Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 880 - 587: The 40 Jin Big Silver Carp (Part 2)

The numbers on the electronic display screen bounced wildly until they finally stabilized.

19.73kg.

Just shy of half a kilo from forty pounds, Zhang Yang’s big silver carp really set a record!

Zhang Yang, finished with weighing, looked a bit bedraggled from the slime the fish had flung during its struggle. But he was in such a good mood that he hardly cared if his clothes were dirty, his spirits were high, so he simply cradled the fish sideways against his chest.

"Come on, Xiaoyi, take a front view photo with me! It’s the first time I’ve caught a silver carp this size!" Zhang Yang called out, hugging the ’little pig’ tightly to his chest like a precious treasure.

"I want a photo too!"

"Take one of me too!"

"Me as well!"

Yoyo was the first to start the fuss, and then the crowd began clamoring eagerly to have photos taken with the big fish, keeping busy for a good ten minutes before it all settled down.

After such a series of shenanigans, the large fish, already exhausted, would undoubtedly not survive if released back into the water.

At this point, Xu Cheng, who also had his fill of the photo frenzy, sidled up with a thick face.

"Master Zhang Yang, could I discuss something with you?" Xu Cheng had drunk at least a kilo of alcohol at noon and had a flushed face while practicing baiting and casting rods in the afternoon, but now he showed no sign of intoxication, holding soft Chinese cigarettes while offering some to Zhang Yang, speaking with utmost respect.

"What’s up? Just spill it if you have something to say!" Zhang Yang reciprocated unceremoniously, taking the cigarette and lighting it immediately.

"Well, can you sell me this big fish you caught? This huge silver carp in the reservoir must’ve taken at least ten years to grow this big. I want to use it to ask for a favor, gifting something rare."

Zhang Yang thought Xu Cheng wanted something else, but turns out he was eyeing the fish.

"You really want it?" Zhang Yang looked at Xu Cheng with a slightly teasing gaze, voiced his query.

"Yes! Name your price, I won’t bargain!" Xu Cheng nodded, speaking with firm determination.

When it came to money, Xu Cheng was quite confident, which was the only thing he had a solid footing on in front of Zhang Yang at the moment.

Zhang Yang grinned: "Forget it, no need for money, didn’t you cover our fishing fee? This fish is yours! That thing has been wrangled for so long earlier, releasing it back to the water would probably result in it not surviving well. If you’re planning to gift it, make plans soon!"

"You’re giving it to me?" Xu Cheng’s eyes widened with unexpected surprise upon hearing the news.

Xu Cheng had considered numerous possibilities. From his perspective, if he were Zhang Yang, at best he would offer a slight discount based on market rates. Yet Zhang Yang was so straightforward, giving him the fish without hesitation, free of charge.

"Huh, what’s the big deal, it’s just a fish? We can’t take it back, selling it to the boss wouldn’t fetch much money! Since you have a use for it, here you go!" Zhang Yang spread his hands, speaking as if he couldn’t care less.

"Alright! Then I won’t be courteous about it! Today, we’ve gotten to know each other through a little tussle. I’m determined to keep you as my friend!" Xu Cheng didn’t dawdle, nodding decisively.

"Enough of the pleasantries, you better focus on what to do about the fish. Out of the water, I reckon it won’t last long before going limp!"

"I’ll go find Old Zheng, he knows how to handle it! Then, let’s not chat now!"

Soon after, Xu Cheng bid farewell and went off to find Old Zheng. Before long, he came out of Old Zheng’s house with a large plastic storage box.

They filled the box with water, put the fish inside, then turned on the aerator, keeping the oxygen flow steady—a few hours like that should avoid any major issues.

And so, Xu Cheng and Da Bing managed to carry the big fish that Zhang Yang had caught back home. The commotion at Zhang Yang’s fishing spot gradually settled down.

Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Xiaoyi leisurely came up from behind.

"Boss, I’ve got a question to ask you! What exactly happened just now when you caught that big fish? Why were there repeated blank strikes, changing bobbers, then the hesitant strikes? The bobber’s final actions when the fish was caught didn’t seem crisp either! We’ve fished a lot, taken so many materials, but this situation is entirely new to me."

As Zhang Yang’s designated photographer, Xiaoyi had accompanied Zhang Yang far and wide, gaining a lot of worldly experience. But the bobber signs and performances of today’s big silver carp were completely unfamiliar to Xiaoyi.

Asked about this, Zhang Yang cracked a smile, chuckling joyously.

This sudden foolish grin caught Xiaoyi by surprise, unsure what Zhang Yang meant.

"Why are you laughing?" Xiaoyi scratched his head, puzzled.

"I’m laughing at the process of waging smart and fierce battle with the fish earlier! You’re quite observant, paying careful attention to the series of bobber movements!"

Xiaoyi’s eyes lit up, sincerely saying, "Well, of course! Although I don’t have much time to fish regularly, I do cast a few rods for fun during my off days when not working. This opportunity to learn fishing from you during work hours is something I never miss!"

Upon hearing Xiaoyi’s explanation, Zhang Yang nodded, knowing the saying that closely associating with people influences one’s habits. Being around Zhang Yang for fishing photography made Xiaoyi’s interest in fishing quite normal.

Since Xiaoyi asked, Zhang Yang wasn’t going to hold back, he organized his thoughts briefly and slowly explained, "The reason for the earlier blank strikes and such isn’t so complicated! Simply put, the big fish in these reservoirs are incredibly sly, possessing intelligence that smaller fish don’t have!"

"Intelligence? How do you understand that term? For fish like the silver carp, how smart can they possibly be? Yet you caught it easily!" Xiaoyi didn’t quite understand Zhang Yang’s explanation, so he continued probing.

"When I say intelligent, I mean compared to their kind, the simplest example is, why can’t you catch them even with a strike? It’s not because of the entry action, it’s likely the tail or fin is stirring the bait, causing the bobbing motion! With a large fish, the movement is strong, resulting in a solid bobbing appearance that still doesn’t catch the fish upon striking!

Why did I switch from a big bobber to a small one later? That’s also related to the intelligence of big fish, they feel the resistance of a large bobber on activation, so when filtering bait residue, their actions and bobber movements are small and cautious—sucking and spitting residue below the bait ball, never touching the core bait!

Later, I switched to a small bobber and relieved the activation resistance, allowing the fish to abandon their vigilant mindset and swallow the bait blindly, leading us to catch the fish!"

"Uh... are these reservoir fish really as smart as you say?" Xiaoyi listened to Zhang Yang’s explanation and his expression completely changed.

How to put it, while Xiaoyi did fish sometimes, in his understanding, regardless of big or small fish, their intelligence was usually low. The concept of cunning tactics simply couldn’t exist in ordinary fish, that would be like gaining supernatural abilities.

Seeing Xiaoyi’s expression, Zhang Yang chuckled, "That’s just the start! You’ve never encountered those seasoned slippery fish from competition ponds, which never bite into the bait mass, only picking up scattered crumbs around edges.

Even when accidentally hooked, they don’t struggle, resembling dead fish when reeled up. As soon as they return to water, they’re instantly vigorous again."

"Well, at least people constantly fish and release those in competition ponds, that’s trained conditional reflex! Reservoir’s big fish don’t have such training opportunities!" Xiaoyi couldn’t quite believe Zhang Yang’s explanation.

Zhang Yang wasn’t upset, continued to guide, "Where do you think big fish come from?"

"Big fish grow from small ones! Over time, they get larger!"

"Exactly, then why do some fish grow large while others don’t, when they’re of the same type?"

"That’s... random chance!" Xiaoyi casually replied.

"Wrong, there’s no such thing as pure coincidence! The correct answer is survival of the fittest! Smart fish evade danger, while dumb ones get eaten or caught! Like the big fish we caught earlier, having endured several dangers and survived through survival of the fittest competition to grow this large!"

"Uh..." Hearing Zhang Yang’s theory, Xiaoyi was taken aback.

That seemed to make quite a bit of sense!