freeline-94 - Flipbook - Page 154
DEREK STRITTON
l e aving our balanced hair ri g g ed b a i ts c li p p e d i n t h e b u t t r i n g
b e fore visiting the pub fo r so me t hi n g to e at a n d d ri n k . W h e n
we got back to the lake, al l o f o ur b a i t s h a d b e e n d ro p p e d i n to
t h e margin. The following d ay we we re to l d by t h e pe r s o n wh o
h a d done it to keep our rig s a s ec re t , as ma ny o f t h e sy n d i c ate
d i dn’t know about the hair r i g ! T h a t wa s 1 9 8 1 ! T h a t th e “ h ai r
r i g” coupled with skinned HN V b a i ts m ad e c a tc h i n g ca rp fa r
e a sier than it had ever prev i o us ly b e e n ca n n o t b e arg u e d . S o ,
t h anks to Fred, Lenny M idd le to n a n d Kev i n M a d d o c ks fo r th a t .
T h ey initiated the growth i n c a rp f i s hi ng i n te re s t t h at h a s
c o ntinued ever since.
As someone who has bee n a ro u n d fo r qu i te a wh i l e , I o f te n
a l l ow myself a wry smile a t t he l ate st n e w ri g d eve l o pm e n t
o r change. An example of th i s g o e s b a c k to ro t a ry r i g s , wh i c h
we came to use at Darenth i n t he m i d 1 9 7 0 s. We c a l led i t “ t h e
whirling Ted Smith rig” af te r th e b l o ke wh o we t h o ugh t h a d
i nvented it . It was then us e d la te r by a n u mb e r o f we l l - k n ow n
a n glers, who by virtue of a s l i gh t c ha n g e cl a i m e d so m e cre d i t
fo r the idea. It then eventu a lly e me rg e d a s “ t h e c ho d ” a l b e i t
a shorter version, fished w i th a p o p -u p . I s o m e t i m e s l o o k
o n in a bewildered way wa tc hi ng how s o m e o f to d ay ’ s l e s s
ex perienced anglers are h o o dw i n ke d to j u m p o n to t h e n ex t
n e w rig development and fo l low n a ive ly t h e hy p e t h a t g o e s
w i th them. Some of the stuf f I ’ve v i e we d re ce n t ly c o n t ai n s m o re
i ronmongery than a scrap ya rd ! M o st o f th e ve ry s u cc e s s f u l
c a rp anglers I know have b e en u s i n g t he s a me , o r very s i m i l ar,
r i g setup for many years a n d c atc h a lo t o f c a rp d o i n g s o .
W hat’s the saying? If it ain’ t b ro ke do n’ t f i x i t , a s we l l a s “ G o e s
a round, comes around!”
Around 30-plus years ag o , I fo u n d mys el f s p e n d i n g lo t s o f
FREELINE 44
