freeline-106 - Flipbook - Page 180
MARK KERRIDGE
weeks leading up to my p l an n e d t ri p we re n’ t t h e mo s t i d ea l
c o nditions with baking ho t d ays a n d s ky h i gh a i r p re s s u re s ,
s o mething I was hoping wo u ld c h an g e i n my favo u r. A s i f by
l u ck, the weatherman wa s te ll i n g m e al l th e ri gh t t h i n g s :
c l oudy, overcast and heav y ra i n sh owe r s . N o t wh a t t h e k i d s
want to hear on their scho o l h o li days , b u t fo r we c a rp a n gl e r s ,
i t doesn’t get much better. S u n d ay m o r n i n g wa s s o o n u p o n m e,
a n d the hour and forty-five -m i n ute d r ive wa s t a ke n u p w i t h me
t a lking about which fish we re d u e o u t . M y w i fe L o u is e , wh o
h a d decided to join me on my t r i p , m us t h ave fe l t eve ry o n e
o f the 100 miles to the lake ! ! Co l i n , L a n ey ’ s , B J , S p o n g e B o b ,
t h e Parrot … you name th e m, a n d I wa s t a lk i n g a b o u t t h e m .
N e arly all of the A-Team fi s h we re d u e , a n d w i t h t h e p re d i c te d
weather forecast , I couldn’ t he l p b u t th i n k t h a t th i s c o u l d be
my chance to bag an other o f th e b i g g i rl s.
At last we had arrived at the Shallow Pit and drove
through the gate and along the track, stopping where
Mark had been fishing for the weekend. A brief chat with
Mark, and I was to discover that there were only four
people currently on the lake with two of them leaving very
soon. What a result! The lake was almost all mine for the
picking! Lou and I started walking around swim by swim,
looking for any signs of a carp, but all that could be seen
were coots and weed – more weed than you know what
t o d o w i t h – t o p t o b o t t o m a n d o v e r e v e r y i n c h o f w a t e r.
The fish in Shallow are known for having their own set
of rules; you can have perfect carp conditions, which on
most lakes you would bet your house on where you would
find the fish, but not here. Countless times I have found
them where you would least expect.
FREELINE 48
