freeline-101 - Flipbook - Page 204
LEE GRIFFIN
BILL
DICK
DAVID
PHILLIPS
GAYNER
WALLEN
i t wasn’t as easy as I first t h o u gh t i t wo u ld b e . T h e n ex t fe w
s e ssions I spent blanki ng an d b ei n g f r u st ra te d , wo rr yi n g t h a t
what I was doing wasn’t wo rk i n g a nd i t wa sn’ t g o i n g to wo rk
fo r me… Had the bigger fis h m ove d o n ?
Then after afew tweeks to my r i g a n d a c o up l e m o re s e s s i o n s ,
i t finally happened… I got d ow n to t he r ive r a n h o ur b e fo re
s u nset , planning to stay i n to d ark . A f te r l owe ri n g my c u b e
o f luncheon meat and barb e d s i z e d 8 h o o k i n to a l i ke ly h o l e
u n derneath an overhangin g b us h o n th e fa r b a n k , I sa t b a c k
a n d waited in silence. Afte r an h o u r o r s o , i t h a p pe n e d ! B a n g !
T h e rod hooped over, and I wa s i n ! Wh a t ’s ha p p e n i n g ? I t we n t
l i ke something I’d never ex p e r i e nc e d b e fo re – p u re p owe r a n d
e n ergy surging down the ro d . I t wa s su c h g oo d f u n i n a s m al l
overgrown blackwater. I h ad t he c lu tc h s e t p re t t y t i gh t s o i t
c o uldnt get any line on m e, a n d af te r a fe w s ava g e l u n g es fo r
t h e snags trying to get fre e, I sw un g t h e n e t u n d er i t . A s I
s tood there in the dark o n my ow n l o o k i n g i n to t h e n e t a t t h i s
h u ge, oversized chub, my o b s es s i o n a n d p a s s i o n fo r f i s h i n g
s t arted picking up pace. T he b u zz o f s et t i n g a t a rge t , a l i t t l e
p rep work and understand i n g , l ay i ng my t ra p s an d a c h i ev i n g
my goal was and still i s an awe so me fe el i n g ! M u g g i n g o f f s o m e
w i ly old character in the p ro c e ss – th a t’ s wh a t i t ’s a b o u t !
Catching my first big chu b o f 4 - 5 l b s wa s e n o u gh to ke e p m e
i n terested over the next fe w ye ar s ! T hi s I g u e s s was t h e f i r s t
t u rning point in my fishing. I de c i d ed to sto p fi s hi n g w i t h s m a l l
h o oks and maggots and st ar t t a rg e ti n g t h e b i gg e r f i s h o n ly. I
k n ew I might catch less, b u t t he exc i te me n t a n d c h a l l en g e o f
c a tching the bigger fish wa s wh at I wa s ch a s i n g fo r s u re .
The next couple of years I s p e n t le a r n i n g m o re a b o u t t h e rive r
o n a whole, with lots of rese a rc hi ng , Yo u Tu b e, b o o ks , DVD s a n d
FREELINE 84
