freeline-94 - Flipbook - Page 140
DEREK STRITTON
Fast forward 50 years, a n d I wa s a t th e B re n t wo o d sh ow
e a rlier this year, on the Ca rp S o c i et y s ta n d , wh e n a yo u n g e r
a n gler came over to speak to m e ab o ut ye ar s p a s t , a n d e s p ec i a l ly
my time on the Forest Pon d s . I l au gh ed wh en s p e a k i n g to h i m
a b out the huge excitement o f t ho se t i me s , a n d t h e n o t k n ow i n g
e l ement . I mentioned Goldi n g s Hi l l, a n d h e a s ke d h ow we d i d .
“ J ust a newt for a whole s u mm e r ’s f i s h i n g ,” wa s my i n i t i al
re ply, “but I did rather we ll re al ly w i th t ha t n e w t! ” He l o o ke d
a t me as if I was mad! And th e n I fo l lowe d u p w i t h , “ T h e l a ke
d r ied up the following year a n d t h ere we re n o c a rp i n th e re ! ”
M any of you will think tha t ’s m ad , b u t t he s h e er j oy o f n o t
k n owing, and the exciteme n t o f h o p i n g wa s fo r me o n e o f t h e
j oys of early carp fishing.
When I left the Savay Sy n d i c a te i n 1 9 8 1 , I wa s fo r t u n a te
e n ough to hold a ticket for N o rt h H a r row Wa lto n i an s, a n d wh e n
I f irst walked the banks th e re t h at fe el i n g o f n o t k n ow i n g wa s
a s important to me then as i t h ad b e en m a ny ye a rs earl i e r.
T h at was fuelled even furt he r wh en L e e Ja c ks o n wh o a rr ive d
o n the lake the same year a s me l an d e d a 40 l b f i s h o n h i s
f i rst session there. I had two wo n d e r f ul ye ars f i s hi n g t h e re o n
a regular basis, catchi ng s o m e s p e ci al f i s h, b e fo re t h e wo rd
was fully out and I felt th e n e e d to move o n . T h ro ugh o u t my
f i s hing, I have tried to fi sh l a ke s wh ere t he f i s h are re l a t ive ly
u n known and without nam e s, eve n th o u gh I h ave m i xe d t h i s
w i th a number of the old c i rc ui t wa te r s . I k n ow mo d e rn d ay
c a rp anglers reconcile fi sh i n g fo r k n ow n f i s h , w i t h t h e te rm
“ t arget” or “history ” but fo r me n o t h i ng b ea t s t h a t fe e l i n g o f
n e w or unknown!
My early years of fishing i n Fra n ce , mi r ro r t h a t v ie w. I n eve r
m ade it down to Cassien in t h e e arly ye ar s , p r i m a ri ly b e c a u s e I
FREELINE 30
