The Top Fishing Master
Chapter 96 - 096: Pinching Fish and Fighting

Chapter 96: Chapter 096: Pinching Fish and Fighting

"Such a big catfish is at least around 30 pounds; you can see that the host is struggling to hold it."

"30 is hard to say, but it definitely weighs at least 25!"

"Definitely more than 25, absolutely over 30. Wild fish may not look fat, but they have solid muscles, heavier than what we see."

"The fish head alone weighs about 10 pounds, right?"

"I guess 35 pounds. By the way, if this fish head were used to make chopped pepper fish head, it would be absolutely delicious."

Seeing the viewers in the live stream room holding back their excitement, Lin Yang nodded, put the fish back into the scoop net pocket, and freed up his hands to set up the weight guessing game.

"The guessing game is set up now. All viewers who double-click to like can participate in the guessing. The result will be announced after three minutes."

After setting up the game, the viewers immediately took action, inputting the weight they thought was reliable into the guessing module and waiting for the results.

Even without prizes, everyone was eager to know the actual weight of such a big fish.

Soon three minutes passed and the guessing game ended.

Lin Yang got a hanging electronic scale from Wang Bo and hung the scoop net directly on the scale hook.

17.1kg!

The numbers shining on the electronic scale appeared, startling Lin Yang as well.

This Big Flower Head actually weighed a whopping 34.2 pounds; even if the weight of the scoop net was subtracted, it was definitely at least 33 pounds.

Lin Yang put the big fish down and then weighed the scoop net, which was about eight ounces.

"Alright, the final result is out. The actual total weight of this fish is 33.4 pounds. Congratulations to the viewer who won the guess!"

After announcing the result, Lin Yang entered the exact weight on his phone, and the system quickly filtered out the winner with the closest guess.

After dealing with the guessing game, Lin Yang said, "It’s going to take a while before the Airforce Commander comes to collect the fish, so I’ll put the fish in the fishkeeper. While I’m at it, let’s see if I can catch another big guy."

After saying his piece, he picked up the fish and was about to stuff it into the fishkeeper, but Yang Xincheng, who was watching the excitement, spoke up.

"It’s better not to stuff such a big fish into the fishkeeper. It can lack oxygen and not have enough space to move. It’s very likely to die quickly; anchoring the fish would be more appropriate."

Due to the Aquatic Creatures Guide, Lin Yang now had a wealth of fishing experience and technique, but his experience in handling the fish afterwards was still lacking.

Reminded by Yang Xincheng, Lin Yang nodded and said, "Uncle makes a good point; it’s better to anchor this fish."

The viewers were all baffled when they heard this.

"Anchoring fish? I’ve heard of anchoring cows and horses, but anchoring fish? How do you do that?"

"I’m also hearing this for the first time. Host, could you explain it to us? In case we catch a big fish or something."

"It seems like lure fishing has a special kind of live fish clip, right? Is it similar to that?"

Seeing that many people had never heard of anchoring fish, Lin Yang shook his head and explained, "Anchoring fish is actually very simple. It only takes a Losing Hand Rope. Since everyone is interested, I’ll demonstrate while explaining it to you."

"Generally speaking, the larger the fish, the greater its demand for oxygen. Being confined in a fishkeeper restricts their movement, affecting their ability to filter oxygen. If they become severely oxygen-deprived, it’s very easy for the fish to die.

Anchoring fish is a method specifically for large fish. I’ll demonstrate it to you.

First, let me tell you about the structure of fish gills. Big fish have especially large gills, and parts like the gill arches and gill filaments should not be touched, as injuring them can impair their function and likely result in death. Some fishermen who enjoy fish pits like to grasp the gills, but most of the fish won’t survive.

To anchor a fish, you need a rope. I’ll use this black rubber Losing Hand Rope. First, insert it through the fish’s mouth, then carefully open the gill cover with your pinky finger, and thread the end of the rope out from the upper edge, making sure not to harm the gill arches and filaments I mentioned.

After threading it out, pass it through the other side of the gills at the same spot, and finally pull the end of the rope back out through the fish’s mouth. Lastly, tie a knot that’s neither too tight nor too loose, and the fish is anchored.

When you anchor a fish this way, its gills function properly, and it has a much larger range of movement than inside a fishkeeper. Done properly, the fish can be anchored for several days without dying."

After Lin Yang finished explaining, the viewers once again flooded the screen with comments about learning something new.

"Let’s continue fishing and see if we can catch another big fish."

After checking the subline of his giant rod for any damage following the unhooking, and confident that it was intact, Lin Yang replaced it with two new corn kernels before casting it back into the feeding spot.

Catching a big fish put him in a great mood, but in the next second, it was spoiled by the guy next door.

Kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk!!!

Seeing Lin Yang catch a big one, Zhang Qiang and Wu Tian next to him were red with envy; they took a big basin of corn and beans for feeding big fish from their car and began bombarding the spot.

"Are you two doing this on purpose?" Even Lin Yang, usually even-tempered, couldn’t hold back this time.

They were going to blow up the feeding spot with their actions, and with the fishing conditions so good on his side, if it continued, he might even catch a few more big fish.

Wu Tian argued confidently, "What do you mean ’on purpose’? Isn’t feeding spots while fishing completely normal? You can’t allow yourselves to feed and forbid us from doing so. We’ve paid the fishing fee too!"

"I think you’re just causing trouble on purpose. I gave you face by letting you fish next to me, how can you be so ungrateful?" Lin Yang was truly irritated this time.

"I’m going to bait the spot, what can you do about it?" Wu Tian said, looking as indifferent as a pig that is not afraid of boiling water.

Even though Zhang Qiang was a bit panicky on the side, he kept his mouth shut and continued to throw corn into the water.

"Damn it! Are the two of you itching for a beating, you bastards!"

At this time, Yang Xincheng, who had been sitting next to them, finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He grabbed a short pole and walked over, looking like he was about to start a fight.

He was already sitting between Zhang Qiang and Wu Tian, and with their ruckus, it wasn’t just Lin Yang’s baited area that was going to be blasted but his as well.

Not one to be easily bullied, how could he tolerate others shitting and pissing on his head? And after finally getting a couple of days off to fish here, his good mood was completely ruined!

Seeing his Uncle getting angry and ready to start a fight, Lin Yang quickly stepped in to stop him: "Uncle, don’t start a fight just yet."

He was certainly not afraid of fighting. Not to mention they had more people on their side, even if it were just him, he could take down Zhang Qiang and his companion.

But things were different now. It was a society governed by law; getting into fights could have serious repercussions, especially if they were the first to throw a punch.

Seeing Yang Xincheng looking furious, Wu Tian backed away a couple of steps, but still mustered his courage and said, "What, you want to fight? Come on then, if you dare, beat me to death!"

The live stream viewers couldn’t see the scene, but they could still hear the sounds of the quarrel.

"Wow, are they going to fight?"

"A fight would be great to watch, way better than fishing."

"I’ve got a temper, and that guy nearby should be thankful he didn’t run into me, otherwise he’d be lying down taking a break by now."

"Running into these ruffian-likes is really annoying..."

The anticipated fight that some viewers in the live stream were hoping for did not happen.

Seeing Wang Bo and others gathering around, Wu Tian seemed genuinely afraid that they would throw him and his gear out, so he plucked up his courage and said to Lin Yang:

"Don’t think I’m scared just because you have more people. If you have the guts, let’s start a new fishing spot and see who can catch more target fish by nightfall. The loser leaves. Dare to take the bet?"

"What’s there to compare? I’m going to throw his stuff out right now. Let’s see if he still dares to cause trouble here!" Tai stepped forward and said.

Smashing their gear and maybe paying some compensation was no big deal for Wang Bo and his friends.

Lin Yang had plenty of ways to drive the two away, but he didn’t want to make a big fuss, as it wouldn’t look good.

He stood up with a smile and replied, "Alright, how do you want to play? Today I’ll take care of that annoying mouth of yours."

"Before six o’clock, let’s see who has a higher total weight of fish caught. The loser gets out of this fishing spot."

"Deal, I accept your challenge," Lin Yang agreed without hesitation.

"Daring to compete in fishing with the host is like looking for trouble with a lantern," said one viewer.

"The guy next to them had no choice, otherwise they really would have been thrown out with all their gear by the host’s team," commented another.

"Come on, don’t claim I’m bullying you because of the old spot. Let’s start anew at a new spot," Lin Yang said while standing up. He then signaled his Uncle and Wang Bo to return to their fishing and leave the matter to him.

The fishing spot next to him was congested, so he simply moved to the right side where Tai was keeping a spot for casting his rod.

With a simple signal, Tai was cooperative enough to put away his rod and leave over ten meters of open fishing space.

Lin Yang had also explored the bottom terrain of this area the night before. The terrain near both sides was relatively flat and the water deeper, while the middle part had many boulders with numerous crevices housing a variety of small fish.

"Let’s take this section, I’ll let you choose your spot first so you won’t cry when you lose," Lin Yang said craftily.

"Fine, but remember, you said it!" Wu Tian quickly placed his fishing box in the middle spot without any hesitation.

This often was the choice made by those who seek convenience because the middle position is wide, making it easier to fish and more comfortable to handle.

However, he didn’t know that he walked right into Lin Yang’s trap. Without carefully observing the underwater terrain, he immediately grabbed the middle spot.

Seeing Wu Tian pick his fishing spot, Lin Yang’s mouth curled into a smile as he sat down roughly seven or eight meters to his right. He couldn’t remember exactly how big the range of underwater boulders was either, and it was better to stay a bit further away to avoid getting caught up in it.

"From now on, you’re free to bait the spot. At six, we’ll check the catch, and the loser gets lost. Got it?" Lin Yang confirmed once more.

"Just as you said!"

With the rules established, both men began baiting their new fishing spots.

Lin Yang stuck to his usual method, accurately baiting with a baiting pole for his short pole, and tossing corn for his long pole with a baiting spoon. In less than ten minutes, he was ready for battle.

Lin Yang had a system for baiting, but Wu Tian had his own routines, too.

Looking to bait the spot and attract fish more quickly, he had a brainwave and pulled out a bag of shrimp powder from his tackle box, mixing it into the bait. Shrimp powder was a good stuff for quickly luring fish, which he had been reluctant to use before, but now he was putting everything on the line.