freeline-101 - Flipbook - Page 174
AIDEN SAVAN
o n e point I was convi nced t ha t s h e mu s t have t u rn e d u p a f te r
h a ppy hour had finished. A s yo u ’ve g u es s e d, i t d i d n’ t t a ke l o n g
fo r one of the smaller com mo n s to e n g ul f t h e b a i t . I s u p p o s e i n
h i ndsight I could have playe d t he ga me a l i t t l e m o re c l eve rly
a n d tried to be more selective , b ut o n t he rive r t h e s e w i n d ows
a ren’t open for long and a ny T h a me s c arp o f t h e s u rfa c e i s
s o mething special.
Only a day later, a v isit to th e re al wo rl d h ad m a d e m e a n x i o u s
to get back and get the ro d s o u t . It wa s a we i rd fe e l i n g t h a t
was telling me to get back to t he i s la n d , e s p e c i a l ly as i t wa s
4 p m, and the best time fo r a t ake wa s 4 a m . W i t h i n h al f a n
h o ur I was getting a few k n o c ks th a t l o o ke d ve ry b re a my. As
t h e knocks persisted, I wo u n d dow n a n d s tr u c k to fee l s o l i d
re sistance on the line. Th e f i s h ki te d le f t an d l o c ke d u p i n to
s o mething solid. The snag wa s p o s s i b ly p a r t tre e , a s a fe w f i s h
h a d previously found its sa n c tu a r y. T h e o n ly way to d e a l w i t h
t h e obstacle was to jump in to t he B i c b o at an d g e t u p s t re a m to
c o ntinue the fight . The plan wo rke d, b u t b e i n g s i n gl e - h a n d e d
i n the dinghy is a complete ly h ea rt -s to p p i n g ex p er ie n c e . T h e
u n seen fish dragged me eve r y wh ere i n a ga me o f c a t a n d m o u s e .
I c ame clo se to netti ng he r o n a c o u p le o f o cc a s i o n s , b u t h e r
l u nges totally evaded the la n di ng n e t . I ma n ag e d to c o a x h e r
b a ck nearer to my b oat an d to t i e u p a ga i n st i t . T h e f i s h , n ow
u n der the rod tip, stayed de e p a n d to o k a g es to g e t u p to t h e
s u rface. Even then she wa s a n a n i m al to g et i n to t he n e t , b u t
t h at’s where she eventually en d e d u p a f te r a n am a z i n g f i gh t .
S h e went 29lbs 14oz on the s c al es – wh at a s t u n n i n g f i s h . O n
o n e of my visits to the chann e l to c h ec k o n t he re m ai n i n g a re a s
t h at I had continued to bai t , I h a d m ad e mys e l f c o m fo r ta bl e i n ,
s h all we say, an out of bou n d s are a a n d ha d d e c i d ed to s et t l e
FREELINE 54
