36: Chapter 36 The Signature Fish

"You need at least three consecutive catches... no, at least four, to call it a 'streak'."

Just as Old Yu said this, the float Chen Sheng had just cast went down in another big 'black float'.

Chen Sheng raised his rod to hook the fish, and that familiar sound of the line cutting through the water echoed in this small space once more.

"Holy crap! Is this even real?" Old Yu exclaimed.

"Haha! You call this outrageous? It seems you haven't seen much of the world," Chen Sheng said smugly as he played the fish.

From the feel transmitted through the rod, Chen Sheng could clearly tell this fish was much larger than the previous two.

Realizing this, he immediately gave up on trying to pull it in by force and played it back and forth for ten minutes. Only when the fish's head broke the surface did it signal his victory.

And the reward for this catch was truly astonishing.

As the entire body of the fish was pulled out of the water, Old Yu immediately started shouting, "Holy crap! Holy freaking crap! This is a tag fish! You're so damn lucky. Did you step in dog shit this morning or something? Tell me now!"

The splash of green on the fish's body was heartbreakingly bright to Old Yu.

Why was he catching only Hemiculter and Topmouth Culter while Chen Sheng next door was on a streak with Silver Carp, and even landed a damn tag fish?

Even if it was just a 500-yuan green tag, it was still a freaking tag fish!

Were the Heavens blind?

Looking at the tag fish being pulled closer and closer, Old Yu was so envious he felt like he was falling apart.

Envy aside, Old Yu immediately dropped his rod and ran over to Chen Sheng's side. He grabbed the landing net and scooped the fish up the moment it was dragged to the shore.

Looking at the tag fish in the net, still struggling and flapping its tail, Old Yu found it more and more pleasing to the eye—even more so than a beautiful woman. Of course, it would have looked even better if he had caught it himself.

"Damn it! How did a kid like you catch a tag fish!"

"There is no 'why.' My skill is right here; I can't hide it even if I try!" Chen Sheng shrugged like a little bear.

"Damn it! You really nailed the flex this time," Old Yu muttered, unable to refute.

There was no helping it! Catching a tag fish was just that impressive.

Of course, the perks of catching a tag fish didn't end there.

Old Yu stood up and shouted to the reservoir's Patroller, "Boss! We've got a tag fish here!"

With that one shout, the attention of the entire reservoir was drawn over.

Soon, the Fellow Anglers near their spot, along with the Patroller, arrived at their location. The Patroller stepped forward to check, and after confirming it was indeed a tag fish from his reservoir, he immediately took out his phone and transferred 500 yuan to Chen Sheng. At the same time, he announced loudly, "Congratulations to Fishing Spot No. 23 for catching a green tag fish!"

The Fellow Anglers who had rushed over all offered their congratulations:

"Congratulations!"

"Congrats, young man!"

"Congratulations! Brother, what kind of bait are you using?"

"Brother, I noticed your rig setup is a bit different. Is there some trick to it?"

Well, the congratulations were only part of it; most of them wanted to pick up some tips. After all, who doesn't dream of catching a tag fish?

Chen Sheng quickly took out a pack of cigarettes and handed them out to everyone. These were 'celebration cigarettes.' Just like winning the lottery or pulling a rare card at a hobby shop, catching a tag fish meant sharing the good fortune with those around you.

After all, the world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about social graces and relationships.

As for sharing tips?

Old Yu had already taken that job upon himself.

"My brother and I are using the same bait. When I was mixing it, I used the All-Around Fishing King as the base and added some Scent Enhancers..."

To an outsider, it would have looked like Old Yu was the one who caught the tag fish.

Amazingly, the group was listening with great interest.

Many even had looks of sudden realization.

What do you call this?

A meeting of the 'Air Force' or just a bunch of rookies pecking at each other?

After the Patroller took the tag fish away to release it back into the water at a different spot, Chen Sheng didn't cast his line immediately. Instead, he added another scoop of groundbait to the swim to ensure the school of fish wouldn't disperse, and then he joined the conversation.

He was determined to fill three keepnets today. The fishing session had only just begun, so he couldn't afford to attract too much attention from the other anglers, or more importantly, the Patroller.

Although the Patroller's main job was to check if anglers followed the rules or used banned substances, if someone caught too many fish, some sore-loser owners would find ways to kick them out.

Setting reality aside, a quick search online would reveal countless examples of such sore-loser owners.

Since the owner of Dongshan Reservoir used special feed to raise the fish, he likely wasn't a very generous man either.

So, keeping a low profile while making a fortune was the way to go.

Fortunately, this group of anglers came and went quickly. Believing they had learned some tricks from Old Yu, they couldn't wait to return to their own spots to try them out.

When the cigarette was finished and the first person said their goodbyes, it wasn't long before only Chen Sheng and Old Yu were left at the spot... or rather, only Chen Sheng was left.

Old Yu had followed the other anglers back to his own spot. As the 'keynote speaker' earlier, he had gained some insights of his own while explaining his 'experience' to the others.

For instance, he felt he should increase the dosage of the Scent Enhancer a bit more.

And for another instance...

Back at his spot, he immediately took out an empty bowl and began mixing the bait according to his new ideas.

As for Chen Sheng, once the onlookers had left, he baited his hook and cast it back into the water.

Perhaps because of the brief pause, he had to wait nearly ten minutes after casting before the float finally showed some movement.

It was a series of tiny taps, like a dragonfly touching the water, making Chen Sheng raise an eyebrow.

This feeding behavior was completely different from that of Silver or Bighead Carp. As an amateur angler, Chen Sheng couldn't guess what kind of fish was feeding just from the float's movement. He could only rely on experience and take a gamble by striking when the float began to rise in the opposite direction.

Fortunately, his gamble paid off.

With a surge of strength in his arm, a Large Crucian Carp was swung onto the shore.

"Why did I catch a Crucian Carp?" A bad feeling welled up in his heart.

It turned out that a man's sixth sense could be more accurate than a woman's at times. For the next half hour, Crucian Carp, Hemiculter, and Topmouth Culter appeared one after another, but there was no sign of any Silver or Bighead Carp.

On the other hand, Old Yu next to him pulled in a 4.7-catty Silver Carp, giving him a chance to show off. "Sigh! Why is it a Silver Carp? It's not even five catties. I actually wanted to catch some Crucian Carp; they'd be great for making fish soup back home."

Chen Sheng rolled his eyes and retorted, "How about we swap spots then?"

"No need!" Old Yu quickly declined. "As they say, a gentleman does not take away what others love. I'll just stick to my Silver Carp!"

"Heh~" However, just then, a 'black float' appeared again. Chen Sheng abruptly raised his rod to hook the fish, and that familiar sound of the line cutting through the water rang out once more.

Old Yu: "..."

He suddenly had the illusion that he was about to be slapped in the face!

After a long pause, Old Yu said with a flushed face, "Actually, swapping spots is fine too. After all, you're like a son to me!"

...