Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King-Chapter 575 - 330: Fish Situation Analysis, Part 2

"Boss, I just tried fishing at this target fish pond you were at—it's finally biting!" Liu Zi said proudly as soon as he saw Zhang Yang approaching.

"What's the situation? A problem with the temperature or timing?" Zhang Yang casually asked.

Liu Zi shook his head, "No, the fish are surfacing! I was bored and threw some bait in with my Finger Snap Divine Skill, and unexpectedly found fish coming up to the surface layers, so I tried targeting those water layers. To my surprise, there was no activity bottom fishing, but fishing near the surface was quite effective.

"I'll try again!" Zhang Yang nodded and, after setting down his tackle box, started experimenting again.

Strangely enough, earlier when Zhang Yang first attempted fishing, there was no biting at all; the bobber was as if welded into a fish tank.

But now, purposely enlarging the bait, switching to half-water fishing, after a few casts, there was activity!

Different places have different fish conditions; fish conditions are ever-changing and truly unpredictable. Even Zhang Yang couldn't figure it out at first but Liu Zi unraveled the mystery.

After these back-and-forth attempts, Zhang Yang and his two teammates roughly figured out the general fish conditions in the four ponds. Right then, Han Qiang received a call from a connection saying to pack up, so Zhang Yang and his team, along with Han Mocheng, packed up and jammed their gear into the car.

"Let's set a time for another day, alright? I'm heading out first!" Han Mocheng said, extending a hand from the driver's side window.

"Alright! You lead the way, and we'll follow behind!"

...

The two cars descended the winding cement mountain road until they reached the main gate, then one turned south, the other north, and they parted ways.

"Boss! Do you know that person driving the cool Land Cruiser? You two seemed to have a decent chat!" Liu Zi said, trying to start a conversation from the passenger seat.

Zhang Yang grinned, "That guy is a fan of our account! We started talking about bait flavors and ended up realizing he's a fan! So we chatted a bit longer, and I even gave him half a bottle of herbal wine!"

"Have you figured out the fish conditions in all four ponds? I only have a bit of an idea about Pond Two and Three's conditions."

Zhang Yang grinned, "Let's discuss it at the hotel, I bet brother Yan and the others are itching with curiosity! Wang Yan has messaged me on WeChat multiple times already!"

"Oh, okay! We'll talk when we get back!"

...

A half-hour later, Zhang Yang and his team were back at the residence. As expected, Wang Yan and the others' cars were already at the parking lot downstairs.

When they went upstairs, Zhang Yang announced in the group chat, "@everyone, brothers, gather in my room for a meeting!"

Soon, in less than a minute, there was a series of footsteps in the hallway, Wang Yan rudely pushed open the door, and the others filed in.

"Damn it! The guards at the scenic area gate are such bastards, no matter what we said, they wouldn't let us in. It was too annoying to wait outside, so we came back early!" Wang Yan grumbled loudly.

"So, did you figure out the fish conditions?" Han Qiang chimed in.

Zhang Yang nodded, "Through our tight-knit collaboration, the three of us have basically grasped the fish conditions in the ponds! Let me brief everyone!

Halfway up the hill, there are four ponds: two for target fish and two mixed-stock. The target and mixed-stock pits differ in speed.

Let's focus first, Pond One, slow fish, small crucian carp, weighing around 10 to 20 grams each, occasionally 25 to 30 grams! These fish enjoy fluctuating a lot. At first, when we tried fishing it, there was no activity for five minutes straight, but later Liu Zi tried surface fishing, and surprisingly caught some!

Pond Two is quite special; during trial fishing, it initially felt like high-density new fish. Xiaobao and Liu Zi thought so too initially, but after thorough trial fishing and observation, I found it's not that simple.

In one word, it's highly dense, but 100% of the fish released are recooked fish, even old spooked fish! During the competition when drawing Pond Two, you must remain highly vigilant!"

"Uhh, old spooked fish? Are you sure, boss? It seemed like the fish were just fine!" Liu Zi couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Yang grinned, "Just because it feels like new fish doesn't mean they are new fish! The difference is significant!

Understand this, newly-stocked fish will readily eat bait as long as there's food, without showing any mystery.

However, if they were spooked fish? Under high density, when their condition is right, they indeed look like new fish.

But trial fishing and official competition are two different concepts. Simply put, during trial fishing, it's fish numerous and anglers few, so there's always fish regardless of position.

Whereas in an official competition? With hundreds of people fishing simultaneously, fish density per person drastically decreases!

Once fish relative density lowers, spooked fish nature will emerge, resulting in missed strikes, picky bait, picky line setups. If maintaining the prior first impression judgment of fish conditions, fishing will become utterly chaotic!

Next up, the mixed-stock Ponds Three and Four.

Pond Three is significantly dense, fish strikes are slick, but as long as double hooks stay grounded and clear bites occur, you can still catch the fish easily, nothing too complex, it's typical slippery mixed-stock fish conditions! 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The last point, Pond Four, let me emphasize one thing, this pond is taste-focused! Another angler and I tested, currently, the best additive mix is Musk Herbal Wine with old ice pop!

A kilogram of bait requires about two milliliters of herbal wine, one milliliter of ice pop, mainly highlighting the herbal wine's taste!"

Upon hearing Zhang Yang summarize all four ponds' basic fish conditions and notes, Wang Yan and the others quickly calmed down from their earlier restlessness.

Given Zhang Yang's conclusion, the situation is likely reliable! When the competition comes, they will specifically trial fish targetedly.

Considering it's just a preliminary sub-competition for the Fishing King Cup, with such intricate setups in the competition ponds, one can imagine the thoroughness of Guangwei's tournament organization.

"Now that we've got the fish problems figured out, what about the next two days? Should we look around for other opportunities? Visit the ponds again if possible?" Zhou Chu said, a bit behind the beat.

Zhang Yang shook his head, "Probably not gonna happen! The Land Cruiser driver we saw earlier is Han Mocheng, he had inside connections for rod access, and before long, he received a call saying to leave! From this, the rigor of closing the ponds is surely implemented, and it's hard for us to find another chance!

If there's a chance, naturally, go try to sense it!

If not, let me emphasize, everyone, should not go out randomly! Since we're competing together, we are a whole! Follow orders, take instruction,—individualism is not allowed! Does everyone understand?"

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

...

Everyone responded in chorus.

"We can't go out randomly, so we're just going to stay in the hotel? Kinda boring?" Wang Yan pouted.

"Yes! Stay in the hotel, we are not going anywhere! These next two days might not be simple, manage your meals, stay hydrated, and adjust your schedules and physical conditions to the best!"

When the competition day arrives, we'll be ready to face it in our best state! Let's strive to achieve good results! Each zone can have only ten qualifiers advancing to the finals; give it your all!"

At this point, Zhang Yang was enthusiastically emphasizing discipline to his team when his phone abruptly rang.

Surprised, Zhang Yang glanced at it: Han Mocheng!

They had separated less than an hour ago; this call seemed sudden. What's he up to?

Driven by curiosity, Zhang Yang answered the phone.

"Hello? Any instructions?"

"Hey! Me, give you instructions? No way, do you have plans for tonight? If not, it's on me; I'll treat you to a roast whole lamb!"