Chapter 888: Beast at Bay and the Boiling Frog
"Got it!" Wang Zhen nodded, took the rod, swiftly changed the main line to the No. 3 rod, stood up, and cast, entering battle mode.
Off stage, as Yue Feng explained and analyzed, Wang Zhen had a vague concept in his mind. Once on stage, Zhao Zheng whispered something to him, and Wang Zhen immediately gained a deeper understanding of the so-called landmine-laying and pit-digging strategies.
In the end, an angler's skill is reflected in their control over catching fish in their spot. These subtle response strategies are both tactics from a deep understanding of fish conditions and a part of fishing skill. Only true teammates or mentors would teach them. Outsiders, watching just for fun, would hardly understand.
Thanks to Zhao Zheng's calm handling and groundwork in the first round, Wang Zhen performed very well after coming on stage, catching three fish in a row, launching a small peak with a 3-1 lead, and extending the tail score advantage by two.
This time, the second contestant, Niu Zhuangzhuang, got anxious, pushed the lead skin holder to the top for a full flying lead, and leaned his body sideways on the fishing box in a classic "reach far" posture, riding a motorcycle.
"Hahaha, who was it that just mentioned, full flying lead plus 'riding a motorcycle', now it's on full display!"
"Wang Zhen isn't even anxious yet, let the other side ride for a while first! Dragging float has the advantage at long distances!"
"They're starting to play like this already, what about the next few rounds? Won't they get anxious in the end again!"
"Little Zheng mentioned something to him while changing players, who knows what he said!"
Yue Feng laughed, "Actually, in this fairly stable fish condition, the requirements for anglers are much lower! The fish are far away; if you reach them, they'll bite, if not, they won't! Our team has a great advantage using the dragging float!
If I guessed correctly, Zhao Zheng surely mentioned the hedging strategy. If you don't believe me, let him tell us, come on, our man Zheng, share with the brothers in the live room what you advised Wang Zhen!"
Zhao Zheng had appeared in the live room before. This guy wasn't uncomfortable, saying, "I did advise him a bit! Didn't you notice that every so often, Zhao Zheng would drop a nest on that vacant spot on the farthest edge? It's quieter here, with no one next door beyond the boundary, a great spot for secretly storing fish!"
"Haha, Zheng is cunning! Not bringing it out early, directly turning them into scraps!"
"Right, competitions only care about winning or losing, pulverizing them into scraps, let them show off!"
Zhao Zheng shook his head, "You can't say it like that, there's a saying, 'Struggle of the Cornered Beast', have you heard of it?"
"Struggle of the Cornered Beast, heard of it, but what does it have to do with a fishing competition?"
"Yeah, how does Little Zheng speak so eloquently, feels like Feng's live broadcast!"
Zhao Zheng: "For example, in the current fish condition, if the other side takes out some trump card or directly tries a desperate final measure, somehow it works, what will we do?
If the opponent is pushed too hard, they lose all hope and panic! Rather than letting them fight back with full force in a fishing skill showdown, we should slowly shred with a small knife and steadily secure the victory!"
"Damn, right, I forgot about that!"
"Warm water boiling a frog, let them comfortably die!"
"The analogy above, 666, awesome!"
After Zhao Zheng finished speaking, Yue Feng added a few words, saying, "Actually, leisure fishing and competitive fishing have clear differences in mindset!
Everyone must be aware of this point. Sometimes a small trump card in reserve can make a difference at crucial times! This is also an essential quality for a fishing expert who has reached a certain level of understanding in competitions!"
"Valuable insights!"
"Learned something! Seems useful for the Black Pit as well!"
"I reckon, Tiancheng Fishing Gear must be quite frustrated seeing the current situation!"
"Frustrated? That's not accurate; more like hopeless!"
...
Off stage, in the viewing area of Tiancheng Fishing Gear.
Qiu Guoyun had already stepped down, sitting upright in his seat, but his eyebrows were already knitted into a knot.
"Damn monkey, this match is tough!"
"How come Yuefeng Club has so many tricks, what kind of float is this? Does it comply with the regulations? Should we complain to the referee?" Sun Hao suggested somewhat dissatisfied.
Qiu Guoyun shook his head, "I just called a friend and asked, this is a dragging-running lead float that came out at the end of last year, specifically for long-distance fishing! It's a vertical float, not too long, not restricted by competition rules!"
"So, we just keep fishing like this? Zhuangzhuang is already reaching the limit with the motorcycle! There are still several rounds left! The current fishing harvest level alone won't catch up, what do we do?"
Guo Limin added, "I think we can try targeting big fish!
We previously found that the big fish flavor effect was quite good, right? We can give it a try; currently, we're about ten pounds short in fishing harvest, a big fish could basically bridge that gap!"
"Big fish? In this pit, big fish bites are quite rare, won't it be even less effective!"
Qiu Guoyun took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, and took a drag, "Give it another round, see if there's any improvement, the fish are all scared into the middle!
If it really doesn't work, then consider the strategy of chasing big fish! Don't know if you noticed, but even if you reach far, fish bites are decreasing!"
"Alright, then let's follow the captain's instructions! If we can't catch up after three rounds, then try guarding for big fish! Losing like this is too frustrating, feels like we can't show our skills, like punching into cotton!" Sun Hao mumbled.
Qiu Guoyun helplessly shook his head, "These youngsters, looking a bit immature in many details. If they gained more competition experience, the Taiwan Fishing circle might change dramatically!
The people at Yuefeng Club shouldn't be underestimated, anyone who underestimates them will be in trouble!"
"This is with Yue Feng not even on stage yet, already putting so much pressure on us. If he goes on stage, what will happen?"
The thought of Yue Feng stepping on the stage silenced the originally noisy rest area.
As the competition with daggers drawn has progressed to this point, Tiancheng has already revealed all their cards early, basically exerting every effort.
The opponent seems slightly immature, but facing them directly doesn't give us sufficient advantage; just two new floats they've never seen before caught us off guard.
What if Yue Feng, who holds the title of Fishing King, participates personally? What will the competition become?
If Yue Feng still has major cards that he hasn't played yet, what will the competition become?
For a moment, a vast sense of frustration surged in everyone's hearts. The dominating aura of past contests, where they crushed everyone, vanished without a trace.
With the start of the club league, the whole Taiwan Fishing circle is about to turn upside down.