It is possible that in a particular population, the number of large individuals only makes up about ten to twenty percent of the total group, with the rest being mostly medium-sized, young fish and fry.
The second point is that, whether in the wild or in man-made water bodies where large fish are introduced, once they have stayed there for a long time, they will occupy their own territory, which is their feeding ground! The more a fish has been hooked before, the smarter it becomes, and the more cautious it is when feeding!
Once large fish become familiar with their surroundings, they will exhibit certain feeding time patterns; for example, they look for food between three or four in the morning until eight or nine, and again from before sunset until eight or nine in the evening. At other times, they will retreat to the depths of their territory!
The final point is that the larger the fish, the higher its physical energy reserves, and the higher its intelligence. Thus, it responds more noticeably when stimulated by the external environment.
If a dramatic change occurs suddenly in a body of water, a large fish will not rashly enter dangerous areas to forage, but will instead swim around the periphery, observing until it is sure that it is safe, before attempting to enter its feeding area!
Additionally, during peak feeding season, large fish consume substantial amounts of food. Take the grass carp, for example; in high-temperature seasons, it can eat food equivalent to 50% of its body weight in one day. Although the blue carp doesn't reach quite that high, its appetite is still considerable.
This places higher demands on the quantity of baiting; you might think using a few dozen pounds seems sufficient, but a few large fish may easily circle around and consume it all!
Alright, I've talked about the general habits and some basic knowledge; now, let's discuss how to develop a fishing plan based on these habits of large fish!
Borrowing a common saying from military strategy, catching big fish requires 'harmony between heaven, earth, and men'!
Heaven refers to timing and seasons.
The golden season for catching big fish is from after autumn to before the temperature drops. During this season, big fish frantically search for food to store energy for winter, and in some regions, they may feed all day. At this time, the activity range of big fish increases, making them easier to catch.
Experienced anglers who specialize in catching big fish will head to areas recently reported to have big fish, and as long as the methods are correct, the catch rate is much higher than usual. In other time periods of the year, the chances of encountering big fish are much smaller. This explains how seasonal timing affects the behavior of big fish, thus increasing the catch rate.
The second point, land!
A good fishing location, and the topography where big fish appear, is quite significant. From my personal experience, areas where there is an underwater structure transition between deep and shallow water generally work better.
This kind of terrain isn't far from deep hiding areas and provides easy access to shallower waters for feeding. Especially in reservoirs and rivers, areas alongside the main channel with a nearby eddy or headland tend to yield better results!
The basic principle includes safety, reliable food sources, and appropriate water depth.
If you arrive at a completely unfamiliar body of water and want to quickly find the best fishing spot, a high level of experience is required from an angler. I personally suggest consulting local fishing friends a lot.
From a probability statistics perspective, locals have more sample attempts at various spots, thus having a greater chance of selecting optimal ones!
If you blindly stick to your fishing spot, choosing the wrong area often results in futile efforts and wasted time.
The third point is people.
This is quite understandable; the angler's understanding of the habits of large fish, and their personal angling experience can be classified under this category.
By referencing successful local cases and conducting rational analysis and judgment, one can maximize the success rate.
After talking about the general directions, let's delve into the specific details!
I mainly want to discuss one point, baiting!
I personally believe the quantity of bait required for catching large fish is very high. The practices of well-known masters using hundreds of pounds of bait material aren't out of having excess money to spend, but rather they have a clear understanding of catching large fish.
Imagine, we are amateur fishers, while they are professionals; the judgments they make and their actual fishing actions can't just be for creating hype or done haphazardly, can they?
Many mock them for using large bowls and tons of bait; they just smile without explanation, but the truth is only known to them!
When baiting for large fish, it's best to make the initial few baits as large as possible, ensuring there is always leftover bait in the baiting area, and then feed the bait regularly and quantitatively every day. Once the big fish get used to this feeding pattern and form a fixed feeding route, you are close to catching them!
This baiting process lasts roughly from a week to two weeks, depending on the size of the body of water, and the situation with the fish will become more stable as it progresses.
Many truly excellent hidden wild bait spots can require continuous baiting over several months, or even years!
Expanding further on this topic, some so-called folk fishing experts, others can't catch fish, but they consistently have significant accomplishments; it's often not because their bait is magical, but they have been quietly baiting private spots, which only they know, invisible to outsiders!
After fishing for a long time, accumulating experience with the local terrain, wind direction, climate, pressure, and other conditions corresponding with fish's feeding activity allows one to seldom fail, and once perceived by those who don't know the inside story, they are hailed as folk masters!
After Zhang Yang finished his insider's rational commentary, there was a brief silence on the public frequency. The fishing friends on the live stream were all absorbing the "secrets" Zhang Yang shared, so much so that no one spoke for a moment.
It took a full seven to eight seconds before the public frequency reacted again.
[Wow! That really woke me up!]
[The host is really sharing pure gold information!]
[Makes sense, from habits all the way to coping strategies, everything is logical and irrefutable!]
[Coincidentally matches the situation of a local reservoir famous for large blue fish; September and October are the golden months for catching large blue carp, although there are occasional catches during other periods, the hooking rate is significantly lower!]
[I swear, there's an old man living by the river here, known as the king of fishing in Quchenghe, and he perfectly fits the scenario described by Brother Yang! He seems to cast a few rods casually while others can't catch anything, and yet he quickly reels in large carp!]
The most legendary story is when guests visited his home; in the middle of the meal, they jokingly mentioned wanting fresh fish, and the old man took his rod and returned within ten minutes with a five-pound wild large carp.
Local fishing experts heard about this and paid dearly for his secret bait but still had no results! They all thought they had bought fake bait, but it turns out the real key wasn't bait, but the private spots known only to him!
[We also have a very skilled angler locally; wherever he goes, he can catch fish, even at unfamiliar spots; after a few visits exploring, he quickly reaps good rewards! Judging by this, he probably uses the tactics Brother Yang mentioned!]
[Case solved, case solved, after hearing Brother Yang's knowledge bomb, I finally understand why some can catch fish, and I'm left empty-handed! Using just one day off a week to fish and settling for any spot by the river is bound to yield poor results!]
[Such insightful perspectives; after listening to the host's explanation, I've heightened my understanding of the sport of fishing by another level!]
The atmosphere on the public frequency was very lively; judging by the text conveying emotions, it didn't seem like an ordinary fishing live stream, but rather a carnival of people who had suddenly seen the light after experiencing confusion and oppression.
Many fishing friends applied Zhang Yang's shared theory to their personal experiences or stories they had heard; in 90% of cases, they confirmed each other.
Zhang Yang, this guy, directly touched on the essential roots behind phenomena, greatly enhancing many people's understanding of fishing as a sport.
Even in situations where no fish were caught on the stream, the intense discussions and enthusiastic interactions among people showcased the power of such knowledge-sharing.
Just as the discussion among the public became passionately intense, several large fish bubbles suddenly surfaced at the edge of the bait spot, which happened to be spotted by Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang hurriedly shouted, "Xiao Meng, pay attention, the fish are coming to the bait!"