Chapter 372 Ice Fishing Competition and Black Earthworms
On March 1st, Altai was still covered in ice and snow.

Guo Yang was wearing a Jiahe style long black down jacket, wrapped tightly.

Before coming here, he was a little worried about the safety of ice fishing, but now it seems that he was completely worried.

The weather forecast shows that the temperature in Beitun today will be -4~-26℃, and there is no sign that the Waking of Insects is coming soon.

On the way from the airport to Xiangyang Lake, Zheng Wangxu saw the doubts in his boss's mind and explained.

"Generally speaking, from the beginning of spring to the awakening of insects, spring returns to the earth, everything revives, and fish begin to swim and look for food. During this period, the ice is still thick and hard, so ice fishing at the right time can also yield a lot of rewards."

"Time is moving forward. First, the preparation time was too short. At the same time, the fish conditions were not good during that period."

"After the second Jingzhe, the temperature rises, the glaciers thaw, and the ice surface becomes loose. When the spring equinox arrives, the spring flood season for major rivers arrives, and ice fishing is no longer allowed at this time."

"As long as it's safe."

Guo Yang looked at the peaceful land outside the window and asked, "Are there many people who signed up to participate?"

Zheng Wang grinned and said, "The prize money for the event is high. Several well-known domestic figures such as Tianyuan Deng Gang and Lao Gui have signed up. Together with the employees of the Corps, the number of people is more than expected."

"Don't worry, boss. I have arranged a good fishing spot for you. I have also prepared the fishing gear and bait for you."

Guo Yang raised his eyebrows and said, "You are doing this insider information!"

"Hey, boss, this is an invitational tournament." Zheng Wang said with a smile, "If you win the championship, you deserve it."

"I don't have that ability." Guo Yang said: "Deng Gang and Lao Gui are here, and there must be other masters as well."

"Haha, that's not necessarily true."

In later generations, Deng Gang became a big internet celebrity in the fishing world.

But he is also very strong in the competition world. He is a first-class competitive fishing master and the chief coach of technical promotion of the China Fishing Sports Association.

Laogui is famous for its fish baits. Its founder, Laogui Yizhe, once studied under Professor He Ruiguo of the Department of Animal Nutrition at Huazhong Agricultural University, and specialized in fish nutrition research.

If all these big names in the competitive fishing world came, Guo Yang didn't expect to do very well.

"Just try to get a rank."

When Guo Yang arrived at the farm hotel near Xiangyang Lake, he was surprised by the number of parked vehicles and people coming and going.

Accommodation and restaurants were almost full, and the originally deserted Xiangyang Lake became lively.

This is huge potential!

But it wasn't until he arrived at the tournament the next morning that he truly realized the impact of the $50 prize.

Countless fishing spots have been set up on the huge ice surface of Xiangyang Lake.

The contestants, holding number tags in their hands, entered the designated fishing spots one after another under the guidance of the staff.

Guo Yang also stood in the crowd, listening to the discussions around him, which mainly revolved around the high bonus.

50 yuan will not be ignored no matter where it is placed.

This is especially true in the fishing world.

The two people in front of Guo Yang were also communicating.

"The last time I participated in a fishing competition in Hunan Province, there was no such high prize money. Instead, the participants had to pay a hefty service fee."

"Now a big event is happening out of nowhere here."

"It's rare!"

"The water area of ​​Xiangyang Lake is quite large. Look at the professional dock and corridor. There will be many competitions here in the future."

"It's said in the publicity that there will be competitions all year round this year. This is just a test run. And the prize money is getting higher and higher. The prize money for lure fishing in the summer is as high as one million."

"I watched it, too. It was a big deal. I guess the competitions organized by Deng Gang and Lao Gui will have to give way to Xiangyang Lake in the future."

The two people in front were chatty and the line was long, so they kept chatting, and their words were full of praise for the organizers of the event.

On the contrary, other domestic competitions were constantly complained by the two, such as being stingy, mean, and charging service fees...

Guo Yang, who was standing at the back, couldn't stand listening any more.

When the two were talking about last year's "Furong King" Cup and Qianlong Lake National Fishing Championship again, a voice came from behind Guo Yang.

"If you have anything to say, just say it in person. Don't be such a wimp. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Guo Yang turned his head and took a look. The man was wearing a green thick down jacket and a hat. He was thin and strong.

It looked familiar, and by this time the others had already recognized the man.

"It's Deng Gang."

"I won the mixed fish casting competition at the Qianlong Lake National Fishing Championship last year."

Guo Yang was also a little surprised. It was such a coincidence that they met each other.

At this time, the two men in front of Guo Yang also recognized Deng Gang, but they did not give Deng Gang any face at all. One of the men retorted:

"Come on, tell me in person, don't talk nonsense there. Did I say something wrong?"

"How much prize money did you get for winning the championship last year? 3 yuan, right? No, then why are you so upset?"

The people nearby were a little surprised. They didn't expect this guy to be so direct. Putting aside his title as an entrepreneur, he is still a fishing king after all!
Deng Gang was also furious. He only received 2.5 yuan in prize money for winning the Qianlong Lake championship last year, which was just under 3 yuan.

"Fishing tournaments are not about high prize money. Such high prize money is simply unsustainable. Things that do not consider profits cannot last long. Companies provide services and anglers pay fees. This is the sustainable model."

"To put it bluntly, you just want to make money from fellow anglers." The big man said disdainfully, "It's because you're in that damn competition. What a boast! I'm telling you, you may not catch as many fish as I do today!"

"Haha, I'm getting angry."

There was a loud laugh, and when I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw a tall and strong man.

Someone has recognized him: Liu Zhiqiang, who is also a celebrity in the fishing world.

However, unlike Deng Gang, Liu Zhiqiang does not frequently participate in various commercial competitions, but instead focuses on wild fishing.

Even if you call him "Little Prince of White Stripes", I don't think he will be angry with you.

Another person who wanted to watch the fun started to make a fuss, "Let's make a bet with him, Deng Diao Wang."

"That's right, don't be a coward. Anyone who is a coward is a son of a bitch."

Liu Zhiqiang also smiled and said, "Come on, the market is open, the market is open, I'll join in the fun, if I lose I'll treat the winner to dinner tonight."

Deng Gang didn't respond for a moment, and the big man challenged him, "Don't you dare? Is this not your territory? You don't have the confidence!"

It was at this time that the event organizers also noticed the commotion here.

Zheng Wang, who was wearing the uniform of the competition organizing committee, ran over and said, "Private gambling is strictly prohibited. Enter the venue. The competition will start soon."

Liu Zhiqiang said, "Hey, Lao Zheng, it's just a meal."

Zheng Wang shook his head. "Don't make trouble, Lao Liu. I invited you here because I think you are a friend."

"Okay, that's one less thing to watch."

Zheng Wang had some reputation in the fishing circle, and the matter was settled after some communication.

Someone asked him, "Boss Zheng, the prize money for this year's competition is over 10 million. Will it be delayed in the end?"

"That's impossible." Zheng Wang glanced at his boss and said, "Ten million, not a penny less."

"What about next year?"

Zheng Wang said: "The company's goal is to build Xiangyang Lake into an international lure sports base that can host international-level competitions."

Deng Gang suddenly said: "But you still haven't solved the problem of sustainability."

"With continued investment from the headquarters, once our reputation grows, we will be able to make a profit in the long run."

Deng Gang insisted, "What if there is no more capital injection someday?"

Zheng Wang choked. There was a reason why Deng Gang didn't have a very good reputation in the circle. He was narrow-minded and couldn't stand being wronged.

After looking at the boss and getting a hint from him, Zheng Wang said, "Don't worry about that. The boss is also a fishing enthusiast."

Deng Gang was still not optimistic, but he did not want to continue to embarrass the organizers.

The teams entered the venue one after another.

There are a total of 180 participating athletes. Although it is a small event, the participants are so large that people from all over the world participate.

And there are quite a few elites.

In addition to the participants, there were also a large number of visitors, so the Corps and the Sports Bureau also helped in the organization and management.

When Guo Yang signed in and was about to enter the venue, someone recognized him.

"Boss Guo, you're still here to participate in the competition!"

"Hey, leader, I didn't expect that a small competition would alarm you."

Guo Yang was indeed surprised. The person who greeted him was the leader of the 183th Division, and the leader of the rd Regiment, Yao Xinian, was just accompanying him.

"You guys did a great job organizing this competition!" the leader praised, "You guys have revitalized Beitun's winter economy in one fell swoop."

"It's mainly because Xiangyang Lake has good feng shui." Guo Yang said with a smile, "Leader, come down and talk. I'm going to participate in the competition."

"it is good."

"With Mr. Guo's skills, getting a good score shouldn't be a problem."

"Lend your auspicious words."

After Guo Yang left, Yao Xinian said to his leader: "It will be a long time before Jiahe spends all the 100 million yuan. The bonus can at least support us for several more years."

These words were heard by Deng Gang and other professional opponents who were standing behind Guo Yang.

And the more I listened, the more frightened I became.

What the hell?
The silent guy in the front row is the boss of the event?

An investment of one hundred million is incredible to think about!

Some people who focus on competitive fishing have made up their minds again and will pay special attention to this year's training camps and competitions at Xiangyang Lake.

...

The rules of the competition are very simple, there is only one comparison: mixed fish weight, as the name suggests, it is a comparison of weight.

Guo Yang followed the instructions and arrived at the fishing spot with his fishing gear.

The surface of the lake is covered with a thick layer of ice, which is very solid to step on. There is no need to worry about safety, and you can see the scenery under the transparent ice from time to time.

More importantly, there are large target fish below.

Many anglers became excited.

The surrounding areas were exactly the same, and Guo Yang couldn't see what was special about his fishing spot.

Coincidentally, Deng Gang, Lao Gui, Liu Zhiqiang and others who were just standing in front of and behind him were not far away from him.

Some are diagonally opposite, some are behind, and are at most thirty or forty meters away, and can be seen at a glance.

"Now it's interesting."

After observing for a while, Guo Yang began to prepare bait, fishing line, fish hook, fishing rod, etc., all of which were prepared by Zheng Wang.

I took out the tightly packed bait and opened it to see that they were black round balls.

"Black earthworm!"

"This kid is so well prepared."

Guo Yang sat on a small stool and looked around. He found that some people were using small sequins, which are also called lures.

The information about Xiangyang Lake is public. The most common fish stocked there are pike, which are heavy enough and suitable for using small sequins.

In the summer, pike rarely eat earthworms, and are usually caught with sequins and minnows.

But it is winter now.

Not long after the black earthworms were taken out, they were frozen into hard sticks.

Waited for a while.

"Let's do it!"

Following the orders of the referee team, Guo Yang cut the earthworms into 1 cm long "meat segments" and threw them down from the ice hole.

It was a chilly day with no tents or heaters. 180 anglers sat on stools, each making different moves to lure fish.

Guo Yang stared at the tip of the fishing rod in the ice cave, waiting for the exciting moment.

“It has to be a fisherman!”

Just as he was distracted, he felt a slight force coming from the tip of the short pole.

Guo Yang subconsciously lifted the rod and caught a Baikal fish.

Uh, also commonly known as the little white strip, is only about one finger wide, it can’t be any smaller.

"Damn, this is a bad start."

At this time, other people also caught fish one after another. There were abundant fish resources in Xiangyang Lake. After a winter of lack of food and oxygen, the fish had suffocated.

Redtail, black carp, catfish, crucian carp and old man fish...

Despite the freezing weather, there was a bustling scene on the frozen surface.

A world appeared in which only Guo Yang was beaten.

Little white stripe!
Little white stripe!
Still a little white stripe!
"The little white stripe is making trouble!"

Guo Yang frowned. Almost half an hour had passed and he had caught nearly twenty small whitebait.

But this is not a competition of tail numbers, and it is useless to rely on small white strips in a competition of weight.

The others had far fewer fish than he did, but one of them might be able to catch as many as his twenty.

But Guo Yang was not discouraged, as it was far from that time now.

Small white strips were pulled up one after another.

"Boss, why don't you change to small shiny fish or miscellaneous fish? The fish are biting pretty well."

A fisherman nearby couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to remind them.

Guo Yang thought about it, and then looked at the ice next to the others, which was filled with various catches of fish.

"Forget it, I'll just go fishing for earthworms."

Now even if I change back to the small sequins I won’t get a rank, so I might as well hold on a little longer.

In fact, other people also noticed the little white strip behind Guo Yang, and they all tried to persuade him.

In their opinion, the boss just came to have fun, but Guo Yang refused one by one.

These people shook their heads helplessly, "It seems that this boss is really here to have fun."

Another half an hour passed like this, and it was past ten o'clock, and the warm winter sun rose.

A group of anglers were having a great time fishing.

There was also a reporter from Altai TV station interviewing people on the ice. She was a girl from the Kazakh ethnic group with an extremely pretty face. She was showing off her catch to a group of fishermen like they were presenting treasures.

On the other hand, Guo Yang's side was deserted.

I’ve never fished big before, so my feet were numb, my hands were frozen, and my face felt like it was being scratched by a cat.

Is it that there are no fish in his area, or is it really that the bait is not right?
After observing for a while, Guo Yang suddenly found that there were quite a few mermaids caught around, but not as many pike as he had imagined.

Even though masters like Deng Gang, Liu Zhiqiang and Lao Gui caught a lot of fish, including big fish, there were relatively few big pike.

Guo Yangming understood.

"Brother, let's change the bait. Whitebait like to gather in groups. It's not a good idea to keep fishing for them like this."

"That's right, the fishing conditions are not suitable for earthworm fishing."

"I just fished for some red worms, and also some small white stripes."

Others began to persuade him.

Even the female reporter from the Naha tribe was attracted and when she saw the rows of small white strips behind Guo Yang, she quickly asked the camera not to take pictures.

After thinking it through, Guo Yang didn't care anymore and said with a smile: "It's okay, we'll use this little white striped bream to make hot pot later, it's small but the meat is very tender!"

Just as he finished speaking, a huge force pulled Guo Yang forward, with his whole body lying on the ice cave, and the pole was placed across the entrance of the cave.

But Guo Yang was very familiar with that 'sizzling' sound.

It's a big fish on the line!

If Guo Yang hadn't pressed down on the pole, the pole would have been pulled into the ice cave.

Nervous, excited...

It immediately turned into a response action.

Guo Yang held the pole tightly with one hand and stood up on the ice with the other hand.

At this time, everyone around was attracted by the movement here!
"Quick, quick, take pictures!" The reporter carrying the camera was just pointed in this direction when he was pulled back by the Kazakh female reporter.

The fisherman next to him asked, "What kind of fish is so fierce?"

"Pike, what else could it be?" Guo Yang began to reel in the line. "Look at the force, it must be at least 10 pounds!"

He rowed the reel hard, and the fishing line created a gap at the bottom of the ice cave.

"Be careful not to cut the thread."

As soon as I relaxed my grip, the big fish pulled the line and escaped.

As soon as it stopped for a while, Guo Yang immediately jumped to the other side of the ice cave and pulled the line to the opposite side of the gap to prevent it from being worn out in the gap.

"Would you like some help?"

"There's no need to use a scoop net. Go check your nest and catch more fish." Guo Yang said.

The guy was obviously looking forward to it, "I'll go after you catch this one."

It took seven or eight minutes to go back and forth. The line was large, so as long as you were patient, it would be difficult for the fish to break free.

After sliding for a while, the pike was already exhausted and was gradually pulled under the ice cave by Guo Yang.

"so big!"

The Naha female reporter exclaimed, and immediately the surrounding fishermen turned their attention to her.

"A meter-sized pike!" exclaimed the guy next to him.

Two people nearby could no longer sit still and ran over to watch. Only those who still had hope of a ranking were still waiting for the fishing spot.

Guo Yang carefully pulled it to the bottom of the ice cave, allowing it to enter the ice cave smoothly.

Once inside the ice hole, it is difficult for the pike to flip.

Guo Yang saw the right moment, grabbed the string and pulled it out of the ice hole, threw it on the ice, and let it swing...

The reporters kept taking pictures and the people around were amazed.

Guo Yang felt much more comfortable instantly.

"Great, it was worth the wait."

"At least 17 or 18 kilograms... I've caught up in no time, there's hope for a place!"

After seeing the big pike, the others went back to continue fishing, hoping to catch one as well. Just one would change their fate.

However, there are many species of fish in Xiangyang Lake, and you can't catch pike just because you want to.

On the contrary, Guo Yang had another good start, catching another white spotted pike weighing more than four kilograms.

Next came another pike weighing about five pounds.

When ice fishing on a lake in the winter, the chances of encountering a big fish are high, but connecting rods are still extremely rare.

On the other side, seeing Guo Yang catching big fish one after another, Deng Gang, Liu Zhiqiang, Lao Gui and others could no longer sit still, as they were eyeing the bonus!
A few people looked at the fish caught on the ice. There were all kinds of fish, and they were not small, but they were nothing compared to the vicious dogs in the water.

Do you want to change bait?
Now it seems that the pike might have been attracted by the small whitebait. The pike eats 20% of its own body weight in small fish a day, and more than a thousand kilograms a year.

After hesitating for half an hour, another dogfish weighing seven or eight kilograms was caught.

Several people chose to change the bait immediately without any prior agreement.

"It's time to eat, it's time to eat."

"If you need boxed lunches, you can come get them, or you can go to the covered bridge over there, where they are making hot pot."

Some staff members were walking around shouting that the welfare benefits provided by the event organizers made many anglers very satisfied.

But most people still chose to continue fishing while eating their boxed lunches.

Guo Yang had no doubt that once a big fish was caught, these people would throw away their lunch boxes without hesitation. Any hesitation for even a second would be disrespectful to the fish.

Looking at the catch behind me, I saw several beautiful big pike lined up together, which was pleasing to the eye.

There are still two or three hours of fishing time in the afternoon. If I continue fishing, I’m afraid I won’t just get a ranking today.

He could take the championship.

Then, the game would lose its meaning.

After thinking for a while, Guo Yang refused the lunch box, stood up and picked up the white strips behind him and put them into the small bucket he brought with him.

As for the pike, he didn't move.

Seeing this, the guy next to him asked, "Brother, where are you going?"

"Hot pot."

"Ah, if you go to hot pot at this time, you may win the championship." The guy was amazed, "50 yuan prize money!"

Guo Yang smiled and said, "I just want these two. Do you want to eat them together?"

"No, I'm not satisfied yet."

Guo Yang looked at the ice around that buddy. The fish catch was decent, but none of them were big, and definitely had nothing to do with the ranking.

This guy is quite enthusiastic.

"I still have some black earthworms here. You can use them. Maybe you can satisfy your desire before the end."

"That's great, thank you."

"fine."

Guo Yang waved his hand, no longer reluctant to linger, and walked out.

No one knows where Zheng Wang got these black earthworms. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find them even if they wanted to dig them up.

The effect is also very good. Other people use bait to attract small fish, but the pike don’t bite much.

On the contrary, the black earthworms are extremely awesome.

"The soil where the earthworms are dug must be very fertile."

Guo Yang muttered something, and suddenly an idea came to him, "Earthworm manure!"

Worm castings are also called earthworm organic fertilizers.

The organic fertilizer processed from livestock and poultry waste produced by Hexi Animal Husbandry has good effects, but there is nothing special about it.

It’s impossible that the manure produced by Hexi dairy cows can be treated specially!

But earthworms are different!

Guo Yang can use the seed store to cultivate special earthworm varieties. Breeding earthworms to produce organic fertilizer or directly improve the soil are both good options.

"Damn, why didn't I think of that before!"

"What didn't you expect?" Yao Xinian from the 183rd Regiment was also eating hotpot in the pavilion and saw that Guo Yang was already asking people to move away.

"It's okay, I just caught a 20-pound pike." Guo Yang smiled after coming to his senses.

I saw a group of people sitting around a table in the nearest pavilion. Most of them were members of the Corps, and a Naha reporter was also there.

But some people were quite dumbfounded at this moment.

Who asked how big the fish you caught was?
The Kazakh female reporter said: "That white pike is really big, about a meter long, and it's the biggest one this morning."

"Wow, that's really cool!"

"It's just so-so, twenty pounds is fine." Guo Yang sat down next to Yao Xinian.
"Last time, I caught a bigger fish here too. By the way, your Yao Tuan can testify for me. He was here too."

(End of this chapter)