Upon hearing Zhang Yang say he was practicing his rod skills during the competition, Yu Wensheng was slightly taken aback, a surprised expression on his face.

Old Yu has been around the competitive fishing scene for years, and he’s met all kinds of anglers, but Zhang Yang’s type is really rare.

Experimenting with his ideas and exploring the fishing environment and methods during an official competition—he must have some guts.

"Since Xiao Sun has asked so many questions, I also have one. Teacher Zhang Yang, do you have a mentor in competitive fishing?" Yu Wensheng politely asked a new question.

Upon hearing Old Yu call him "Teacher," Zhang Yang quickly waved his hands, "I don’t deserve such a title, Teacher Yu. You’re much older than me, please don’t address me like that, it’ll shorten my life! Just call me Xiao Zhang! I’ve taught myself fishing and never learned from a teacher."

"To fish so well through self-teaching is quite rare! There are still several rounds to go, and you can foresee that the further it goes, the tougher the competition will get. I hope you perform well and achieve your desired goals!"

"I’ll take your words as a good omen. Once I achieve a good result, I’ll treat you to a feast!"

"No problem, let me know, and I must show up and catch some luck!"

With just a few words, the two men verbally agreed. Once the competition was over, a drinking session was inevitable.

Given Old Yu and Sun Yi’s enthusiasm, they could keep the interview and chit-chat going for a while longer, but time waits for no one. With only five minutes of intermission, the referees outside started calling people back to the field. So, Sun Yi and Yu Wensheng had to cut the interview short. Zhang Yang also came out of the lounge and returned to the field for the second half of the competition.

On the way to the live broadcasting booth, Yu Wensheng murmured to himself, "Tsk tsk, this guy is interesting! Interesting indeed..."

Before meeting Zhang Yang this time, Sun Yi didn’t have a good impression of him, mainly because of the last award ceremony’s mishap where Sun Yi ended up on the losing side.

However, after coming to the Daily Fish Fishing Base to host the live stream and seeing Zhang Yang perform so well in the competition, Sun Yi’s feelings became complicated.

This annoying guy, who is excellent at fishing, owns a company and doesn’t lack money, is relatively young and quite handsome. All these factors made Sun Yi’s attitude towards Zhang Yang become subtle.

Most young girls who have ventured into society tend to admire strong people, and Sun Yi is no exception. Although Zhang Yang unintentionally affected her before, she unconsciously convinced herself that he wasn’t targeting her personally, and at most, it was just collateral damage, which could be forgiven.

"Teacher Yu, what do you mean by ’interesting’?" Sun Yi softly asked.

Yu Wensheng smiled and explained, "The competitive fishing circle isn’t very large, and a few years ago, information wasn’t as easily accessible!

Now with live broadcasts online, it’s a bit better. But several years ago, formally learning fishing required a significant investment of time and resources!

Most anglers who have made a name for themselves in the circle have a team or a mentor. They participate in competitions with the team, aided by their mentors or teammates, honing their skills and obtaining the latest information, etc. Only through this can they quickly stand out and accumulate fishing skills in a short period.

Relying solely on oneself to make it in the competitive circle is almost an impossible feat.

For a simple example: the emergence of a new fishing method or bait can enable a team to achieve considerable success in competitions, while outsiders may need months or even years to fully understand it.

When I asked if he had a mentor, and Zhang Yang said no, if he reached this skill level without a mentor, then he’s definitely one of those naturally gifted anglers!"

This isn’t the first time Sun Yi partnered with Old Yu to commentate on a competition, and Yu Wensheng has high standards. Except for top-tier anglers, he rarely praises anyone in private.

"According to what you said, how does Zhang Yang’s skill level compare to Deng Gang, who’s ranked highly among the top anglers?" Sun Yi threw a challenging question. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In front of a camera, Old Yu would never answer such a question, but chatting privately, he could share a few thoughts.

Old Yu laughed and said, "I can’t give you a definite answer to that, but I know one thing: before founding Tianyuan Fishing Tackle, Deng Gang worked at the Old Ghost Bait Company! He developed his fishing skills and matured there, growing with the development of the bait!

And Zhang Yang? He’s now running a fishing tackle company himself, which is developing well. Although it can’t compare to a company like Tianyuan, in terms of rapid progress, he’s not inferior to Tianyuan back in the day.

If Zhang Yang’s claim of being self-taught is true and he never learned fishing from a teacher, then his potential is no less than that of Old Deng!"

The statement that Zhang Yang’s potential is no less than Deng Gang’s might not seem overly exaggerated, but if said in a public setting like a live broadcast, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation in the circle. Not to mention, Deng Gang’s numerous disciples and followers would surely be displeased.