118: Damn it!

"It's so strange~ Why is everything so weird wherever Brother Wo Zi goes?"

"The environment is clearly good and the owner's attitude isn't bad either, so why is the fishing ground empty?"

"It's normal, isn't it? Maybe the owner's attitude is only good because of Brother Wo Zi. After all, he has 50 million fans~"

"I'm just curious about the price. 50 for a Happiness Pond? That's too cheap for a whole day of fishing~"

The bullet chat scrolled rapidly. Although the livestream room's popularity dipped as office workers left, the speed of the die-hard fans' comments didn't slow down at all.

Gao Xiaofan held the Gimbal and smiled at the bullet chat without saying a word.

Since he was already here, no matter what else happened, he had to first grind the proficiency of Sheathed and his yun jian value.

As for the issues with the fishing ground, Gao Xiaofan no longer paid them any mind. Thinking about those things seemed useless except for wasting brain cells; he didn't even bother thinking about his own father.

Before long, Qiu Gu had finished setting everything up. This time, he had even assembled the line sets. Over the past few days, Qiu Gu had been frantically cramming fishing knowledge—the functions of fishing box accessories, installing line sets, and tying fishing knots.

It was hard on him, having to learn new things in his thirties. At this rate, he'd probably be able to start fishing himself after a few more times.

Gao Xiaofan chose a corner spot. Generally, in a commercial fishing pond, as long as it's a long rectangular shape, the harvest at a corner spot usually isn't too bad.

When Gao Xiaofan first started learning to fish, he would always head for the middle of the pond at commercial venues. As a result, those next to him would catch fish one after another, while he'd only end up with two or three for the whole session.

Later on, Gao Xiaofan learned to go for the corners. Although he couldn't always 'land' a massive haul, he could sometimes experience the feeling of consecutive catches.

Of course, this wasn't absolute. Some commercial fishing ponds would dig a fish-holding pit in the center, and combined with rod length restrictions, the fish would basically stay in the very middle of the pond.

Gao Xiaofan pulled a bag of Old Jar Corn from his fishing box. From Li Shuai's words earlier, he knew that the Happiness Pond had mixed species: Crucian Carp, Carp, and Silver Carp and Bighead Carp to purify the water.

However, he didn't want to try for Silver or Bighead Carp. They started at over 20 catties; it was a struggle to handle them with one hand.

It had also been a long time since he caught a 'showy' Carp. Using Old Jar Corn was a pretty good choice.

Using a baiting spoon, he threw in three full scoops of groundbait. Gao Xiaofan swung his rod out to find the bottom.

One good thing about commercial fishing ponds is that these excavator-dug pits generally have a flat bottom.

The water depth was 1.5 meters, no different from what Li Shuai had said.

After finding the depth, Gao Xiaofan attached the leader and pulled the space bean that fixed the lead sinker upward.

running lead fishing.

The rod used this time was a 4.5-meter Yi Wei. The line set consisted of a 2.0 main line with a 1.5 leader and a size 4 Iseni hook.

With considerable effort, he hooked two plump grains of Old Jar Corn onto the double hooks and cast them into the water. The float dropped sharply, then bounced back up, settling at four marks.

As Gao Xiaofan began fishing, the frequency of the bullet chat increased once again.

"Brother Wo Zi, did you forget to adjust the float?"

"He's probably fishing with a running lead~"

"Fishing is so complicated. I've been fishing for a month and still haven't learned how to adjust the float~"

"Don't worry, once you learn how to adjust it, you'll be one step closer to coming home empty-handed~"

Qiu Gu looked at the bullet chat and brought the screen close to Gao Xiaofan's eyes.

Gao Xiaofan glanced at the comments and explained with a smile.

"Carp are naturally cautious and timid. So, we can't use the same methods for Carp as we do for Grass Carp or Blunt-snouted bream. Those species require high-frequency casting."

"Carp are the opposite. The best way to fish for Carp is to use heavy groundbait and bottom bait. Because Carp are cautious when feeding, they often take one bite at the edge of the bait pile and leave, only returning for another bite a few minutes later."

"If we keep casting frequently and making too much noise, the Carp basically won't open their mouths~"

"And my running lead setup serves the same purpose. A Carp brushing against the line or testing the bait can cause many small, false signals on the float. Instead of being frustrated by watching those, it's better to just wait for a 'black float' where it gets pulled under completely."

Gao Xiaofan spoke while keeping his eyes fixed on the float in front of him.

"A Carp's signal is very obvious. First, the float will tap lightly; that's the Carp taking the bait into its mouth and spitting it out. You have to pay attention then. Once the float dips and then dips again, striking the rod will definitely hook the fish."

Gao Xiaofan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed with a smile at the circles of small bubbles on the water's surface.

"Look, this is also a sign that Carp have entered the swim. Carp bubbles are small and dense. Once you see this movement, it means the Carp are in the area~"

Gao Xiaofan gripped the rod with his right hand as he spoke.

"There's basically no silt in a commercial fishing pond, so I'm certain these are Carp bubbles."

Qiu Gu cooperatively pointed the camera at the water near the float. It looked like a boiling pot as dense, tiny bubbles rose up.

In the frame, the float suddenly vanished—a total 'black float.' Before the audience could react, the sound of the line slicing through the wind rang out. The camera quickly panned back to show Gao Xiaofan sitting on his fishing box, holding the rod with one hand. The rod was already bent into an 80% full arc.

"Whoa, boy! How long has it been since the owner fed the fish, or is this Happiness Pond just packed? It hasn't even been five minutes."

Gao Xiaofan's excited voice rang out in the livestream room.

Qiu Gu quickly grabbed the tripod, mounted the Gimbal, and prepared to jog over to get the Landing Net.

Li Shuai, who had been watching from the side, picked up a Landing Net from a nearby fishing spot with a grin.

"Brother Gu, I'll help Brother Wo Zi net the fish."

Qiu Gu nodded and continued filming with the Gimbal.

A large, plump, golden Carp had already broken the surface, splashing water continuously. As Gao Xiaofan stood up and stepped back, the thrashing Carp was slowly drawn toward the bank.

Li Shuai was quick. He thrust the Landing Net into the water and steadily scooped up the fish.

Gao Xiaofan set the rod down and leaned in. Li Shuai had already removed the hook, and Gao Xiaofan lifted the fish by its mouth with one hand.

Qiu Gu also brought the Gimbal closer, focusing the lens on the Carp.

"This must be nearly two catties. It seems the owner wasn't lying, hahahaha. And the scales look good too; it doesn't look like a typical low-quality Happiness Pond fish at all."

Gao Xiaofan looked at the 'showy' Carp with satisfaction and then tossed it into the keepnet beside him.

Li Shuai also laughed. A single good word from Brother Wo Zi was worth more than any amount of paid promotion.

He pulled out his phone and saw that, sure enough, the livestream room was full of praise.

"Not bad, not bad at all. It's only 800 kilometers away~ I can experience it after just a day's drive~"

"I wish there was a fishing ground like this near us~"

"Holy crap, I was going to go before, but a friend said the reputation was bad so I didn't. I'm leaving now; I can be there in half an hour. I'll get to see Brother Wo Zi too~ Is watching a livestream as cool as seeing it in person???"

"To the guy above, you really deserve to die~"