By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 173 It's time to show off our real skills! [Second update!]

In reality, even a fishing master like Li Younan can't immediately catch a continuous stream of fish just by casting his line; he still needs to wait patiently.

However, Li Younan was indeed different from others. Before fishing, he already had a clear plan in mind, targeting the water layer in this area where fish would be present.

Li Younan prepared the bait but didn't rush to cast it. Instead, he started to prepare the feeding area.

Baiting isn't simply about scattering bait on the lake surface to attract fish. Li Younan knew very well that these fish were quite clever and alert. After scattering the bait, they would probably observe from nearby or sneak a bite and quickly dart away. Casting the line immediately after baiting would be a terrible fishing strategy, so Li Younan wasn't in a hurry.

His strategy is to cultivate the fish here, a process he plans to do over several hours, meaning he doesn't intend to cast his line for those hours.

Because there was no trial fishing, Li Younan's method was only usable by him. Others couldn't figure out the situation in the water at all and had to constantly adjust their fishing spots to find the bottom. However, this would disturb the fish in the water, so they couldn't cultivate a feeding area and could only use ordinary baiting methods to attract fish.

However, Li Younan had a very good grasp of the water conditions and fish behavior, so he was very confident when using this method to raise fish.

Li Younan sprinkled bait into the water while observing the water's surface.

A moment later, having made up his mind, he leisurely sat on the bench, half-closing his eyes, and took out a thermos containing goji berries and dates, taking a slow sip.

Lu Ya, who was standing next to her, had been fishing for a while and felt that she could roughly figure out where the fish were.

I pulled the float up one last time, adjusted the sensitivity, then attached the line and bait, and officially started fishing.

Only then did she have the energy to see what Li Younan was doing next to her.

Li Younan was already leisurely lying on the chair.

Only then did she notice that Li Younan hadn't even sat in the fishing box, but had instead moved a folding chair.

In contrast, she was sitting on a very sturdy fishing box.

For a moment, she felt a mix of emotions, and she was once again certain that Li Younan was just there for fun and to experience things for the first time.

At this moment, she noticed that Li Younan was neither testing the water's depth nor trying to fish; he simply threw bait into the water and did nothing else. Slightly puzzled, she couldn't help but ask him, "What are you doing?"

The sunlight was a little too bright, so Li Younan put on sunglasses before saying slowly, "Waiting for the fish."

Lu Ya couldn't help but laugh and said, "How could the fish possibly wait for you to come? It seems this is indeed your first time fishing."

Li Younan wasn't going to hold back. He snorted and said, "You don't understand. This is a master's fishing method. Just wait and see. I'll definitely catch more fish than you later. The fish basket won't be able to hold them all."

Li Younan's honesty was seen as boastful by Lu Ya, but she found Li Younan quite cute.

She didn't argue with him, but said with a smile, "Okay, okay, then I'll watch your performance later, Master."

Now that she had some free time, Lu Ya started chatting casually with Li Younan while waiting for the fish to bite.

"Do you see that guy over there? His name is Zhao Tianyu, the defending champion from last year. He's also a superstar in the domestic fishing world, with millions of fans, high commercial value, and he's a spokesperson and shareholder for a fishing tackle brand. His skills are very comprehensive and superb, with almost no weaknesses. He's very experienced, and his equipment is top-of-the-line and the most expensive. He'll definitely advance to the next round, without a doubt."

Li Younan looked at the person over there with some curiosity. The person was quite far away, so he could only make out a general outline and couldn't see their face clearly.

Li Younan asked, "Is he very strong? Then he'll definitely be able to participate in the final national competition, right?"

Lu Ya shook her head and said, "To be honest, if it were last year, he might have been more reliable, but this year is different. There are several contestants who can challenge him."

Lu Ya looked left and right and shook her head: "Zhang Mang can't be seen from this position. He should be in another area."

She then began to introduce some of the more competitive contestants.

Lu Ya said, "The person most likely to challenge Zhao Tianyu is Zhang Mang. It's not that he's particularly good at fishing, but rather that he's a local fishing expert. Whenever there's a competition at Shengzhong Lake, he can basically get into the top three. He calls himself the owner of Shengzhong Lake and knows the water and fish conditions there like the back of his hand."

Just as they were talking, Lu Ya's float clearly moved. Li Younan noticed it first, pointed over there, and said, "It seems like your fish has taken the bait."

Lu Ya quickly snapped out of her daze, her expression immediately brightening with joy. Her judgment of when the fish bit the hook was quite good, and sure enough, she caught a four- or five-pound mandarin fish after casting the line.

Qiaozui scored a very high number of points in this competition.

The points are basically sorted according to the difficulty of fishing.

The most expensive is naturally the mandarin fish.

Mandarin fish, silverfish, mandarin fish, and red-tailed fish are roughly in the same category.

Among them, silverfish are too small, so although they score a lot of points, it is obviously not worth the effort to catch them.

Therefore, the upturned mouth and red tail are roughly the optimal solutions under the rules of this competition.

Of course, it would be even better if you were lucky enough to catch a mandarin fish.

Below these two tiers, other fish such as carp, grass carp, crucian carp, and silver carp are all in the same tier, with little difference in points.

Since it's a competition, we definitely need to combine the rules to develop more reasonable tactics in order to have a chance of winning.

For Lu Ya, the first fish she caught today was a mandarin fish, a fish species in the second tier of points, and it weighed four or five kilograms. This one fish earned her several tens of points, which can be considered a great start.

Li Younan said with a smile, "Since you caught a mandarin fish for the first time, it means there's already a brood of mandarin fish in that area. Mandarin fish are like that; they either don't bite or they just keep biting. You're lucky."

Lu Ya nodded: "That's how it is." Suddenly, she realized something, her expression turned a little strange, and she looked at Li Younan. She hadn't expected Li Younan to be so familiar with the habit of pouting.

However, Li Younan showed no sign of taking the bait yet, so Lu Ya couldn't help but remind him, "Aren't you going to take the bait?"

Her thought was that Li Younan probably knew he wouldn't catch many fish, but he still had to try. Giving up like this was a bit... boring.

Li Younan smiled without saying a word.

Time passed quickly, but Li Younan still showed no intention of casting his line.

No rush, he wasn't in a hurry at all. He estimated that his fishpond had already attracted dozens of fish, but it hadn't reached its limit yet.

At this point, he even prepared another type of bait and increased the amount of bait he used.

At this point, the goal is no longer simply to cultivate the fishing spot. The bait he throws in will quickly break down into small particles after entering the water. The main purpose is to feed the small fish in the spot so that when he casts the hook later, there won't be any small fish biting the hook, allowing him to focus on catching big fish.

Just before Li Younan was about to officially start fishing, the competition's progress was announced over the loudspeaker: "Zhao Tianyu has reached 500 points."

Lu Ya, who was standing next to her, was immediately surprised, but nodded as if it were a matter of course and said, "As expected of the defending champion, you have already reached 500 points so quickly."

She glanced at her fish basket and estimated that she had only about 300 points, but it was still quite a good harvest.

Just as I was thinking this, another fish took the bait.

She still has a chance to be among the top 20 people to break 500 points.

However, not long after, news came that other contestants had broken through 500 points and advanced directly.

Next up is Zhang Mang, whom Lu Ya mentioned, the local tyrant who claims to be the master of Shengzhong Lake.

As time went on, more and more people began to break the 500-point mark.

Lu Ya was very lucky. Although she didn't catch any more mandarin fish after that, she did catch several large carp.

Although the points are not high, the weight is very large.

Finally, she became the 20th player to break the 500-point mark.

Just then, Li Younan also prepared to start fishing.

Having already advanced, Lu Ya felt no pressure. She hesitated for a moment, glancing at Li Younan and then secretly looking at the referee not far away, starting to think about how she could get some fish for Li Younan.

It's practically impossible for Li Younan to advance now, since he hasn't even started fishing yet.

So even if you get caught by the referee, you can explain yourself a little and ask the referee to be lenient, and there shouldn't be any problem, right?

Just as he was thinking this, Li Younan suddenly stood up, glanced at Lu Ya, and said, "It's time to show your real skills."

Lu Ya couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "Li Younan, I didn't expect you to be a streamer with a talent for comedy!"

Li Younan shrugged, offering no response, and then promptly cast his line.

This one action made Lu Ya pause for a moment.

An expert can see the trick at a glance.

Li Younan's cast was extremely precise. As soon as the sinker entered the water, he gently pressed down with his wrist, applying just the right amount of pressure to keep the fishing line close to the surface. Then he pulled the rod back halfway, a subtle maneuver to press the line into the water and prevent it from being disturbed by the wind. Once the float was stable, he pulled the rod forward halfway again. She could tell at a glance that this was to bring the hook and bait to the intended fishing spot. The whole sequence of actions was completed in 2 seconds, and the float remained as steady as a rock.

Because Li Younan hadn't done any preparatory work like finding the bottom beforehand, this shot was, in theory, just a random throw. But she inexplicably had a feeling that this shot would yield a result. Why was that?
Less than five seconds after casting the rod, before the float had even reached its designated position, Li Younan's hand began to tremble.

Lu Ya was stunned for a moment. Ah, she took the bait already?

Sure enough, Li Younan easily played the fish, lifted the rod, and used the net to effortlessly scoop up a large, upturned fish that left her speechless.

Judging by its appearance, it must weigh about six or seven pounds.

However, this was only the beginning of Li Younan's performance.

Li Younan smiled calmly, baited the hook again, and then cast the line with the same surgical precision as before.

The fishing rod had only been in the water for a few seconds when it was hooked again.

It's like picking up fish.

If catching fish once could be attributed to luck, then catching them one after another is something even a fool would know is definitely not luck.

This time it was a red-tailed tilapia, and it was quite heavy as well.

Fish weighing five or six pounds, and even seven or eight pounds, kept taking the bait, and Lu Ya could no longer remain calm.

The smile on her face had completely frozen, and only her eyes followed Li Younan's movements as he lifted the rod, cast the line, and landed the fish.

(End of this chapter)