Chapter 504: Chapter 294: The Road Widens_2
Wang Yan grinned: "Hey, buddy!"
"Your team came to Jinghai Garden to fish? Who’s that guy at spot 155? I tried to greet him, but he wasn’t too friendly!
I’m a fan of yours, a hardcore one! Why haven’t you worn the sun-protective jacket with the logo lately? I’ve been scrutinizing you for a long time but couldn’t recognize you!"
Upon confirmation, Xie Tianhao instantly became talkative, enthusiastically chatting with Wang Yan.
"Spot 155? That’s our boss Zhang Yang, he’s not the aloof type. Maybe there’s some misunderstanding!"
Wang Yan was also confused, Zhang Yang wasn’t the type to be arrogant.
"Well, I don’t know. I saw him fishing quite well, so I wanted to introduce myself and greet him. It’s our first offline meeting, I didn’t offend him, but he seemed indifferent."
"Maybe there’s a misunderstanding, let me ask him later! Our captain is easy to talk to!"
"Hey, have you got any plans for lunch? Since you’re at Jinghai Garden, let me, as the half-host here, show you some hospitality!" Xie Tianhao said generously.
"No need, no need, we only finish up by three in the afternoon. We’ll just grab a casual bite for lunch! We’re just ordinary anglers, no need for any star treatment or big setups!"
Wang Yan politely declined, waving his hands. They didn’t have any foundation of friendship, it wasn’t appropriate to ask someone to treat them to a meal after just meeting.
"Please, don’t be so polite, I’m truly your die-hard fan! Level ten fan club, remember what you said during the broadcast? In our world of fishing, there’s always someone to look out for you!"
Fearing that Wang Yan wouldn’t believe him, Xie Tianhao pulled out his phone, opened the live-streaming app, and showed Wang Yan his level ten fan club badge.
Now Wang Yan couldn’t refuse, as being in the level ten fan club represented the highest status among fans, signaling unparalleled attention during live broadcasts.
This wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight with money; it required day after day of watching to reach that level.
"Alright then, just a few boxed lunches will do, we’re fishing and don’t have time to go out!" Reluctant to refuse again, Wang Yan took a step back and accepted Xie’s kind offer.
"Remember, lunch is on me, don’t order anything else, I’ll come over later after I sort things out with Zhang Yang!"
Xie Tianhao gave a nod and headed back to his fishing spot.
Speaking of Xie Tianhao, he was a typical fishing aficionado with his company, not lacking funds, and willing to invest in his fishing hobby, effectively supporting half a fishing tackle shop on his own.
Normally, not many master anglers could catch his attention, but today being next to Zhang Yang taught him a lesson, his pride learning a humbling reality.
Returning to his spot, Xie saw Zhang Yang steadily catching fish, squatted by his side for a bit, and struck up a conversation: "Zhang Yang, is there some misunderstanding? I’m a level ten fan in our live stream fan club, I just confirmed my identity with Wang Yan!"
Hearing the level ten fan mention, Zhang Yang raised his head, surprisingly saying: "Oh?"
"It’s our first meeting, right? I approached you not for anything else but seeing your impressive skills, wanting to befriend you! Is there a misunderstanding?" Xie continued.
After hearing this, Zhang Yang instantly felt relieved, pointing to a nearby apprentice: "During the rush for fishing spots entry, your friend didn’t beat me to it, I nodded and smiled at him, but this guy cursed at me!"
Hearing this, Xie felt an instant surge of frustration.
"Damn! Xiao Bao! Get over here!"
The saying ’there’s no love or hate without reason’ seemed true here.
Xiao Bao, intensely focused on fishing with his pole, was startled, and before he could react, got called over.
"Master!" Xiao Bao was taken aback, speaking with a hint of grievance.
"Apologize to Zhang Yang! Competing for a spot is one thing, but why curse? How was I teaching you? Where are your manners?" Xie sternly said.
"I’m... I’m sorry!" Xiao Bao apologized, face flushed with embarrassment, head lowered.
"It’s fine, it’s not a big deal! Clearing it up is good enough!" With an apology received, Zhang Yang waved his hand, indicating he wasn’t holding any grudges.
"This guy is the son of a good brother; he used to hang around with the wrong crowd. Now he drives for me, don’t mind him!"
"Alright!" Zhang Yang smiled and nodded.
With the misunderstanding cleared, the atmosphere genuinely improved.
Xie Tianhao chatted casually with Zhang Yang for a while, steering the topic to today’s fishing conditions.
"Zhang Yang, there’s something I don’t get. Under spot 155 is a small mound, a bit shallow, one of the stable fishing spots on the pontoon.
Based on past experiences, while I’m at spot 154, I shouldn’t go quiet this early even if I can’t suppress spot 155! Today I barely got around a hundred pounds before it went silent, what’s going on?"
Xie Tianhao humbly asked.
Zhang Yang grinned: "When there’s no bite, it means there are no fish left! As for why there’s no fish, it depends on the situation.
My spot has a better edge than yours, giving me the advantage. Today’s fish activity is good, continuously following with spread bait steadily built the spot’s appeal, attracting more fish, so the bites kept coming!"
"Uh... I didn’t stop baiting here either. Could it be the bait and additives? Yellow dough with our mix of additives, it’s always been stable in Jinghai Garden!"
Zhang Yang shook his head, smiling: "Details, there’s an issue with the baiting details. Your apprentice was accurate in throwing bait, but the bait’s water ratio was a bit heavier, and he packed it too tightly!
The lead weight I use dissolves upon entering water, exploding mid-level! By the time it hits the bottom, it’s almost gone, but for these tightly packed baits, many parts are over-packed and don’t dissolve!
You might feel confident in your bait quantity, and the bait timing might seem fine, but much of it sunk too deep and wasn’t effective.
Jinghai Garden has a thick bottom layer, fish usually won’t dive that low to feed! Bait lying in the lowest layer struggles to attract fish!
In these circumstances, against anglers with similar or even lesser baiting amounts than yours, it usually wouldn’t matter much, but I’ve been gathering fish nonstop with my lead spreader, which brings them over to me, leaving you with no fish and naturally no bites!"
After Zhang Yang’s analysis, Xie Tianhao was suddenly enlightened.
"Wow! So that’s how it is!"
The truth can be explained in a few words, whereas countless fake theories might fill books. Miraculous baits, amazing additives, all sorts of overly hyped high-tech products pale before the simple truths of fishing techniques.
Zhang Yang’s concise explanation perfectly showcased seeing through phenomena to grasp the essence.
"If you want to catch more fish, it’s best to quickly move to another spot! As long as I don’t make big mistakes, the spot is already heated, and fish will keep gathering!" Zhang Yang gave one last piece of advice.
"Thanks! Today’s fishing wasn’t in vain; I learned a lot from you!" Now completely won over, Xie Tianhao became Zhang Yang’s little fanboy.
Listening to advice fills your stomach, discovering where he went wrong, Xie Tianhao soon moved with his apprentice to another empty spot on the northern side of the bridge, rebuilding a fishing area. Though the bites came slower, it was much better than standing by Zhang Yang’s side, watching him fish while doing nothing himself.
After this small incident, nearing eleven o’clock, Xie called a familiar catering service.
Including the master and apprentice, plus Zhang Yang’s team of nine, there were eleven in total, and he ordered a decent standard takeaway meal. Mingling with these real fishing experts could definitely teach him a thing or two!
Nearing lunch, the delivery guy arrived, with insulated boxes filled with more than ten hearty dishes, along with chilled beer and fruits, showcasing Xie Tianhao’s sincerity and making his path much smoother.