After busying themselves with preparations like baiting and adjusting the float, the group of familiar faces gathered together to chat and kill some time.
There were already more than ten people at the fishing ground, but Zhang Yang only recognized Lao Zhao and Wang Jun; the others all looked unfamiliar.
Around five o'clock, more anglers began to arrive by car! Among the newcomers were some familiar faces Zhang Yang recognized.
Hou Xiaojun, Liu Shulin, and Zhang Tao, as well as some fishing friends Zhang Yang met while fishing for big crucian carp in the Wen River in spring, came too!
Zhang Yang exchanged a symbolic greeting and chatted a bit with them, then they carried their fishing boxes and rod bags over to the south bank to prepare.
Great! Even though they came late, some had friends who arrived early to secure fishing spots for them. Who could argue with that?
With just a quick glance, Zhang Yang concluded these guys were in a small group similar to his with Lao Zhao, a common occurrence among anglers.
Such small fishing teams are common among anglers, forming groups of three to five, very much a norm.
From the perspective of a tackle shop owner, successfully "conquering" one angler often means the rest of the group would likely become customers too, although exceptions like Hou Xiaojun are not counted in this.
Around 5:20, a few sharp horn sounds came from the corner of the road, drawing Diao Changhe out of the cabin.
The fish transport vehicle is here!
It's worth mentioning that a fish transport vehicle is different from ordinary freight trucks, even if the chassis structure might be similar, as they require specialized modifications for live aquatic transportation.
Generally, fish transport vehicles convert the truck bed into square metal fish tanks. Small trucks have one tank, while larger ones may have two. Water is added, with a specially modified valve near the cab connecting to an oxygen tank.
Oxygen is channeled into the live fish tanks to first increase dissolved oxygen in the water, then to lower the overall temperature inside the tank, usually around four or five degrees. Fish transported at this temperature have reduced activity, thereby minimizing oxygen consumption during transit, preventing them from dying of oxygen shortage.
Soon enough, Diao Changhe led a small truck-turned-aquatic transport vehicle with a single live fish tank through the entrance, looking like it could haul over a thousand pounds of live fish in one go.
"The fish are here! Everyone come help carry the fish!"
Diao Changhe called out, and everyone, Zhang Yang included, rose from their seats and walked towards the fish transport vehicle.
For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of fishing ponds, rushing forward equals joining in the hubbub and lending a hand, but for Zhang Yang, he had a specific purpose!
When farmed fish are brought from the live fish tank to the anglers at the fishing ground, those in the know can immediately glean a lot of useful information.
The most direct observations are the size and quality of the fish's skin; those with some knowledge can even determine the fish's origin and breed.
For an old hand like Zhang Yang, he could discern more information from the fish's body. Are the fins worn, are there missing scales, does the belly show any reddish hue from oxygen deprivation, etc.
Even the smallest detail can influence the fish's behavior once released into the water and whether it will take the bait.
Take today's fish for example, when the fish transport truck driver Master Wang scooped the first net of fish out of the water, Zhang Yang's heart leapt as he got a clear view of the fish.
Compared to the last batch, today's fish appeared much smaller, only weighing about two and a half pounds, with green-yellow tinged scales, snow-white belly, bright red tail, elongated body, large mouth, clearly robust carp from farms around Tangshan and Tianjin.
Carp from this region don't have the high-backed, stout shape of some raised in Jiangsu, and their body shape is more akin to that of grass carp—long and slender, daring and aggressive when feeding.
Freshly released wild carp are especially fond of loose, highly fragmented bait, ideal for explosive catches in fishing ponds. Paired with their two-pound-plus small size, their appetite is even more voracious.
Today we have five large baskets of fish, and the electronic scale weighed them with the baskets at 513 pounds, with a net weight around 490 pounds. This is close enough to the 500 pounds of fish release announcement.
The anglers tasked with carrying the baskets also had their own little schemes: although the fish transport vehicle was parked at the east end of the fishing ground, they'd rather take a longer walk and empty the baskets into the water near their own fishing spots.
Seeing this, Lao Zhao gently tugged on Zhang Yang's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Xiao Zhang, let's help carry a basket too! Otherwise, they'll all be putting the fish down on the south bank!"
Zhang Yang shook his head, "It's better if they all go to the south bank; let's head back and prepare more bait and nesting. The fish look good today, we're in for a haul!"
"They're putting fish at their own spots, aren't you eager at all?" Lao Zhao seemed a bit anxious seeing Zhang Yang so composed.
Ordinarily, Lao Zhao was a clear-headed person, handling things well, but once fishing was involved, he seemed like a different person, and Zhang Yang shook his head at the sight.
"Fish are alive, putting them at your feet isn't the same as putting them directly into your own fish keeper, it's useless! Believe it or not, there are already fish swimming towards the north bank, starting to surface and dive!"
Hearing this from Zhang Yang, Lao Zhao looked towards the north bank and sure enough, there were newly released fish splashing lively on the water.
"Wow, you were right!" Lao Zhao nodded repeatedly after a glance.
Zhang Yang continued, "New fish, once released into the pond, will immediately dash to the opposite bank and then start circling the pond counterclockwise! Let's head back to our spots; it's almost time to start fishing in a few minutes!"
Circling the pond? Hearing this, Lao Zhao looked puzzled.
He had been fishing in pay-to-fish ponds for years, though they were usually small reservoirs that seldom stocked fish. The method of transporting fish from elsewhere to stock ponds for anglers was something that only started becoming popular in W City in the past year or two.
Lao Zhao only had basic knowledge of this stocked fish behavior. The idea of new fish circling the pond was something new to him!
Since Zhang Yang seemed so certain, Lao Zhao stopped fretting about where the fish were placed and headed back to their fishing spot.
After the five large baskets of fish were emptied, it was time for pit boss Diao Changhe to collect fishing fees from the anglers.
By this point, most who were supposed to come had arrived. The main fishing round lasts twelve hours until early the next morning, and the fee is 80 yuan total; at least twenty-five or six anglers showed up today.
After a brief calculation, Zhang Yang knew that with this batch of fish, Diao Changhe was bound to make a profit!
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Explanation①: "Shuan Sai" (rinsing gills): When newly released fish are adjusting from the low-consumption state akin to hibernation due to changes in water temperature and dissolved oxygen from the transport tank to the fishing ground, the more active fish will surface then dive back into the water, a process known as "rinsing gills."