Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 875 - 585: The Three States of Silver Carp and Bighead Carp Bait in Water

Zhang Yang saw that Xu Cheng’s attitude towards learning techniques was fairly upright, so he casually picked up the bait basin and placed the unused bait from the morning in front of Xu Cheng.

Xu Cheng’s attention was focused on this basin of slightly dry, whitish bait, not knowing what Zhang Yang was up to.

Zhang Yang didn’t immediately start talking about the bait but first asked a question: "Before getting into the specifics, let me ask you a question. When you usually fish for silver carp, what size lead-weighted bobber do you use? What is the standard adjustment method?"

Upon hearing this question, Xu Cheng was a bit puzzled, scratching his head as he said: "Bobber for silver carp?

Considering the lead-weight issue, the bobber must be quite large. Today, I’m using a bobber with a lead weight of about 5.5g, and the method is double hook with single bait, adjusted to four eyes at mid-water!

Why ask this question? When fishing for silver carp, you fish mid-water, not bottom, isn’t the adjustment method more or less the same?"

Zhang Yang pursed his lips with a slight smile, shaking his head at Xu Cheng.

"Just because everyone fishes this way doesn’t mean it’s right, and it certainly doesn’t mean it’s the optimal choice!

Another question for you, when fishing according to your current adjustment method, have you encountered situations where the bites are weak and elusive, with very small space for lifting or lowering, yet no fish ever comes up?"

Believe it or not, I can use a bobber with a lead weight of over 2g and still hang big bait and fish like you for three or four eyes?"

Zhang Yang threw out two consecutive questions, and Xu Cheng listened with a puzzled face thinking for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.

"The situation you’re talking about happens to me often, even today! Tiny bites, fish nibble but don’t swallow, and you can’t catch them. You have to patiently wait for the bait to be just the right size for a clear bite, then you can catch the fish!

As for the second question, I’m skeptical!

If the lead weight is too small, you can’t hold up the normal size bait ball for silver carp even without the lead ballast!"

Zhang Yang grinned again and said, "Answering your first question, the bobber seems to give weak bites mainly because it’s too large, the startup resistance is too high, making it hard for the fish to suck the bait into their mouths.

So you have to keep circling the bait, once the bait ball surpasses the feeding threshold, that’s when noticeable bites appear!

These situations are typical when the water temperature is low and fish act sluggish.

As for the second question, that’s the technique I plan to teach you today!

Come, take a look at the bait I didn’t use this morning, get a general understanding of the water proportion, state, etc.!"

Saying that, Zhang Yang handed his bait basin to Xu Cheng.

Xu Cheng took the bait basin, held it with his left hand, pinched a bit of bait with his right, sniffed its scent, and felt its absorption and fluffiness.

After studying it, the conclusion wasn’t shocking, just ordinary commercial bait, mixed with an appropriate water ratio, the usual bait.

Since Xu Cheng had been here from morning till now, he didn’t suspect Zhang Yang of trickery with the bait, otherwise, he might have felt he was being deceived.

"After seeing the bait, it doesn’t seem extraordinary at all?" Xu Cheng placed the bait back into the basin, casting a puzzled glance at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang nodded: "Right, the essential materials for fishing silver carp, regardless of the brand, are made with potato-based Snowflake Powder as the core material. Different brands have slight formula adjustments, but the overall ingredient composition approach doesn’t vary significantly! I use the same!

I’m not offering you a Divine Bait today but teaching you a bait-handling technique!

With the bait ball you just saw, I can fish normally using a bobber weighted over 2g, do you believe it?"

"This...how is that possible?" Xu Cheng was filled with question marks, his face showing sheer disbelief.

Zhang Yang didn’t argue but casually picked up a normally sized bait ball with four fingers, lightly kneading it, and threw it directly into the water at his feet.

The bait entered the water normally, then sank steadily, quickly disappearing out of sight without a hint of anything unusual.

Xu Cheng scratched his head, remaining silent but his face still carried the expression of someone who didn’t understand.

Zhang Yang didn’t explain further but again picked up a bait ball, lightly squeezed it, and threw it into the water.

Things were different this time; the bait did not immediately sink but floated on the water surface.

Correct, you didn’t see wrong, it floated on the water surface.

Materials like Snowflake Powder have a very light specific gravity, as long as you don’t knead excessively, it can float on the surface upon entering the water, and once it absorbs enough water, only then will it slowly sink.

After the second demonstration, Zhang Yang still said nothing, and for the third time, picked up another bait ball.

The third demonstration had a more dramatic effect; Zhang Yang slightly kneaded it and threw the ball into the water.

This time, the bait ball entered the water, floated briefly for one or two seconds, then drifted down, simultaneously dissolving into white powder residue.

At a depth of about thirty to forty centimeters underwater, the bait unexpectedly stopped descending and hovered in the water.

Witnessing this, Xu Cheng and his junior, Big Ice, were utterly dumbfounded.

"Damn!"

"What the hell, how is this achieved?"