freeline-94 - Flipbook - Page 166
ED TYMAN
a n d his dog was baiting an d f i s hi n g a l o n g th i s fa r m a rg i n . O n
t h e fourth session of the s ea s o n , I wa s i n , a n d i t fe l t l i ke a
s o lid fish. The R3 alarm b u r st i nto l i fe a t 2 a m, a n d a s I s to o d
t h ere with wet feet playi ng t h e f i sh , I re me m b e r t h e ab s o l u te
d e sire to get it landed and s ta r t my ac c o u n t . T h e fi s h s te a me d
a c ross the lake, taking 40 o r s o ya rd s f ro m t h e c l utc h . I fe l t
i n control as my head torc h b ea me d a c ro s s t h e d ark ne s s . J u s t
when I tho ught I was clear f ro m t h e i n i t i a l lu n g e s , i t wa s g o n e.
T h e weight was gone, and s o wa s t he f i s h . I s a t b a ck , a n d a s
t h e adrenaline started to d i s s i p ate , I ma d e a b re w an d b ega n
to lick my wounds.
Now at that point , I need e d to a d d re ss th e s i t u at i on , b u t I
was still blissfully unaware o f wh at h a d h a p p e n e d an d j u s t p u t
i t down to bad luck. To cut a lo n g a n d ve ry p a i n f u l s to r y sh o rt ,
t h is exact same procedure ha p p e n e d tw i c e mo re b e fo re t h e
s i t uation became clear. On ly a f te r I l o s t wh a t I b e l i eve d to be
o n e of the big girls did I fo rc e mys el f to ad a pt . M y c o n f i d en c e
was in bits, and the feelin g o f o p ti m i s m o n th e n e w wa te r h a d
b e en replaced by anger. I n e e de d to st a rt a ga i n , s t ri p i t a l l
b a ck, take stock of what I h a d le a r n t an d re b u i l d . I n e e de d to
f i s h to the situation.
So out popped the marke r ro d , my eye s we re b a c k o p en , a n d
I was determined to make t h e a dj u s tm e n ts n e ed e d . N ow t h i s
i s going to sound ridiculou s , a n d ye s, I k n ow h ow st u p i d i t i s …
I t turns out there was a h ug e b ar t ha t r un s d i re c t ly h al f way
a c ross the water parallel w i th t h e sw i m b a n k a n d t h e ba n k
everyone was fishing too. I wa s s o o c c u p i e d w i t h th e fa r m a rg i n
a n d the fact everyone else wa s f i s h i n g t h ere t h a t I d i d n’ t eve n
b o ther to explore the ent i re wa te r. T hi s ba r a l s o ha p p e n ed
to be covered with razo r s h arp m us s e l b e d s . S u d d e n ly t h e
FREELINE 56
