freeline-95 - Flipbook - Page 178
ADAM SPILLER
On the lake you have larg e a re as i n ac c es s i b l e to f i s h d u e
to several large buoys us e d by t h e s a i lo rs . Yo u h ave s eve ra l
i s l ands of all different shap es a n d s i z e s ; s o m e a re c ove re d i n
s n ags and others are bare . O n e i s l an d i s la rg e e n o u gh th a t a
p ower line transmission towe r s i t s o n i t . Yo u h ave t h o u s a n d s
o f underwater features/ sn ag s t ha t yo u c a n f i s h to / avo i d , f ro m
p l ateaus to bars to massive s l a bs o f c o n c re te b l o cks l e f t f ro m
t h e pit’s excavation days. T h e re i s eve n a c ar i n th e ma rg i n s o f
t h e lake. You then you have th e lo c a ls , f ro m th e b o a t u s e rs , th e
s k inny dippers, the dog wa lke r s a n d t h e lo ca l yo u t hs o n t h e i r
i n f latables. You can pi ctu re t h at i t ha s a lo t g o i n g o n d ow n
t h ere. Nobody can be certai n how m any c arp re s i d e i n t h e p i t .
I t ’ s never had an official s to c k i n g, b u t t h ere a re ru mo u rs o f
h ow some of them got th e re ye ar s a g o . T h e 2 00 7 f l o o d s n o
d o ubt saw carp come and g o i n a n d o u t o f t h e p i t , bu t f ro m
j u dging by what’s been cau gh t a n d s ee n , th e re a re a n e s t i m a te d
6 0 -100 carp in there with s eve ra l 3 0 s , a h a n d f u l o f 40 s a n d
t h e king of the pond, the M a c h i n e, a m al e c ar p t h at h a s s l owly
b e en continuing to put on t he we i gh t e ac h ye a r. Howeve r, w i t h
a l ake that size, who knows wh at e l se i s i n t h e re ?
Last year, Nick told me I wo u ld l i ke ly b e g e t ti n g a t i c ke t fo r
t h is year. It couldn’t have t i e d i n mo re p e r fe c t ly, a s I wo u l d
b e moving from Suffolk to W i lt s h i re fo r wo rk . Howeve r, wh e n
t h is year came around and I g o t my ti c ke t , c o m p l i c at i o n s w i t h
work meant I had to briefly m ove to L i n c o l ns h i re for a m o n t h .
A l ongside other commitm en t s I ha d towa rd s t h e R A F Ca rp
Te am, it meant that I was u n ab l e to g et a ny wh e re n ea r e n o u gh
t i me at the lake. In fact I o n ly ma n ag e d th re e 48 - h o u r t ri p s
d u ring the months of Apri l a n d M ay, w i t h Jun e a n d J u ly b e i n g
a complete write-off . Howeve r, d u r i n g t ho se t ri p s , I f i s h e d a
FREELINE 42
