In the artificial canal, they unexpectedly caught a precious Yellow River carp. The whole group, including Zhang Yang, was a bit overwhelmed.

Just as the ice had thawed and both air and water temperatures were hovering in single digits, Meng Fan managed to use red worms to catch a carp by its mouth.

If he could catch one, it indicated that the others definitely had a chance too.

With this in mind, the group noticeably increased the frequency of changing fresh red worms.

The subsequent fishing situation didn't disappoint Zhang Yang and his friends; every short interval, a team member would catch fish. Although they hadn't yet caught a second carp in such a short time, each person had reeled in at least one sizeable bream weighing eight ounces. Liu Zi, with the best luck, already had three breams, two large and one small, in his keeper.

Time unknowingly passed over ten o'clock; one and a half hours had gone by since they started drawing water. The fish bites noticeably increased, with large breams more frequently searching for bait. It turned from occasionally catching fish to periodically having slow jumping bites.

At exactly eleven in the morning, the water pump stopped on the dot, causing only a brief disruption on the water surface before it quickly stabilized.

"Boss, the water's not flowing anymore; could we switch from using the tension tip technique?"

Wang Yan, already having the answer in his mind as he asked, held the carbon leg of the bobber between his lips, ready to reinsert the bobber.

Zhang Yang nodded and also lifted his gear out of the water.

"The tension tip is too dull and easily misses bites. Of course, if you can change the bobber, do it immediately! I'll try it first!"

With that, Zhang Yang took out his bobber and inserted it into the bobber holder without delay.

With a casual flick, the line group floated gently into the water.

Zhang Yang was using a comprehensive long date-shaped bobber, perfect for post-thaw spring since it wouldn't be disturbed by small fish, and it had a certain travel once submerged.

Just as the bobber uprighted, before the sub-line could even bounce twice, Zhang Yang's bobber suddenly paused conspicuously, followed by a dip below at half tip.

"Hey! It seems like there's a bite!" Zhang Yang noticed the small movement of the bobber and lightly flicked his wrist, completing the hook set!

Heavy!

Very heavy!

It was caught high up off the bottom, at least several dozen centimeters, giving an opening; the rod hit it! Judging by the feel, this fish seemed heavier than the previous sizeable breams caught!

As he was working to control the fish, suddenly the speed underwater increased and it dashed to the left front corner.

Just this move made Zhang Yang certain that the motion wasn't characteristic of a fish caught by mouth, ninety percent likely to be snagged!

Thus, Zhang Yang gently lowered the fishing rod and then turned it sideways to control the fish, quickly counteracting much of its forward momentum. At least it wouldn't result in a tug-of-war.

The swimming motion further validated Zhang Yang's judgement; the fish was likely snagged on one of its fins or tail, exerting great force without swimming in a straight line. Zhang Yang patiently alleviated several impacts until it exhausted most of its energy, eventually surfacing successfully.

This time, instead of a large bream weighing eight ounces, it was a fish Zhang Yang couldn't immediately identify.

The fish had an elongated form with a noticeably protruding snout structure similar to a sturgeon, covered with various sized black spots on its body, giving it an elegant appearance, and at first glance, gave the impression of a "Plus-sized Sand Lap."

Based on feeling and estimation, this fish weighed more than a pound.

The hook was lodged in the fish's pelvic fin, indeed proving it was snagged.

"Whoa! Such a large sand lap! Has it mutated?"

Wang Yan, being close to Zhang Yang, exclaimed directly upon seeing the fish surface.

Upon hearing Wang Yan shout 'sand lap,' everyone turned their curious gaze upon the fish, and after seeing it clearly, couldn't help but marvel.

Han Qiang furrowed his brow and studied carefully, asking, "Whoa, it really does look a bit like a sand lap. What kind of fish is this? I haven't seen this species in the Wen River!"

Zhou Chu also shook his head: "It's my first time seeing this too, a sand lap shouldn't grow this large, right? Also, the color seems a bit off! Could it have mutated?"

Zhang Yang didn't have time to discuss with his buddies; his right hand was bent with the rod while with his left he held the landing net, slowly pulling the fish into the net.

The water temperature was low, resulting in sluggish fish activity, making it relatively easy to pull the fish closer to the net. Like a curious child, Zhang Yang placed the fishing rod on the stand and eagerly used both hands to pull the fish out of the water with the net.

Once the fish was in his hand, Zhang Yang started to scrutinize it closely.

From the brief glance while it was in the water, they couldn't see clearly. Now, upon close examination, the fish was very unique.

What Zhang Yang had thought was a pointed mouth turned out to be a protruding snout; the real mouth was similar to that of a sturgeon and situated near the bottom.

Its entire body was covered in very small scales and adorned with black spots of varying sizes, even the tail fin had these spotted patterns.

The entire body was rounded and plump, the flesh quite thick, and upon holding and weighing it, it seemed to be around one and a half pounds!

"Hey! This really is strange! What species could this be? It's definitely not a sand lap!" Zhang Yang muttered while examining the fish.

"Take a photo and search online! Could it be some rare, precious species? Son of a liar, I've never seen such a fish before!"

Meng Fan, while speaking, took out his phone to snap a picture and quickly began searching online.

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