Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 821 - 556: Fast Lead and Short Leader Line (2)

Huang Zheng didn’t hesitate, and after taking the coin, he tossed it into the air with a similar gesture, then caught it and slapped it onto the back of his hand.

Facing the staff’s camera, Huang Zheng revealed the side of the coin that was facing up.

The flower side was up, which meant that Huang Zheng needed to sit in the number two spot where Zhang Yang sat previously.

Zhang Yang saw the result of the coin toss and grinned: "Haha, perfect, let’s just treat it like a normal switch of fishing spots!"

Huang Zheng nodded at Zhang Yang silently without saying anything.

Soon, after determining their fishing positions, the two of them took their seats and began the last three minutes of preparation before the match.

Zhang Yang made almost no adjustments, keeping everything the same as the last match. But Huang Zheng took out a pre-adjusted lead weight from his pocket, replaced the No. 2 N003 bobber, calibrated it briefly to determine the water depth, and finished all the preparation for his new tactical fishing method in less than a minute.

"Attention athletes, the final match for the championship and runner-up is officially starting!!"

The whistle blew again, and both Zhang Yang and Huang Zheng cast their fishing setups at the same time.

Nothing changed in the Competition Pond’s fish conditions, and Zhang Yang’s fishing tactics remained the same as well. In the first two minutes of fishing, it was almost a mirror image of the previous match.

Compared to this, Huang Zheng seemed a bit tense during his first few casts.

After switching to a small running lead fishing method with the eight-character ring touching the bottom, the time it took for the setup to settle in the water was significantly faster. In the first match, their setups reached the water in about half a second apart; but now, in the second match?

Huang Zheng’s setup now took at least one and a half to two seconds less time than Zhang Yang’s to settle.

In comparison, it was obvious that Huang Zheng’s bobber flipped over quickly upon entering the water and settled rapidly, while Zhang Yang’s flipped over more slowly and took a bit longer to settle.

In the first few casts, Zhang Yang didn’t notice anything unusual, but after five casts, he noticed from the corner of his eye that when he just started re-baiting, Huang Zheng’s setup was already in the water and the bobber had settled.

What the heck, why is Huang Zheng’s bobber so fast? Zhang Yang was startled, and once he realized the issue, he immediately started paying attention.

Upon careful observation, Zhang Yang noticed that Huang Zheng’s leader line was only a short length, and he instantly understood Huang Zheng’s strategy.

The eight-character ring short leader fishing method was similar to how Zhang Yang used a slightly heavier bobber for lead when practicing in the wild river after the previous match.

This small running lead setup with the eight-character ring touching the bottom had almost zero remaining buoyancy, and with the lead weight’s maximum weight preserved, the acceleration of the setup once in the water was naturally faster, thus shortening the time to straighten the line. In addition, the shorter leader reduced the line’s secondary swing, making the overall setup settle faster.

The normal old and smooth crucian carp in the pond did show some signs of lifting their heads to feed or chasing bait near the bottom, but the active water layer still remained within ten centimeters from the bottom.

Moreover, the pond’s density was quite good, not the kind where you have to wait forever without catching a fish.

In such fish conditions, using the eight-character ring small running lead touching the bottom was definitely the right tactic.

At this moment, if exiting can be ensured, is it possible to adjust using a slightly larger bobber to form the eight-character ring small running lead touching the bottom?

With this thought, Zhang Yang’s breathing quickened, as the pre-match strategy seemed to warrant slight adjustments inspired by Huang Zheng’s performance when a suitable opportunity arose!

...

The ensuing scenario unfolded as Zhang Yang expected, with Huang Zheng casting one more time than Zhang Yang due to the time saved with his setup adjustments, an advantage gained over roughly eight casts.

This gap allowed Huang Zheng’s bobber to bite first, with him being the first to catch a fish in this match!

Zhang Yang, having formed a plan, did not appear anxious despite temporarily falling behind. He continued with his steady and consistent fishing pace as if nothing had changed.

While Zhang Yang appeared calm, the atmosphere was different in the live broadcast room, where Sun Yi and Yu Wensheng were engaged in a heated discussion with their godlike perspective.

Sun Yi: "Teacher Yu, I feel like Zhang Yang is in a bit of danger this round. If you look at the technical statistic of cast counts, Huang Zheng has already cast one more time than Zhang Yang and took the lead in catching the first fish!"

Yu Wensheng nodded: "From the start to now, Zhang Yang’s performance has been consistent with the previous round. In contrast, Huang Zheng made strategic adjustments right after a brief break in the backstage during the second round!"

"Do you mean his use of the short leader? As far as I know, the fishing style in Meizhou seems to favor short leaders! Can changing the leader make such a significant difference in the match?" Sun Yi asked, turning to Yu Wensheng.

Yu Wensheng smiled and shook his head: "The short leader is something we can see on the camera, but the slight advantage Huang Zheng has in this round isn’t just from the short leader; there have also been adjustments in the bobber setup! If I’m not mistaken, he must be using the eight-character ring small running lead touching the bottom in this match!"

"Small running lead? What is this fishing method? Does it offer any advantages in the current competition conditions?" Sun Yi continued to ask along the thread of the topic.

Yu Wensheng explained: "Yes, the eight-character ring small running lead technique has specific applications! Before explaining, let me first describe how this method is set up. It’s actually quite simple— to adjust for the eight-character ring touching the bottom, you only need to balance with the water without attaching the leader line.

After casting, lightly drag the setup backward, so the bobber remains balanced, and after adjusting, attach the leader line, push the bobber seat to the first mark, and the underwater state is that the eight-character ring reaches the bottom!

The force between the water and the setup in this method results in virtually zero remaining buoyancy of the bobber, matching the lead’s weight, and in combination with the double hook laying on the short leader line, the sensitivity is still fairly high!"

"Both hooks are on the bottom, and the sensitivity is still good? You’re not pulling my leg, are you?" Upon hearing this explanation, Sun Yi felt that what Old Yu said diverged from his understanding.

"Hahaha, I’m not joking; what I said is true. If you don’t believe me, find some time to try it in a transparent fish tank! The eight-character ring touching the bottom is an intermediary state between sensitivity and stability, and when paired with the short leader, the bobber exit is still sensitive.

This method filters out many small bobber actions, yet when fish are active and feeding, clear bobber bites can still be observed!"

"Okay, okay, even though I still don’t quite understand, I can’t imagine you’d lie to me! So, what’s next? Please continue!"

"Next? Well, the lead weight of the fishing setup will be heavier than when adjusted normally, causing the bobber to settle and flip into position more quickly after entering the water.

In addition, the short leader reduces the secondary swing time, so the overall speed at which the line reaches its position is faster than with normal adjustments!"

"Based on your explanation, it means that when fishing at the bottom, the time it takes Zhang Yang’s setup to settle in the water is inherently slower than Huang Zheng’s!"

"It indeed is so; being one or two seconds slower per cast accumulates over time, which can lead to a frequency gap in casting, causing Zhang Yang to be at a disadvantage in the bait volume aspect!"

"However, looking at it now, the number of fish caught by Zhang Yang and Huang Zheng is still not significantly different; both have five fish at the moment! Ah, they both caught fish at the same time—now it’s six!" Sun Yi continued to say.

"Maybe Zhang Yang hasn’t noticed Huang Zheng’s detail yet. Zhang Yang’s hook success rate is higher than Huang Zheng’s; though slightly slower in frequency, he compensates with a higher success rate.

This situation is not ideal for Zhang Yang. While things seem fine now, the gap may widen later. If adjustments aren’t made in time, Zhang Yang could find himself in a difficult spot!"