363: Individual competition

Other Anglers participate in competitions wanting to catch big fish, the kind that really tips the scales. Therefore, the hooks they use are relatively large.

As it turned out, for some unknown reason that day, the fish weren't biting at all; there wasn't a single nibble until the afternoon, and everyone ended up empty-handed.

In the end, a female angler remembered the Hemiculter she had caught in the morning. Consequently, she won the championship with that single Hemiculter, which had already dried out in the sun.

So even though these Mangrove Jack only weighed a few ounces, Yang Qi still didn't want to let them go; he understood the principle that every little bit adds up.

After waiting for a long time, he saw a few dozen small Balang Fish arrive; he couldn't let them go and continued to target them.

By the time noon arrived and it was time for the weigh-in, Yang Qi had caught over six catties of various small fish.

By the end of the first day of the finals in the afternoon, Yang Qi ranked 28th with ten catties and eight ounces, advancing to the second day's competition.

Advancing alongside him were Bai Xue and Zhang Jun.

"Hubby, I caught thirteen catties and ranked 20th."

Bai Xue bragged to Yang Qi.

"Beautiful! You're better than me; I only got ten catties and eight ounces."

Yang Qi said, patting Bai Xue's head.

"Hehehe."

During dinner that evening, Liu Yao complained that his luck was truly terrible; the fishing spot he drew had no fish coming in, and he only caught five catties and four ounces. He couldn't showcase his technical skill at all.

"It seems luck plays too big a part in this competition."

"Yeah! The difference between a good fishing spot and a bad one is just too huge!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions.

"Nothing we can do about it; the team competition is our forte anyway!"

"Hey! Didn't that Goose-handling Master XX come to this competition?"

"Like hell he'd come; he's a freshwater angler."

"That's not right! Didn't Master XX catch a Bluefin Tuna weighing over 700 catties?"

"Bullshit. Did he catch that himself? They just saved the final reel-in shot for him. Hahaha."

"He specializes in Black Pits and farm ponds, and he's the type who has people pre-bait the spots for him. If he came for wild fishing and didn't catch a single thing, it would ruin his public persona!"

With a dozen or so Anglers at the table, whenever a fishing master was mentioned, they were all full of defiance and resentment.

"So he's great at freshwater fishing? I'm not convinced. If there's ever a freshwater wild fishing competition, let's go meet those so-called masters. If they have the guts, they should stop fishing in Black Pits and do some damn pure wild fishing."

Liu Yao shouted excitedly at the thought.

"I think you need some kind of qualification, like being a certain level of master, to be eligible."

"Black Pits don't seem to require that."

Someone remarked.

"Black Pits? Even dogs wouldn't fish there!"

Liu Yao continued grumbling.

Yang Qi rolled his eyes at him and said nothing.

The next day, the finals began. Yang Qi, Bai Xue, and Zhang Jun entered the field one after another. Only thirty contestants remained today, and they drew lots again.

Yang Qi drew number 19, Bai Xue number 10, and Zhang Jun number 25.

Today's fishing spot was significantly better than Yang Qi's spot yesterday. Since there were fewer contestants, they were all concentrated in the best locations for the final round.

As soon as Yang Qi arrived at his spot, he noticed the water depth in this area was around seven or eight meters. There were some low and cluttered reefs underwater; although there were no big fish, there were clearly many more small fish than yesterday.

As the whistle blew, Yang Qi cast his line toward several Green Grouper over twenty meters away.

"I've had my eye on you for a long time, buddy! Get in my bowl!"

The lead sinker carried the Shrimp, landing accurately in front of the Green Grouper. As Yang Qi slowly reeled in, it caught the Grouper's attention.

The Grouper, which had been foraging, spotted the Shrimp and immediately salivated. It rushed forward and swallowed it in one gulp.

Yang Qi immediately jerked the rod to hook the fish. He pulled the Grouper away from the spot instantly, fearing it would spook the other Groupers.

Sure enough, he pulled up the Green Grouper, which weighed about seven catties, and tossed it into the fish basket, while the other Groupers remained nearby to forage.

They probably thought their companion had just suddenly gone crazy and swam off for a bit.

"A flying start!"

Yang Qi ignored the clicking sounds from the angler to his right and baited his hook to cast again.

He repeatedly lifted the rod gently and slowly turned the reel, trying to get the Shrimp closer to the larger Grouper.

Groupers have huge appetites, fierce eating habits, and bad tempers; how could it resist such a provocation? With a flick of its head, it swallowed the Shrimp struggling on the hook.

As Yang Qi jerked the rod, the hook sank completely into the Grouper's lip. Its painful struggle pulled the fishing line, making a whistling "whoosh" sound.

The commotion on his end immediately drew the attention of nearby Anglers. They all turned to look, wanting to see which lucky bastard had struck gold and hooked a big fish right from the start.

Their eyes were filled with blatant envy and jealousy!

"This guy's luck is that good? If only I were the one who hooked a big fish!"

"Oh ho,"

"Oh ho, hope it gets away!"

Yang Qi didn't turn his head, but his peripheral vision had already caught the Anglers watching him.

"Hehehe, don't be obsessed with me; I'm just a legend!"

Yang Qi was feeling great, but his hands didn't hesitate for a second. Since the competition was based on the weight of the catch, it didn't matter if the fish lived or died!

Besides, the water wasn't that deep here.

So, with one hand on the rod and the other on the reel, he gave the Grouper absolutely no chance to escape.

A few minutes later, another Green Grouper weighing about twelve catties was scooped into the landing net by Yang Qi.

"This is so damn unfair. I haven't caught a single one, and this guy has already landed two big fish. Dammit! Where am I lacking?"

The angler to his left scratched his head, unable to figure it out.

Yang Qi put the Grouper into the fish basket and didn't immediately bait his hook to cast again.

Instead, he took a Chunghwa cigarette from his pocket, popped it into his mouth, and then gestured toward the Anglers on his left and right.

The two Anglers shook their heads, cursing inwardly:

"Damn, trying to waste my time too!"

Yang Qi handed a cigarette to a staff member from the Competition Committee behind him and then began to puff away.

By now, the other Grouper in front of the spot had already fled, but there were some Mangrove Jack nearby.

He was in no hurry; he'd finish his cigarette first.

"I'm just not a wasteful person!"

Next came baiting with shrimp meat, casting, jerking the rod, and reeling.

One Mangrove Jack after another was quickly caught; when fishing for these small Mangrove Jack, unhooking them actually took more time.

Because Mangrove Jack have venomous dorsal fins, he had to wear gloves and unhook them carefully; if he got stung, it would be a major setback.

Before he could finish fishing the Mangrove Jack, a small school of Yellow Sea Bream arrived in the distance; clearly, their weight far exceeded that of the small Mangrove Jack.

Yang Qi immediately had a change of heart, abandoning his old interest for the new one.

He baited his hook again and cast it toward the Yellow Sea Bream.