freeline-104 - Flipbook - Page 211
PETER
ASH GEDEN
LUCK
a ny problem, because fish we re b ub b l i n g eve ry wh e re , s o h e
c a st one bait twenty yards to t he r i gh t a n d t h e o t h e r te n ya rd s
to the left . Bill knew the h eav y l e ad a n d sh o rt h o ok l e n g th
would sink well into the si lt o u t o f s i gh t , b u t h e wa s n’ t wor ri e d
b e cause he had learnt lon g a go t h at f i s h b u b b l i n g l i ke t h e s e
wouldn’t find a bait on top o f th e s i l t b u t wo u l d if i t wa s d e e p
i n it , for he had observed ma ny a f i s h fe ed i n g t h u s w i t h a l l i t s
h e ad and half its shoulders b u ri e d d ee p i n t h e b o t to m d e b r i s ,
t rying to root out the tast y ti tb i t s th a t live w i t h i n t h e s i l t .
After casting, he threw te n b a i ts aro u n d e a c h h o o kb a i t
w i th twenty more in the t ra i ls l ea d i n g i n s eve ra l d i re c t i o n s
f rom the small concentra ti o n s o f fe ed a ro u n d e a c h h o p ef u l
c a tching area. Bill didn’t h ave l o n g to wa i t fo r a ct i o n , b e c a u s e
w i thin fifteen minutes of h i s gro u n d b ai t i n g , t h e ri gh t h a n d
m onkey sl owly crept up t h e n ee d le . B i l l h a d a l re a dy p u t i n
t h e pickup before the mon key h ad re ac h e d t h e ro d a n d i n t h e
s a me movement swept the ro d ove r h i s r i gh t s h o u l d e r. “ D a mn
– missed it!” he muttered to h i m s el f a n d q ui c k ly wo u n d i n .
He had only turned the h a n d le o f t he 4 1 0 a d o ze n ti m e s wh e n
t h e rod slammed over in h i s ha n d s . S u ch wa s th e p owe r, i t
n e arly toppled him into the la ke h e ad f i rs t . T h e f i s h to re u p t h e
l a ke with unbelievab le powe r, l eav i ng a ma s s ive b ow wave an d
B i ll backw inding like the c la p p e r s . I t m us t h ave swu m s tra i gh t
towards me, Bill mused. Eve n tu a lly, B i ll g ot th e f i s h u n d er
c o ntrol with the runs less e n i n g as t h e 1 1 l bs Syl c a s t to o k i ts
to ll, and after half an ho ur, B i ll h ad t h e f i s h c i rc l i n g o n a s h o rt
l i ne. He had seen the fish, a n d i t lo o ke d a b i g t we n t y a t l ea s t .
L e t’s get it in the net befo re I s ta r t co un t i n g my c h i c ke n s , h e
t h ought . Three quarters o f an ho u r we n t by b e fo re th e g re a t
f i s h gave up and Bill was ab l e to n e t i t , a n d a g re a t b i g mi rro r
FR E ELINE 81
