"Huh? There's a bite? I didn't see the bobber move!"
Little Meng, startled by Zhang Yang's sudden call, instinctively rubbed his eyes.
Zhang Yang pointed about half a meter to the right of the fishing spot and said, "About half a meter to the right of the spot, I just saw some fish bubbles rise there. Judging by the shape and characteristics, it should be a black carp!
It's quite big. The previous few fish bubbles were the size of pigeon eggs; this fish should be over thirty pounds!"
"Oh, oh, then I'll keep a close watch!" Meng Fan nodded and focused more intensely on observing the subtle movements of the bobber.
This technique of judging the fish species and size underwater by looking at fish bubbles is originally just a basic operation for experienced anglers, and after Zhang Yang's explanation, Meng Fan didn't find anything unusual about it at all.
But once the conversation reached the livestream room, the viewers went wild, especially the beginner newcomers who knew little about fishing.
[Fish bubbles? Where are the fish bubbles? Why didn't I see them?]
[Can you really tell the quality and size of the fish underwater just by looking at fish bubbles? Why does this sound a bit mystical to me!]
[A bit mystical +1, this is the first time I've heard of such a thing.
Weakly asking Brother Yang, is this for show or is it real? All anglers are brothers, you must not fool the brothers!]
[Indeed, some experts can tell if there are fish in the spot just by looking at fish bubbles, but being able to distinguish the species and size from them is something I've never heard before!]
[Tsk, the brother upstairs seems inexperienced, huh? Fish bubbles from crucian and carp are different. Different fish species indeed have distinct bubbles! The broadcaster isn't fooling anyone, old anglers all understand this!]
Zhang Yang initially just casually reminded, not expecting the planned common-sense topic to ignite the livestream room, making it lively again after a moment of quiet.
This is real solid knowledge, a point of information!
Taking this opportunity, Zhang Yang decided to educate his fans a bit.
"Ahem! I noticed a lot of brothers in the chat complaining I'm putting up a show, well, let me clarify, judging fish species and size by their bubbles isn't some mysticism, it's got a theoretical basis!
Just taking this chance, let me chat a bit with you guys. Brothers with good vision, after listening, you can go and verify it!!
Fish bubbles, also called fish stars, to put it simply, are bubbles rising up from underwater!
Before talking about the differences in fish stars between various fish species, let's first discuss how fish stars are formed.
Many people instinctively think that the bubbles fish spit out are related to their breathing, but this isn't quite accurate.
Fish stars have little to do with breathing, they're primarily related to their feeding or preparing to feed!
When fish swallow food, they close their gill covers tightly, then open their mouths to form a negative pressure space in the oral cavity. At this time, because of the pressure and disturbance of the water flow, bubbles are formed.
In principle, the fish stars of freshwater fish are similar to explosive feeding action in predatory fish like snakehead or bass when striking at water, it's just due to differing diets and construction.
After explaining the general principle, let's talk about the differences in fish stars among common fish species.
The fish stars of crucian carp are most common, appearing in twos and threes, dense and small bubbles, with small crucian fish bubbles only as big as millet, and big ones only about the size of mung beans, disappearing quickly after leisurely rising.
Carp fish stars have large bubbles, and they are dense, resembling a string of pearls, each spurt usually a series of varying sizes, ranging from a dozen to dozens.
Carp have the habit of foraging in the soil and bait at the bottom, so their fish stars often come with humus, silt, grass leaves, etc., making the water particularly muddy.
After talking about carp, let's move on to Grass Carp.
Among common freshwater fish, Grass Carp are known for their voracious appetites; bubble sizes vary (slightly larger than those of crucian and carp),
starting with a few larger bubbles, followed by a few smaller ones, and at most five or six silvery-white beads comparable in size slowly rising, then disappearing.
Another common fish species is black carp. Black carp's bubbles aren't particularly large compared to their size, although similar to Grass Carp, they're more numerous and concentrated! As they move, bubbles will also appear along their path.
Just now at the edge of the spot, I noticed these bubbles rising, so I determined it was a big black carp, bubbles almost the size of pigeon eggs, definitely not a small fish!
Having mentioned black carp, let's finally talk about silver carp and bighead carp. Among these fish species, their fish stars are easiest to distinguish, with varying bubble sizes but not prominently so. The most notable feature is the dense clusters or sheets of fragmented fish stars, sometimes seeing swarms of tiny bubbles rising!
Different fish species have subtle differences in their fish stars, and individual size within the same species also shows some variance!
Observe carefully while fishing, and with more experience, you can distinguish them!
Assessing fish species and conditions based on fish stars is a very useful technique in fishing. Experienced anglers can foresee, pre-planning fishing and landing strategies.
Just like earlier with Meng Fan, after my reminder, he naturally put on the safety line, thus, when the fish bites, the margin for error is much higher, greatly increasing the success rate of landing the fish."
Zhang Yang's style of explaining knowledge has become characteristic of him, with strong systematicity, interspersing principles throughout. After his thorough yet accessible explanation, even newbie novices can easily understand.