I am a local in North America

Chapter 68 Dare to fish behind me?
Once a big fish is hooked, its first instinct is to frantically burrow into the roots of trees, trying to use the complex terrain to escape danger.

Under the sunlight, the originally taut fishing line instantly cut through the river water, making a dangerous hissing sound, and was dragged towards the dense root area.

The old bass that have lived in this river for more than 15 years are almost all experts at escaping, relying on their rich experience to evade predators time and time again, thus surviving successfully.

Its "Fish Life Resume" likely contains life-saving skills such as "mastering the Qin King's Circling Pillar Walk" and "S-shaped Movement".

Unfortunately, I ran into Su Jierui, and I still lost today.

There was no way to resist the temptation of delicious food falling from the sky and being delivered directly to one's mouth when the bait was cast so precisely.

Having previously observed the terrain along the shore, Su Jerry had already anticipated this.

Realizing the largemouth bass was escaping in the wrong direction, he quickly adjusted his strategy, twisting the fishing rod forcefully to apply lateral pull, gradually guiding the fish's head and pulling it out of its "refuge"!
The intense tug-of-war then began.

The hooked fish changed direction several times, attempting to charge, but Su Jierui skillfully thwarted each attempt.

He dared not relax for a moment, focusing intently on every struggle and change of direction of the large bass, reeling in and letting out line as the opportunity arose, continuously expending its energy.

Time ticked by, and due to the complex terrain, he could only carefully maneuver around the fish. Three or four minutes passed quickly.

The underwater pull finally began to weaken, and Su Jierui realized the time was right. He began to carefully reel in the line, pulling it toward the surface.

Gradually, a huge figure, shimmering with a dark green luster, emerged from the water.

When the largemouth bass was fully exposed to the sun, even Su Jerry was surprised and couldn't stop smiling.

This fish is exceptionally large, with a broad back, a big belly, and an astonishing length. Even if it doesn't compete for the $2000 bonus for the "largest single-tailed fish," it still has a chance to win a small prize such as an "outdoor tent," a "vacuum cleaner," or an "oven."

It wasn't time to let his guard down yet. Su Jierui suppressed his excitement and slowly dragged the big bass to the bass fishing boat.

He knelt on one knee by the gunwale, leaned half his body out, and carefully scooped the exhausted giant bass onto the boat.

When it landed in his hand, the weight made Su Jierui's arm feel heavy, and his forearm muscles tensed up from the instantaneous exertion.

After hauling the fish onto the boat, he quickly fastened the fish hook and placed this precious trophy into the live water tank before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

I finally remembered that I was filming and had been so busy that I forgot to speak.

After the sun rose, the weather got a little warm. Su Jie wiped the sweat from his forehead, pointed the camera at the large bass in the live water tank that was still stubbornly wagging its tail, and said excitedly:

"Friends, I think... this time we might really have found the big one!"

"It's so beautiful! I definitely chose the right spot. Lady Luck is still on my side. The first fish I caught is this big!"

"Originally, I didn't dare to hope to win the championship, but now it seems I can think about it. My family has been fishermen for generations, so maybe I've inherited some kind of talent like being a 'fish killer'?"

"This is really amazing..."

After shooting enough footage, he muttered to himself and reached for the measuring board and scale:

"We need to record the dimensions and weight as soon as possible..."

He bent down and busied himself, picking up the large bass again. Its mouth was quite large, and it weighed 11.82 pounds.

I clenched my fist and celebrated silently.

However, at that moment, a loud, rough engine roar came from afar, breaking the tranquility of this tributary.

"Whoosh-!"

A yellow and white bass fishing boat sped past at an extremely high speed, almost brushing past the stern of Su Jerry's B-17 boat!

The huge wake caused Su Jierui's fishing boat to rock violently, and he instinctively grabbed the gunwale to steady himself.

The water in the live water tank was splashing loudly. Startled, the large bass struggled and thrashed its tail, splashing water everywhere!
The fish must be bewildered: "Just got ashore, and now we're experiencing another tsunami? What the hell...!"

Hey! Watch where you're going!

Su Jierui was both surprised and angry, and looked up and shouted.

The uninvited guest's bass fishing boat was numbered A-09.

The difference between group A and group B is that the members in group A are all professional anglers with relatively high scores and have often achieved some good results.

The other driver was very skilled; with a beautiful sudden stop and drift, he splashed a lot of water a short distance away and came to a steady stop just a dozen meters away from the cypress root system where Su Jierui had just been caught.

That drift was so impressive, even the legendary Akina racer would have to give it a silent thumbs up.

The competitor on the boat was a burly, bald man wearing sunglasses. Long-term exposure to the sun had left his scalp and neck severely reddish.

The bald man with the thick neck didn't even glance at Su Jierui, as if the dangerous close encounter had never happened, and seemed to have taken a liking to the punctuation mark as well.

Meanwhile, the cameraman on the other boat quickly pointed his camera at the area.

What angered Su Jierui even more was that the swimmer on boat A-09, less than 30 seconds after stopping, cast his lure into the shadowy area without hesitation, the very spot where he had just caught the big bass. The sound of the fishing line cutting through the air was full of provocation.

Using your ultimate skill at point-blank range is not done like that; it's extremely rude in a match.

This blatant snatching of fishing spots, though not explicitly prohibited by the rules, is practically taboo among anglers; almost no one does it. "Hey!"

Su Jerry frowned. He recognized the bald man; he had seen him in a bass fishing competition video a few years ago. His name was Kelse Rivera, a professional angler known for his aggressiveness and strength.

He suppressed his anger and raised his voice to continue:
"This was the fishing spot I found first! And what you just did was too dangerous!"

Kells Rivera slowly turned his head, a slight smile playing on his lips behind his sunglasses. He deliberately pointed to the vast expanse of water with his finger adorned with a huge metal ring, and said in a gruff voice:
"The river is a public area, and your name isn't written on it. As for driving... if your skills are limited to this, I suggest you go back to the dock as soon as possible."

His accompanying cameraman quickly turned the lens to Su Jerry, seemingly trying to capture his exasperated expression.

This guy's rudeness infuriated Su Jierui.

However, when Su Jerry saw that Kelse Rivera's cameraman was intently filming him, he instantly understood the other party's intention—to provoke him, make him lose his temper, and create a program effect.

It's roughly similar to the trash talk between boxers before a match. Whether he's mentally unbalanced and unable to perform at his best, or he's exchanging insults with Kells Rivera, it's all in Kells Rivera's favor.

After all, this guy is notoriously shameless, only knowing how to provoke other players to gain attention and popularity.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, Kelse Rivera even started the engine again, adjusted the boat's position, and tried to get closer to the cypress roots, with the bow almost cutting across the front of Sujere's bass fishing boat.

Su Jerry, on the contrary, calmed down.

He neither caused trouble nor was afraid of it. He did not choose to continue arguing, nor did he try to block the other party with his own boat. Instead, he said something that surprised both Kells Rivera and the cameraman.

Suddenly, Su Jierui laughed and shouted loudly, making sure every word was picked up by the other party's microphone:

"Dare to fish behind me?"

"Who gave you the courage? I've been going out to sea with my parents since I can remember. Today, I'll show you what a 'legend in the fishing world' really means!"

"Look clearly!"

Su Jie Rui then pointed to the cameras above his head and on the fishing boat, adding:

"All your dangerous driving maneuvers just now, and your current thuggish demeanor, have been completely recorded!"

"I'll put you on my video account so all viewers can see how a so-called star angler lacks the most basic sportsmanship! Then, will your sponsors still like someone who brings negative traffic?"

"Stop with your trash talk. Trying to provoke me to create drama for yourself? If you try to out-swear at us Chinese, I'm afraid you'll cry on the spot..."

Before speaking, Su Jierui had given it a lot of thought.

It's not just Kells Rivera who wants to become famous through the show; he also needs to build a fanbase and increase his video revenue.

Furthermore, since catching big fish one after another is inexplicable by common sense, Su Jerry took the opportunity to force himself to be labeled a "legend in the fishing world".

Even if someone catches a Florida manatee from a freshwater river, people will subconsciously admire his skill and acknowledge his legendary status.

Su Jierui grew up in a very healthy environment and is known for his easygoing and good-tempered nature in the eyes of his family and friends, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to swallow his anger.

"Ha, a legend in the fishing world? I think you've gone mad..."

Kells Rivera's expression changed repeatedly, and even his sunglasses couldn't hide the stiffness in his expression.

He wasn't afraid of Su Jierui, but he was afraid of negative public opinion and that the sponsors would be unhappy.

In the end, he pointed his finger at Su Jierui in a show of defiance, then, with a sense of resentment and anger, he packed up his fishing rod and slunk away, continuing his journey upstream.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to pat himself on the back, as if trying to salvage his last bit of dignity. Kells Rivera said:

"Let's go! With this Asian lunatic causing trouble nearby, the fish in the water are probably all scared away!"

Watching Kyles Rivera's A-09 boat sail upstream, its engine roaring even more violently than before, disappearing somewhat disheveled ahead, Su Jerry's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Although he himself felt that what he just said was a bit childish, the effect was surprisingly good.

This is not only a counterattack, but also a psychological suggestion. In this circle where people survive by virtue of their strength and popularity, sometimes you need to be a little arrogant to stand out more easily.

He quickly put away his measuring tools, shut off the water tank, and nimbly returned to the driver's seat.

"Trying to steal my spot? Trying to provoke me? Let's see who suffers more."

Su Jerry silently prayed to himself and pressed the accelerator without hesitation, hoping to get upstream of Kelse Rivera and sweep away the giant bass in the water in advance.

Even if he only needs five big fish today, it will make him feel great just to annoy a bastard like Kells Rivera.

Happiness in life is sometimes just that simple and unpretentious.

Kells Rivera wanted to step on him to gain attention, and so did Su Jerry.

The bold claims have already been made; only by turning those boasts into reality can they be easily edited into the main content of the bass fishing competition, making a lasting impression on the audience.

With a low growl, the B-17 bass fishing boat deftly changed direction, chasing the wake of the A-09 fishing boat and speeding across the water.

At this moment, his eyes are like a ruler, his brain like a radar, like the most advanced all-area scanning sonar, constantly capturing signs of underwater life...

(End of this chapter)