Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 816 - 554: Championship Showdown (Part 1)

Upon hearing Zhang Yang’s down-to-earth yet appropriate words, Sun Yi nodded with great satisfaction: "Listening to you, the anticipation for the pinnacle battle just went through the roof!

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to accept our pre-match interview. You go ahead and continue your preparations, we’ll head over next door to check out Huang Zheng’s preparation area!

We wish you a perfect performance and a great result!"

"Thanks for your kind words!"

Zhang Yang nodded, watching the host and the staff behind him turn and leave.

Once the interview group left, Zhang Yang did a final check of all his pre-match preparations.

Especially the backup bobbers, various model ultra-fine line sets and such; once everything was confirmed to be without any issues, Zhang Yang closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

This is a very useful strategy for adjusting an angler’s mental state and relieving tension. Zhang Yang’s slightly elevated heart rate from the interview came down completely after a few deep breaths.

The camera pans to the other side through a thin wall.

Huang Zheng was also doing his pre-match preparations. Unlike Zhang Yang, Huang Zheng crafted four large batches of bait with different recipe ratios before the start of the match.

In the big bait-making bowl, the four batches lined up side by side, giving an odd impression.

Sun Yi also noticed this detail and asked curiously during the interview: "Mr. Huang Zheng, may I ask you a question? Are these four batches of bait all for the competition?

They seem quite similar, is there any difference?"

Huang Zheng smiled subtly: "Not much of a difference, I was just getting a feel for making bait earlier. The first two batches were a bit rusty, the state details weren’t quite satisfactory, and I accidentally made more than needed!"

Upon hearing this answer, Sun Yi, who knew a bit about competitive fishing, felt a vague dissatisfaction.

If you don’t want to say, just don’t say it, why lie with your eyes wide open? At their level of angling, bait in hand is all about how you want to shape and adjust it; there’s no such thing as being rusty or not making it right.

Moreover, with four batches lined up, subtle differences in color could be seen on the surface; it’s obvious that there are formula differences among the four batches.

With a bit of emotion, Sun Yi continued to ask: "I see.

By the way, I have a small question, this morning’s match, your performance was very brave in the latter half, successfully advancing to the semifinals.

However, I must say, when you first encountered Zhang Yang, your performance was somewhat lacking.

With less than ten minutes until the match starts, how do you feel? Are you nervous or anything?"

Huang Zheng shook his head slightly: "This morning I did lose to Zhang Yang, and it was quite a severe score, but I don’t think losing to him once means there’s no chance in the afternoon match!

I’ve completely understood the current fish situation in our competition pond and believe that when the match officially starts, I’ll have a fighting chance against Zhang Yang!

No matter what, I will do my best to perform well and erase past failures!"

"Then I’ll congratulate you in advance for a good performance in the match! Thanks for accepting our interview amidst your busy schedule!!"

...

Huang Zheng’s tone during the interview was somewhat arrogant, yet confidently so, and it’s understandable given that he seems a bit fearless now.

By midday, Huang Zheng had video-called with his mentor Deng Gang for at least an hour. Deng Gang, the remote controller behind the scenes, had thoroughly studied all the previous match footage between Zhang Yang and Huang Zheng.

At Deng Gang’s level, he can see the essence through the phenomenon.

Through several different dimensions, he clearly analyzed for his apprentice the overall fish situation of the current fishing ground, the appropriate fishing methods, and suggested the suitable bait formula for the public bait.

The four batches of bait in front of Huang Zheng are the trump cards Deng Gang prepared for the afternoon match. The bait formulas are adjusted slightly based on predicted fish situations, and as long as a stable fish situation connects, it would surely perform well.

Seeing this, someone might scoff; without being on-site, solely watching some video footage and asking apprentices, Deng Gang can come up with impressive bait formulas for various fish situations?

Yes! At Deng Gang’s level as a top-tier angler, it’s just that impressive.

Whether it’s using the scent or aroma in bait, or the comprehensive consideration of state, weight, and various performances, as long as Deng Gang collects enough information, the formula ratios he provides will absolutely not fail.

What if it’s public bait?

Deng Gang started his own company making baits, and with Hua Clan as a peer competitor company, Deng Gang is deeply familiar with the opponent’s products, so there’s no possibility of unfamiliarity.

Seeing this, one might ask, in terms of bait knowledge, who’s more impressive: Deng Gang or Zhang Yang?

The answer is, in terms of overall bait knowledge, Zhang Yang is more remarkable than Deng Gang.

But if it’s limited to the bait formula for public bait in the current time, Zhang Yang and Deng Gang are about equal.

Zhang Yang’s advantage lies in the trajectory and developments of bait from the previous generation, which is the bait craftsmanship situation before crossing over, around 2021.

As for Deng Gang, he only has bait knowledge from 2017.