the domestic fishing sport flourish, and this is Zhang Yang's aspiration.
And taking apprentices, although yielding short-term profit, does not align with Zhang Yang's long-term vision.
Of course, not taking apprentices does not mean that anyone can simply come up asking for advice, and Zhang Yang will lay bare his whole bag of secrets.
The ancestors said that skills are not casually taught; at the very least, personality and character should pass the test, and Zhang Yang is currently cautious on this point.
So, during an afternoon, with four or five waves of fishing buddies coming to the shop wanting to learn Zhang Yang's new technique for Flying Copy carp fishing, Zhang Yang did not accept any of them. He just briefly explained the general principles before moving the conversation along.
Only after everyone left did Zhang Yang take out two sets of lines, each one only three meters and three long, from the counter and handed them to Lao Zhao and Wang Jun.
"Why give these to us? We prepared the lines yesterday!" Lao Zhao glanced at the lines, shook his head, and did not take them.
Zhang Yang grinned, "Don't I know you two? You're itching to learn that Flying Copy, right? Too many eyes for now to teach it openly, but now it's just us guys here in the room, still holding back from me, huh!"
"Hey! Zhang Yang, you've learned bad tricks!" Wang Jun couldn't help but complain.
The camaraderie among the guys, lasting long, isn't simply because of money; the main thing is that their personalities and temperaments align, and they respect each other.
Lao Zhao never brought up Flying Copy, also because of this factor.
"Use that three meter six Combat Rod to swap on this line, and I'll roughly tell you how the Flying Copy works!" Zhang Yang continued.
"Great!"
The two brightened up, quickly went to the car to fetch the fishing rods.
And Zhang Yang, taking a glance at the counter, casually grabbed two unopened bottles of Ice Dew mineral water.
Each bottle weighing about a pound, hung at the end of the line, could basically serve as the weight for practicing Flying Fish.
Gathering the weights, Zhang Yang took his fishing box from the backroom, directly opened the shop's door, and placed it on the steps.
After such preparation, fish shelters, nets, rod holders, fishing boxes, rods, and trimmed fishing lines, all the necessities for entry-level Flying Copy practice were prepared by Zhang Yang.
"Actually, it's not as difficult as you think; practice more to find the feel under the right conditions, who's up first?"
"I'll give it a try!" Wang Jun immediately sat on the fishing box with the rod.
Zhang Yang first adjusted the fellow's sitting posture, then simply explained the points to note before directly hanging the mineral water bottle to the line and tossing it out.
"Give it a try; steady the top when you raise the rod, don't be too hasty, and control the returning speed!"
Soon, Wang Jun couldn't wait to raise the rod and attempted to catch with the net.
It looks simple, but when it comes to actual operation, there's still a certain difficulty at the entry-level.
The strength needed to hold the rod with the right hand needs control, the speed of returning fish needs adjustment, and coordinating the left hand's net to catch fish after returning also requires practice.
If anything in these steps goes wrong, the result is can't catch the fish, scrambling around.
Zhang Yang pointed out the issues relentlessly, and Lao Zhao and Wang Jun took turns trying, from nearly five in the afternoon until the lights lit up, in those two hours, they finally found some beginner-level feel.
"Damn! This technique looks stylish, is tough to practice! I wonder if Wang Yan's this guy learns quickly!" Having failed another Flying Copy attempt, Wang Jun couldn't help but mutter, thinking about Wang Yan who practiced with them at the Wen River for the upcoming battle.
Wang Yan and Meng Fan had temporary matters today, didn't sign up for fishing, so they still don't know how Zhang Yang used Flying Copy skills to suavely show off at the fishing venue.