The Top Fishing
Chapter 433 - 207: Scouting Ahead_4

Chapter 433: Chapter 207: Scouting Ahead_4

This international fishing competition is divided into two parts: one is freshwater fishing, and the other is sea fishing.

The freshwater fishing takes place in a lake area along the Mississippi River. Last night at dinner, Zhang Lin had already arranged to take them to inspect the competition venue today.

This is considered a necessary procedure before many competitions or exams.

After a two and a half hour drive from their accommodation, they finally arrived at the lake area for the competition.

It was only after they arrived that they realized, boy, this was no ordinary lake – it stretched so far that the other side was almost invisible, absurdly large.

"Xiao Zhang, what’s the name of this lake?"

Zhang Lin replied, "Lake Okeechobee, also known as the Florida Wetlands. It has a very large area and strictly speaking, only a small portion of it falls within the Miami area. Many fishing competitions are held here every year. There’s an abundance of fish species, but catching Big Mouth Bass, the target fish species, can still be quite challenging.

In the competition held last month, the champion angler only caught 11 Big Mouth Bass in two days, and many inexperienced newcomers failed to catch even one of the qualifying length."

"Is it so hard to catch a Big Mouth Bass?" Upon hearing this, Wang Feng’s curiosity was piqued.

Zhang Lin: "Not hard; on the contrary, Big Mouth Bass aren’t picky eaters and are quite easy to catch. But meeting the competition size requirements is another matter altogether. The Sea Bass must be at least thirty-five centimeters in length to qualify, or it will be deemed an invalid catch. Entering such a fish forcefully not only brings no points but also results in a penalty.

I don’t know if you’ve ever fished for Big Mouth Bass back home. They are quite selective about their habitat, underwater structure, and hydrological conditions."

Asked about his expertise, Lin Yang found it hard to respond. He had never deliberately fished for Big Mouth Bass and, moreover, his aquaculture knowledge was lacking, particularly regarding this freshwater species.

After a moment’s thought, he shook his head and said, "I’ve fished quite a few other lure species, but this is my first time with Big Mouth Bass."

Zhang Lin nodded, not surprised, "I see, that complicates things. My knowledge is mostly commonsense, some of which might even be incorrect, so I won’t mislead you. We’ve arranged for an American coach for you this time. Let him explain to you when he arrives; his experience is very extensive."

While they were talking, a customized Toyota Tundra pickup truck pulling a boat drove over.

After the truck stopped, a bald man with a full beard of silver whiskers dressed in professional fishing attire got out of the vehicle.

Through Zhang Lin’s introduction, this was their American coach for this event, named Robert.

"Hello, my friends, you’ve arrived early," greeted Robert.

"Good morning, Coach Robert, we’ve just arrived as well," Zhang Lin returned the greeting.

"Alright then, let’s take advantage of the morning hours and I’ll take you around the lake for a bit. Let’s go!"

After the greetings, Robert gestured broadly and the driver efficiently detached the fancy fishing boat being towed by the pickup truck, pushing the boat into the water after several strong pulls.

"My boat is quite large, it can seat 8 people, come on board," Robert invited, stepping onto the boat first.

Lin Yang and his party of six also clambered aboard, taking their lures and fishing rods with them.

"Have any of you fished for Big Mouth Bass before?" Once on the boat, Robert’s first question pertained to their fishing history.

He and Wang Feng both shook their heads, "We have very few places with this type of fish in our country; we’ve never fished for it before, and we hope you can explain their habits to us, Coach."

Robert nodded and answered, "Big Mouth Bass are very aggressive predatory fish, perfect predators in water, mainly relying on sight and smell for hunting, especially using vision for more than 80% of their hunting. Based on this habit, the coloring of the bait for Big Mouth Bass is important; good coloring can attract the target fish faster, thereby increasing the chances of a catch.

One of my favorite bait color schemes is a red-headed white-bodied sinking pencil. During my many tournaments, it has never disappointed me.

Big Mouth Bass are ambush predators, lying in wait where small fish frequent and then launching sudden attacks. To fish well, it’s crucial to choose spots with structures like stumps, debris, and rock piles.

Additionally, due to their physiological structure, Big Mouth Bass tend to hunt from below, launching strikes from the bottom. In shallower waters, they can even feed on the surface like Black fish. Surface lures can also catch them, but success rates are lower."

From Robert’s introduction, Lin Yang and his companions learned a lot about the habits of Big Mouth Bass, gradually forming an initial understanding and judgment.

"In this particular area of the lake, where competitions are held annually, many of the spots are no longer secret. When the competition officially starts tomorrow, you just need to choose these spots to fish. So, today you’d better memorize the locations of the major spots, which will help improve your scores enormously.

Look, there’s an underwater deposit structure not too far ahead; let’s go cast a few lines and give it a try...."