freeline-95 - Flipbook - Page 189
BOBBY COOTE
i n to fishing but not mega ma d o n c a r p f i s h i n g . I wa s m o re o f
a pleasure angler as a ki d a n d us e d to j u st fi s h fo r wh a teve r
p u lled the float under or sw un g t he q u ive r t i p ro u n d . I u s e d to
f i s h mainly on the rivers, a s my da d wo rke d i n t h e a u c t i o n s , a n d
I used to just fish the nearby r ive rs wh ereve r h e wa s wo rk i n g .
A s I grew into my twentie s a n d I s t ar te d a s m a l l l it t l e fa m i ly
myself, I generally used to g o c a r p f i s h i n g o n l a ke s w i t h my
b rother-in-law and friends to j u st g e t away fo r a fe w d ays h e re
a n d there when I could ge t th e t i m e. T h i s i s wh e n th e p a s s i o n
j u st took over, and ever s i n c e I h ave b e e n ex t re m ely h o o ke d
o n fishing for all sorts of s p e c i es a l l ove r Eu ro p e.
The problem was now as I g o t mo re an d m o re s e ri o u s an d
i nvolved with the scene, th e n o rm al c a r p ra t ra c e o f f i s h i n g d ay
t i ckets and syndicate wate r s ju s t d i d n’ t re a l ly a p pe a l to me
m uch anymore. I wasn’t i nte re ste d i n t urn i n g u p to a sy n d i c ate
to catch a fish that after t a lk i n g to a fe w m e mb e rs wo u l d b e
l i ke, ”Oh yeah, that’s calle d Ch arl i e’ s F i s h , o r t h e B i g Co m m o n
o r the Apple Mirror.” I wa sn’ t i n te re ste d i n eve ryo n e f i s h i n g
t h e same spots on the same tre e li ne o r i n t h e s a m e g u l ly o n
t h e same bar at so many ya rd s o u t wi t h a c e rt a i n ri g b e c a u s e
t h at’s where the lake wa s p ro d u c i ng b i te s . T h i s n o l o n g e r
a p pealed to me; in my o p i n i o n i t wa sn’ t f i s h i n g a nym o re . I
h ave never been a followe r, a lways a le a de r, a n d I l i ke to d o
t h ings how I want to do th i n g s . I re ce n t ly wa tc h e d a cl i p w i t h
Adam Penning on Cyp ogra p hy T V, an d he wa s t a l k i n g a bo u t
t h e same kind of thing, an d i t re al ly h i t ho m e fo r me . I eve n
p o sted on social media to s ay h ow re al h i s ta l k wa s. S o t h i s i s
where it began for me – to st a r t lo o ki n g fo r p l a c e s wh e re n o
o n e else really fished so I c o u l d c a tc h f i s h t h a t n o o n e re a l ly
f i s hed for, or if they di d, t h ey di dn’ t g e t c au gh t o f te n .
FR E ELINE 53
