freeline-101 - Flipbook - Page 178
AIDEN SAVAN
a t CMCR, and what that guy d o e s n’ t k n ow ab o u t e n d ta c k l e i s
n o t worth knowing. The c lo se s e a so n wa s a l s o s p e n t b en d i n g
my old mate Phil Roots’ ea rs o n a l l t h i n g s ca r py.
The season started well wi t h a s t ri k i n g l i n e a r o n op e n i n g
d ay followed by a steady s tre am o f f i s h , a re a l m i xe d b a g o f
c o mmons, mirrors, small an d la rg e . W i th t h e a m a z i n gly h o t
s u mmer, the carp were real ly h ap py c o mi n g i n to t h e ma rg i n s
a n d feeding for decent peri o d s o f t i me . S o m uc h t i me wa s s p e n t
o b serving these carp at clo se q u ar te rs t ha t i t b e c a me p a rt o f
t h e daily routine. I will tre as u re th a t t i me a n d t h e l e s s o n s I
l e arned forever. The behav i o ura l p at te r n s we re fa s ci n at i n g ,
h ow different fish reacted to b a i t , h ow s o m e f i s h we re s o m u c h
m ore cautious then others , h ow t h ey re ac te d to a n are a w i t h
a n d without a rig in situ, h ow s o m e ri g s wo rke d a n d h ow s o m e
d i dn’t , how much in di cati o n yo u d o n’ t g e t wh e n a f is h p i c ks
u p and ejects a bait and how q ui ck ly a b a i t c a n b e ej e c te d . Yo u
were often left scratchi ng yo u r h ea d as to h ow we eve r h o o k
o n e of these creatures, an d a t ti m e s yo u j u s t h a d to l a u gh a t
h ow smart they were. Howeve r, w i th f i n e -t u n i n g a n d a b i t o f
l u ck, they were catchable at t i me s .
I had dispensed with the m atc hi ng ro d s a n d b u z z e rs a p p ro a c h ,
a n d was just easing into po s i t i o n w i th my o l d f i b re gl a s s Ha rdy
N o .2 carp rod and a centre p i n , b u t t ha t ’s wh e re t h e n o s t a l g i a
e n ded, as the end tackle wa s a s ef f i ci e n t a s I c o u l d o ffe r –
n o room for a freelined p a r b o i le d p o t a to h e re . T h e b u z z o f
n ow and again bending into a c ar p o n th a t g e a r wa s a s p ec i a l
ex perience, but as ever, a fe w c a p tu re s h a d m a d e t h e f i s h mo re
c a utious.
As the margins slowed, th e fo c u s sw i tc h e d to t h e ma i n
b a ited area on the upper rive r, wh i c h, du e to t h e s n a g s t h a t
FREELINE 58
