Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 879 - 587: Forty-Pound Big Silver Carp

At the critical moment, Zhang Yang straightened his waist, turned to the side, and in a very decisive and swift motion, directly inserted the fishing rod upside down into the water on the left.

Upside-down rod control in fishing is a high-risk maneuver. When the rod enters the water, it not only changes the force direction of the rod and line assembly but also creates significant resistance underwater. These factors can easily make the big fish in the water turn around, and once the fish’s head turns, the outward impact is effectively neutralized.

Why is this maneuver considered highly risky? Mainly because it’s difficult to grasp the timing of the upside-down rod insertion, plus the rod slanting to one side and the hook being improperly positioned can increase the risk of the fish escaping.

Then why does Zhang Yang choose to do it this way? Simply because Zhang Yang has enough confidence in his technique and is extremely confident in choosing the right timing to strike.

Some people might criticize this, wondering why he’s doing such fancy maneuvers when he has a drop-line for safety; it seems illogical.

People who say this are 100% not anglers and don’t understand the anglers’ pursuit.

Using a drop-line in fishing is considered the last safety measure when catching big fish with a hand-held rod. During moments like striking the fish, when the risk of the fish escaping is high, the angler may not be prepared for battle and will use the drop-line to increase error tolerance.

But once the rod is bent and the strategic space is ample, no one continues using a drop-line when the big fish exerts force again.

For smaller fish, Zhang Yang might not care, but after guarding for most of the day to finally catch a prized big fish, Zhang Yang definitely wants to capture more video footage of it.

What constitutes good footage? It’s obviously eye-catching and thrilling; without a doubt, this current upside-down rod control technique is the best content for an exciting fishing video.

Zhang Yang was lucky. After executing a textbook-level upside-down rod technique, he successfully turned the big fish back around, feeling the subtle force changes transmitted through the rod and line assembly. Once confirmed no issues, he slowly adjusted the rod to its bent position again.

"Awesome! This big guy’s really strong!" Zhang Yang said with a smile, wiping his forehead with his arm and showing his teeth.

"You pulled the fish back even from such a strong surge? That’s impressive!" Xiao Yi couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.

"Did you capture it all? I chose the risky upside-down rod control just now!" Zhang Yang continued to ask.

Xiao Yi: "Don’t worry, I got it all; the footage is fantastic, and your quick reaction was impressive!"

"Zhang Yang, how big is the fish?" Xiao Wei disregarded her own rod, coming down from the tackle box and positioned herself behind Zhang Yang, ready with the landing net rod.

"At least thirty pounds! This fish is very strong, probably needs some time to tire out. Right now, I don’t dare go head-to-head!"

"Thirty pounds? Seems like a record-breaker!"

Zhang Yang was right; for the next twenty minutes, he kept his rod bent while constantly maneuvering with the big fish in the water.

As the fish advanced, Zhang Yang retreated; as the fish retreated, Zhang Yang bent the rod and walked backward, perfectly embodying the essence of a famous guerrilla fight strategy.

During the fish controlling and maneuvering process, the big fish surged forward four or five times, each time narrowly avoided a mishap thanks to Zhang Yang’s upside-down rod technique.

Just as Zhang Yang was close to exhaustion, the big fish in the water finally couldn’t hold on anymore.

The force exerted to escape kept decreasing, and when its strength was almost depleted, Zhang Yang gently tested the rod’s force upward; the big fish, led by the fishing line, slowly surfaced, revealing its mottled gray large body.

"Holy cow! Huge bighead carp! It’s roughly a meter long, like a small pig!!!" Xiao Yi, through the camera lens, saw the details first and didn’t mind the shooting noise, directly exclaiming.

The fish struggled as it broke the surface into light and shadows, attempting a dive back underwater. Zhang Yang, not one to be polite, firmly held the rod, ensuring the fish couldn’t dive again.

Thus, after a brief stalemate, Zhang Yang controlled the rod to let the big fish take a few gulps of water, exhausting the fish’s last reserves of strength until it couldn’t maintain its swimming posture and completely flipped over.

Seeing the fish turned belly-up, Zhang Yang relaxed completely.

A belly-up fish, especially a big one, is sentenced to death, with no chance of escape. Even if the hook accidentally comes off, the fish won’t recover enough strength in the short term, allowing the angler to manage it.

The rest is straightforward. Zhang Yang raised the rod over his head, gradually retreating the water surface bighead carp to his feet, one step at a time.

Xiao Wei, who had been waiting with the large landing net rod, targeted the fish. Zhang Yang seized the opportunity, loosened the taut fishing line, swept the net, and with a backward flick, captured the large-headed big fish successfully.

"End of the battle! Mission accomplished!" Zhang Yang sighed with relief.

"So big, so big, so big!"

"This fish might weigh almost forty pounds, so plump!"

"Tut-tut-tut, look at this big mouth, it could easily swallow a fist!"

A few companions and an onlooking crowd, who appeared at some point, admired Zhang Yang’s trophy.

Zhang Yang caught his breath before instructing Xiao Wei to lift the fish to the water’s edge. He quickly removed the 12 o’clock hooked fish line, took out a hook-type electronic scale, and started to operate it.

The fish was too large, making it impossible to grab the towel’s end when trying to weigh it with the towel wrapped around its head. Helplessly, he unscrewed the landing net head, hooked it on the net frame, exerting force together to lift the large fish.