freeline-104 - Flipbook - Page 212
PETER LUCK
ro lled over the drawstr in g o f h i s n et . B i l l wa s ve ry re l i eve d ,
a s his arm was aching like h el l a s he to s s e d h i s rod i n to t h e
b u sh to allow him two han d s o n th e ne t . B i l l ga t h e re d u p t h e
m esh of the net in his han ds a n d h e ave d t h e g re a t f i s h o u t o f
t h e water. Blooming ‘eck, h e t h o ugh t – th i s i s m o re t h a n a b i g
t wenty – it must be thirty s i x i n ch e s lo n g!
He quickly got out his f i f t y- si x p o un d b a l a n ce a n d we i gh
s l i ng, and after wetting t he s li n g a n d ze ro i n g t h e s c a l e s , h e
m anhandled the great fis h ca re f ul ly i n to t h e s l i n g . He t h en
h o oked on the scales and s lowly to o k u p t h e te n s i o n. Ro u n d
a n d round the needle we n t un t i l i t eve n tu a l ly s to p p e d o n
fo rty-one pounds exactly! B i ll c o u l d n o t b el i eve h i s eye s , s o
h e lowered the great fish g e nt ly to t h e gro u n d a n d re p e a te d
t h e procedure once again. N o , he wa sn’ t s e ei n g th i n g s t h e f i rs t
t i me, as again it read fort y- o n e p o u n d s exa c t ly. T h e t ro u b l e
was poor old Bill didn’t have a ca m era . He h a d b ro ke n h i s o l d
o n e weeks before and not b o t he re d to re p la c e i t , t hi n k i n g h e
would buy a new one just b e fo re t he n e w se a s o n s t a rte d .
Oh well, the fish comes fi r s t b e fo re I a ny t h i n g el se , h e t h o u gh t
to himself. It’s a shame I wo n’ t g et a p h o to to re m em b e r t h i s
m oment , but the fish mus t g o b a c k un h a r m ed o r I ’ d n eve r
fo rgive myself if anything h ap p en e d to i t b e ca u s e o f my s e l f i s h
b e haviour. Bill took one la s t l o o k a t th e be a u t i f u l g re a t f i s h ,
a n d after giving it an affe ct i o n a te k i s s o n t h e fo re h e a d , h e
watched with great satisfa ct i o n a s i t s lowly wa d d l ed i t s way
o u t of sight into the depths o f t h e p o o l . B i l l j u s t s t a re d i n to t h e
water where he had last s ee n th e g re at f i s h fo r wh at s e e m e d
a n age. He didn’t bother re b ai t i n g t he ro d h e h a d ju s t d o n e
b a ttle with; he was quite c o n te n t a lre ady a n d h ad no w is h to
c a tch anything else. T he me m o ry o f th a t f i s h wo u l d re m ai n
FREELINE 82
