BIG CARP APRIL 2026 RICHARD - Flipbook - Page 181
JOHNASH
THORNLEY
GEDEN
a n d there were signs that th ey we re st i l l fe e d i n g o u t i n t h e
d e eper water in front of me , so I wa s h o p i n g t h ey wo u l d e n d
u p coming closer in to the ma rg i n s a s th e mo rn i n g wo re o n .
I ’d just said farewell to o n e o f t h e o t he r m e m b e rs , a s t h ey
were leaving the lake, an d I we n t an d s a t b a c k d ow n on my
b e dchair. At 10.30am, I h a d a m as s ive d ro p b a c k o n t h e ro d
o n the dustbin lid spot . I l o o ke d a t t he l i n e, a n d i t h a d m ove d
a round 12 ft to the left of t h e s p o t a s th e f i s h re al i s e d i t h a d
m ade a mistake by picking up t h e d o u b l e b a rre l L iver S u p re m e
h o ok bait from Sterling Bai t s .
On went the chesties, an d I f li c ke d o f f th e al a rm an d p i c ke d
t h e rod up, pulling the lin e o u t o f th e c li p a n d w i n d i n g d ow n
to the fish. I was expectin g an o t h er sto c k i e to b e o n t h e e n d
o f the rig sulking in the we ed , b ut t ha t wa s u n t i l t h e ro d b e n t
over and I realised it wa s n o s to c k i e. T h e f i s h ro l l ed , an d I
re alised I was attached to o n e o f t he A-Te am , a s i ts s h e e r b u l k
ro cked the surface of the l ake . W i th ste ady p re s s u re ap p l i e d ,
I got it moving towards m e u n t i l i t h e ld i t s g ro u n d, u s i n g i ts
weight to move along the ma rg i n al s h el f i n f ro n t o f me .
There’s one fish in parti cu l ar t h at i s k n ow n to d o t h i s , a s
my good friend Chris John s o n h a d d e s c r i b ed t h e f i gh t to m e
when he caught it last sea s o n . T h e n er ve s s t a rte d to cre e p
i n , but I gently coaxed the f i s h u p t h e s h e lf a n d towa rd s m e .
T he terminal tackle and si ze 4 h o o k d i d i t s j o b a s i t s h e a d h i t
t h e spreader block and th e f i s h’ s m a ss ive f ra m e wa s e n gu l fe d
by my net . It was at that mo me n t t ha t I re a l i s e d t hat I h a d
R i ngsted’s mighty Lock Sto c k i n th e b o tto m o f th e ne t a n d a l l
t h at preparation through t he s n ow, i c e an d ra i n o f th e s p ri n g
h a d paid off.
I ’d like to thank A lan Tr i n g o f Ste rl i n g B a i t s an d my b ro
FR E ELINE 59
