Fortunately, Ye Cheng got the direction right this time, and the fishing line at least flew forward. It wasn't as far as Lao Lin and Lao Chen's line, but it was much better than before.
The buoy stood firmly upright on the sea surface.
Over the next half hour, Lao Lin and Lao Chen each caught a black sea bream and were extremely happy.
Ye Cheng, on the other hand, still caught nothing, but his understanding of fishing had deepened considerably.
There's a real art to how fish take bait. You have to adjust your hookset based on the type and temperament of the fish. If you set the hook too early, you'll miss the bait; if you set it too late, the bait will be gone.
Although the competition only lasted an hour, the top few were already quite clear.
Cui Shuran has already caught seven or eight fish. Except for the first one, which was a bit small, the rest are all over 3 jin (1.5 catties).
Most of the other people also posted the same thing.
Of course, there are quite a few unlucky guys like Ye Cheng.
The float tilted slightly, and Ye Cheng tensed up, gripping the fishing rod tightly with both hands and staring intently at the float.
I clicked it.
I tapped it twice.
The third time, sink a little deeper, just bear with it!
On the fourth cast, the float was clearly trending downwards. It was time, and Ye Cheng suddenly lifted the rod.
It feels like I'm struggling!
The fish is on the plate!
A splash of water rose on the surface, and Ye Cheng had firmly caught a fish.
"Hey, hold on, hold on."
"Yes, don't rush, let's take it for a walk first."
Old Lin and Old Chen quickly took on the role of strategists, speaking to Ye Cheng from the side.
Ye Cheng was familiar with the art of "walking fish".
This fish is a bit wild; the tip of the fishing rod was pulled down sharply. However, he could tell from his senses that it wasn't a big fish, so Ye Cheng wasn't in a hurry.
Just stand there, sometimes lowering it a little, sometimes raising it a little.
After fiddling around for a few minutes, Ye Cheng slowly began to pull up the fishing rod, wanting to see just how unlucky this fish was that he, with a luck value of 30, could catch it.
Through the ripples in the water, you can basically see what kind of fish it is: a sea bass.
It's a type of seafood that's commonly eaten at home. It's not expensive, and some people say it doesn't taste good, but Ye Cheng thinks it's pretty good. He especially chooses it when eating grilled fish because it's cost-effective.
This sea bass weighed a little over a pound, which was considered relatively small. Ye Cheng lifted the rod and pulled it up, but it was already quite weak.
Ye Cheng must have caught it using his own skills, so he put it in the water tank.
"Second brother, the fish's here! Good start!"
A familiar voice came from behind me.
Ye Cheng didn't need to turn around to know who it was: Zhao Zhiming.
Zhao Zhiming was getting impatient drinking tea and chatting over there, constantly being mocked.
Seeing Ye Cheng catch the fish, he couldn't wait to run over and find some peace and quiet.
"Brother Zhao, we've only got one fish after all this time. We probably won't even make it past the qualifying rounds," Ye Cheng said with a self-deprecating laugh.
It's quite possible. About half of the fish haven't caught any yet, but with this particular fish, it's definitely not in a good weight position, and it's absolutely impossible for it to even make the quarter-thickness mark.
"Brother, fishing is all about timing. Sometimes you get a bite, sometimes you don't. It's normal. Just relax. If we don't make it to the finals, we can just go fishing for fun next time. It's not a big deal."
Zhao Zhiming's tone completely changed. At first, he said Ye Cheng would win the championship, but now he suddenly changed his mindset to "stay calm."
Ye Cheng smiled understandingly and continued to bait his hook.
"Zhiming".
"Old Zhao."
Old Lin and Old Chen greeted Zhao Zhiming as well; they were both frequent fishermen and knew each other to some extent.
After saying goodbye, Zhao Zhiming left.
Yes, that guy is gone.
Since the outcome was already decided, he didn't want to waste any more time on it.
Jiang Weiyang and his team left, leaving a few referees to watch over things for six hours straight. Who could stand that?
Ye Cheng originally thought that once he caught one fish, a second one would follow.
But the truth is—there's nothing there.
No matter how Ye Cheng pulled the rod, how he pretended, or how he changed the bait, the float didn't budge an inch.
"Come on, let's eat, let's eat."
Behind me, the staff started handing out boxed lunches.
Ye Cheng then noticed that it was already 11:30 a.m., and three hours had passed, and he still only had one fish.
Ye Cheng looked at the boxed lunch and saw that it contained two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, which was not bad. Moreover, it was free, supposedly paid for with the membership fee.
One dish of braised pork, one dish of fish, and one dish of stir-fried cabbage.
"Give me some chili sauce." Ye Cheng turned around and got some more chili sauce from the staff. This time it was garlic chili sauce, which he mixed into the rice and found very appetizing.
Ye Cheng only spent less than 10 minutes eating because he didn't have much time left.
It's 12 o'clock now, and the match will end at 3 pm.
Many people's fish baskets or aquariums are already half full, but Cui Shuran is even more impressive, filling them completely.
After the line was full, he didn't continue fishing. Instead, he beckoned the referee to come and weigh it down, then packed up his things and left.
"Damn, he's not fishing anymore even though there's still half the time left, that's awesome," Old Chen said, shoveling rice into his mouth.
"Others have already caught so many. This is just the qualifying round, not the finals. Just qualifying is enough." Old Lin was very easygoing. He didn't catch many today, only five, which he estimated was just enough to qualify.
This guy is interesting; he's stopped fishing now. He must be very confident in himself.
"Number 23, Cui Shuran, caught a total of 20 fish, weighing a total of 98 jin."
The referee loudly announced Cui Shuran's score: 20 fish weighing 98 jin (44 catties). The fish weren't very big, but the number was truly impressive.
The first result immediately sparked a discussion.
"Damn, Cui Shuran is really something. I haven't caught a single one, but he's already caught 20."
"Could this guy have already prepared his nest?"
"What kind of fishing spot is this? The number plates are all messed up, how am I supposed to find a spot?"
"Sigh, he's handsome and comes from a good family, why does he have to come here to fish? Can't he leave us a way to make a living?"
“His uncle is Jiang Weiyang, and his family likes fishing. What’s the problem?”
"Huh? Jiang Weiyang is his uncle?"
"You didn't just find out now, did you? They didn't hide it from you."
"No wonder, they're one of us."
"Tch, you're being petty. Cui Shuran caught it with real skill. We anglers are the fairest; whoever has the skill is awesome. He's awesome because he caught it."
Ye Cheng had only just learned that Cui Shuran was Jiang Weiyang's nephew.
However, this didn't affect him. Besides, the other person relied on real skills, and Ye Cheng was convinced. Now, all he needed to do was catch his own fish.
Ye Cheng estimated that there should be around 5 shortlisted candidates, and he was still far from qualifying.
If things continue like this, I'm definitely doomed. I have to think of a solution.
He glanced at the only dead sea bass in the tank, then at the large pile of bait left, and suddenly had a bold idea.
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