freeline-104 - Flipbook - Page 166
DAVE HYDE
d ay it would have proba b ly b e en c o n s i d ere d j u s t a n o t h er
s c raper twenty, but to be p a rt o f a fo u r -t we n t i e s ca tc h f ro m
t wo different lakes in the s p a c e o f j u s t 5½ h o u rs ’ f i s h i n g , i t
fe lt absolutely great . It wa s j us t l i ke c atc hi n g my f i r s t t we n t y
over again, a feeling of to t a l eu p h o r i a , b u t l i t t l e d i d I k n ow
t h at there was more… a lo t mo re … to c o m e. I gave i t a n o t h e r
h o ur in that swim before mov i ng 2 0 ya rd s d ow n t h e ban k ,
k n owing that it often p aid o f f to m ove a f te r c atc h in g a f i s h at
s h ort range. The wind had by n ow i n c re as e d i n s t re n g t h a n d
h a d changed in direction to a n o rt h we ste rly.
By 5.30pm I was once aga i n b e g i n n i n g to fe e l t h e e f fe c t s o f
t i redness and was sufferin g f ro m a s p li t t i n g h e a d a c h e c a u s e d
by the strong wind blowi n g di re ct ly i n to my fa c e . I d e c i d e d
to give it half an hour mo re b e fo re m ov i ng b a c k to t h e la ke I
h a d fished that morning. A la s t c a st wa s m ad e to t h e o p p o s i te
b a nk to a place where I h ad se e n a fe w r i p p l e s e me rg e f ro m
u n der a bush. A few minute s l a te r, a fe w m o re ri p p le s e m e rg e d
fo llowed by a bow wave, a n d a t t he s am e t i m e, t h e O pto n i c
s c reamed out . I hadn’t re al ly a n t i c i p ate d a ny a ct i on , a n d I
was in a fairly hopeless po s i t i o n to la n d a ny t h i n g , h av i n g t wo
l a rge beds of lilies betwe en t he f i s h a n d m e . I wa l ke d a l o n g
t h e bank, holding the rod a s h i gh as p o s s i b l e to ta ke t h e l i n e
over some bushes to a po i n t two sw i ms away i n o rd e r to g e t
e n ough side strain to pull t he f i s h away f ro m t h e f i rs t be d o f
l i l ies, and then having ach i eve d th a t , I th e n h a d to wa l k fo u r
swims in the opposite dire ct i o n i n o rd er to avo i d t h e s e c o n d
l i ly bed. It all sounds simp l e o n p a p e r, b ut i t c ert a i n ly wa s n’ t .
Every time I tried to avoi d t he s ec o n d b e d o f l i l i es , t h e f i s h
swam back to the first and v i ce ve r s a.
I must have been runnin g u p a n d d ow n th e b a n k fo r a f u l l 30
FREELINE 36
