This fish, unlike the big fish Zhang Yang caught earlier, didn't anchor down after being hooked. Instead, it immediately charged toward the deep-water area in the middle of the pit.

Zhang Yang barely had time to react; as soon as the big fish exerted its strength, he instinctively gripped the rod tightly with both hands and swung it left and right to forcefully turn the fish around.

This is the famous rod-swinging fish control technique, equally renowned as the reverse insertion. Before the rod is pulled flat in a tug-of-war, the angler continuously swings the rod to agitate the fish underwater, causing it pain and reflexively altering its charge direction, thus avoiding the dangerous situation of a tug-of-war with a flat rod.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang replaced it with a 3.0 line, and the timing and technique of using the rod-swinging fish control were impeccable, breaking through the most dangerous stage after a few seconds of deadlock.

The big fish turned back, and Zhang Yang raised the rod again, stabilizing control, seizing the opportunity to step back and secure a strategic buffer zone for himself. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

For the next little twenty minutes, Zhang Yang essentially replicated the entire fish-play process after the big fish was hooked; the line and rod were pulled tightly, making whining sounds, threatening to snap under pressure, yet holding firm against the immense stress.

By this stage of the competition, many athletes and anglers on the fishing grounds were on the verge of giving up; with a thirty-pound fish already caught before, surpassing it seemed extremely difficult. The bites were fewer at noon, and many even began eating the boxed lunches provided by the fishing ground while fishing.

However, as soon as Zhang Yang hooked this big fish, all the competing anglers around the East Bank quickly turned their attention to it.

The relentless whistling of the fishing rod was like an enchanting melody, captivating every angler who heard it, unable to look away. Everyone watched as Zhang Yang calmly and skillfully guided the big fish in its movements back and forth, flooded with all kinds of thoughts, good and bad.

Apart from nearby anglers keeping an eye on Zhang Yang's unlanded big fish, Liu Feng from the North Bank, Wang Defa observing from the audience, and Old Ma watching the monitor screen, all were anxiously tightening their hearts because of this fish.

After Zhang Yang finally conceded, Liu Feng refused the resolution proposal, putting Old Ma in a passive position, forcing a renegotiation with the judges panel.

After the initial compromise fell apart, the discussion shifted focus, moving from considering everyone's feelings to a literal interpretation of the rules, digging into every detail.

Brief contact with the big fish with the foot, does it count as landing the fish? This was also an area of contention. Does landing standard require contact with the concrete ground, or does anything on the ground count? The rules didn't provide detailed instructions.

On Old Ma's personal side, he leaned more towards Zhang Yang's team, after all, Zhang Yang was a good guy and had granted Old Ma the exclusive dealership rights for the company's products in Jinghai Garden, enabling Old Ma to earn some profit from Zhang Yang.

Moreover, regarding the rules discussion, a little girl angler, exhausted physically and unable to use a landing net, using the foot to gain a breather, could be understandable to most people.

As for Liu Feng, he had no prior friendship with Old Ma, even after exhausting efforts to communicate, presenting a compromised solution, he stubbornly rejected it, maintaining a strictly business-like demeanor, refusing to show flexibility.

Amidst pending resolution of the final proposal, Zhang Yang hooked another big fish, easing Old Ma's mental stress evidently.

Old Ma, watching Zhang Yang holding the rod with both hands, the rod bent into a large arc from the monitor screen, secretly prayed in his heart.

Hook a fish heavier than thirty pounds; just one more big fish from Zhang Yang would automatically move YOYO's score from first place to second place, making Liu Feng drop to third. The championship's ten-thousand-dollar prize would completely elude Liu Feng.

By now, Liu Feng's ambition naturally waned; even if he wanted to argue for second place's three-thousand-dollar prize or third's one-thousand-dollar prize, it wouldn't be as compelling as competing for first place's ten-thousand dollars.

By then, Old Ma could have the chief judge play the bad guy role, directly announcing YOYO's results as valid, resolving the issue.

As for Liu Feng? Isn't there a fear he'll make trouble again?

Rejecting Old Ma's goodwill and making a fuss over the score would leave the arbitration committee judges to deal with him, as Old Ma thought...

The camera returns to Zhang Yang, from hooking the fish to now, unknowingly half an hour has passed. The big fish in the water still showed no intent to surface, and beneath Zhang Yang's sunscreen suit, the sling vest became soaked with sweat again, but regardless of how the fish exerted its strength, Zhang Yang could always first time steer the rod to buffer and respond timely, repeatedly withstanding one exertion after another.

After forty-three minutes of hooking, the big fish completely exhausted its strength and slowly surfaced.

The blue-gray tail is as wide as a small fan, the slender fish body covered with dense, walnut-sized scales, the fish mouth gaping continuously, seemingly capable of swallowing an egg whole at a glance.

Oh my goodness, Zhang Yang actually caught at least an eighty-centimeter-long snail catfish in Old Ma's black pit pond.

"Damn! Big catfish!"

"It really is a catfish; this fish must be fifty or sixty pounds, right?"