The details of using this bait are also a key indicator of fishing skill level.
The occasion now is not suitable, Zhang Yang did not bring it up to old Zhao in person, but planned to find an appropriate time after fishing to mention it.
Old Zhao's claim about attracting fish wasn't empty talk. Zhang Yang kneaded two peanut-sized, soft and sticky baits and cast them into the fishing spot for the first catch, and the bobber soon showed slight movement. Judging by the bobber's motion, it seemed like fish were roaming around the fishing spot causing minor up-and-down wobbles.
For this type of fish, the density is very low, so it's very difficult to get a good catch.
Especially when there are fish at the spot but their appetite for food isn't strong; if one blindly fishes out all the fish, the spot might cool down and there wouldn't be any bites anymore, ending today's fight.
Considering this, Zhang Yang gently lifted the rod after letting the water settle for roughly thirty seconds with the first cast, calmly held the rod with his right hand and tidied the leader line with his left, and then prepared another two baits.
However, Zhang Yang added variations to the bait during the second cast.
With this cast, he didn't knead the bait into a perfect ball, instead he left the bottom open while leaving the top closed on the bait. This method allows the bait to absorb water, swell, and scatter from the bottom first after entering the water, enhancing the dynamic fish attraction to some extent.
However, the wild bait had already been kneaded by old Zhao into a very fine and sticky state, so Zhang Yang couldn't accurately estimate how effective this baiting technique might be for fish attraction.
In fishing, every bit counts; as long as the operation helps improve the catch, it's never a bad thing to use while seated for fishing.
In this state, Zhang Yang cast four or five times consecutively without catching a single fish, which made old Zhao, who was watching from the side, anxious.
"Don't be so hasty to lift the rod and change the bait! I specifically adjusted the bait, it doesn't dissolve so quickly in the water! Give the fish a chance to bite the hook!" old Zhao couldn't help but remind him.
"No rush, fishing slowly is fine, it's still early!" Zhang Yang nodded and explained somewhat perfunctorily.
Since Zhang Yang said so, old Zhao couldn't urge him further! Though in his heart, he rated Zhang Yang's carp fishing skill level a few points lower.
At this moment, old Zhao couldn't help but internally criticize, as Zhang Yang was young, his crucian carp fishing technique was good, but when it came to carp, his experience was clearly lacking! Obviously, fish were biting as soon as the bait went down, but under Zhang Yang's handling, the fish were not taking anymore.
After casting more than ten times consecutively, the situation improved.
Zhang Yang could clearly feel that after the double hooks entered the water, there was much more movement in the fishing spot than at the beginning. After casting another small bait into the water, near the spot close to the bottom, the bobber actually showed a bite indication across its motion.
Old Zhao set the fishing depth at three marks, but the bobber showed a slight pause after moving downwards to around four and a half marks, accompanied by a motion indicating a bite of more than one mark.
This was a standard behavior indicating a bite slightly off the bottom. In a normal fishing situation, Zhang Yang would have decisively lifted the rod to hook the fish, but now in this tricky setting, the fish are slow, and it's still old Zhao paying the fishing fee, so Zhang Yang cautiously withheld a bit on making a catch.
Zhang Yang didn't lift the rod amidst the bobber's pause and downward motion, instead he deliberately let the bite pass.
"Strike! It's connected! Strike!" old Zhao couldn't hold back upon seeing this, he nearly stood up to help lift the rod and hook the fish!
Zhang Yang stubbornly held on for half a second longer, pulling the rod calmly to hook the fish only when the second bite motion appeared, smoothly arching the fishing rod.
"Were you spaced out? You missed the first bite which was connected, and it's already the second one!" old Zhao said.
"I saw it, but it's safer this way, bites can easily let go of the hook and trigger a slingshot motion when insecure; this spot could have been ruined! It's fine, no delays!"
Zhang Yang explained with a subtle smile, holding the rod with his right hand and naturally backing up with his left hand on the rod to aid in controlling the fish.
The Diatech hefty angler's rod has very good waist strength, but overall it's softer compared to the stiff 19-tuning rods that Zhang Yang was used to in his previous life; with large fish underwater, it requires at least a few rounds to fish and control before they emerge.
After catching the fish, Zhang Yang wasn't in a hurry and stably swirled a few rounds to bring the fish to the surface, then lifted it with old Zhao's assistance.
It was another fish weighing over four pounds, a "little pig." While removing the hook, Zhang Yang glimpsed at where the hook was lodged on the fish's mouth, after placing the fish into the net, he naturally pushed the bobber up by half a mark.
"Why adjust the bobber? It was a proper bite, still at the 12 o'clock position!" old Zhao noticed Zhang Yang's action and was slightly puzzled.
Zhang Yang explained: "I lifted the rod deliberately after giving a bite earlier, the hook was lodged properly; if I had lifted the rod at the initial motion, the hook position would have been thinner, easily tearing and losing the fish!"
"Oh, come on, it's not that mysterious; carp aren't picky like that! My previous catches were all proper bites without issues!"
Zhang Yang didn't debate too much and smiled cheekily: "No worries, I left a marking bead, so when you use the rod later, if uncomfortable, just adjust it back!"
"Alright, let's go by your approach! Quickly, I feel our spot has potential to attract more fish!"
Whatever old Zhao's vision and understanding might be lacking elsewhere, his judgment on the spot's potential was spot on.
Dealing with this fish situation, Zhang Yang wasn't rushed. After catching a fish, he would cast ten more times before attempting to hold one catch, firmly maintaining the delicate balance between attracting and catching fish in the fishing spot.
Within half an hour, Zhang Yang had helped old Zhao catch three fish, yet subtle movements persisted in the fishing spot.
"Here's the rod for you, Zhao! I'll take a break and smoke!" Zhang Yang put the rod on the holding rack, standing up from the fishing box.
"No more casts? Feeling satisfied?" old Zhao obviously had itchy hands but, for appearances, continued to let Zhang Yang take charge.
"You go ahead! Be steady on catching, there's a bit of unrest in the fish in the spot!" Zhang Yang offered a reminder.
"Rest assured, with carp biting this energetically, handling them will be without a hitch!"
Old Zhao sat down for the first cast, adjusting the bobber depth back to three marks before baiting, as he wasn't familiar with Zhang Yang's setting of four marks about.
Despite boasting no problems, the first cast indeed encountered an issue.
Old Zhao's kneading bait was fairly large, the bait mass was the size of a date, which slightly affected the bite quality, and setting it at three marks the entire fishing rig was in a rather sensitive state.
The bobber showed a gentle tap followed by a forceful downward motion typical of a carp bite, prompting old Zhao to immediately lift the rod to hook the fish.
The fish was caught, but just as it was pulled from the spot, it slipped off the hook and ran away, causing old Zhao's rod to jolt into a classic slingshot motion.
"Damn! Such a clear bite yet it turned into a slingshot, talk about disrespect!" old Zhao couldn't hold back, venting with colorful language.
"If another bite like this comes around, wait a bite then grab the second motion for steadier results! In this tricky fish scenario, slightly sluggish fishing works better than being overly sensitive!" Zhang Yang pulled out a White General cigarette and offered it to old Zhao, also lighting one for himself.
Zhao Bingguang scratched his head: "It's not right! The bites from the earlier fish were pretty solid; why does it feel different now??"