freeline-95 - Flipbook - Page 199
BOBBY COOTE
was fishing a spot further d ow n t he d o c ks f ro m wh e re I f i s h e d ,
a n d I always called that sp o t D an ny ’ s Co r n e r. He a s ke d m e i f I
was out baiting up, as I wa s re g ul arly o ut b a i t i n g my s p o t s a t
n i ght so no one would see wh at I wa s d o i n g . I wa s j u s t c h at t i n g
to him saying I was go ing to b a i t u p re ady fo r t h e m o rn i n g
when I thought to myself t h at I s h o u ld a s k h i m i f h e fa n c i e d
d o ing a night on my spot w i th m e. I t wo u ld b e l i ke re t u r n i n g a
favour, as in the autumn an d w i n te r mo n th s we wo u l d d o ma ny
s o cials at Danny ’s Corner b e c au s e t he wa te r wa s d e e p er, an d
my shallow spot would be d e a d a n d n o t wo r th f i s h i n g c o me
t h e winter months. Danny wa s we ll u p fo r d o i n g t h e n i gh t , s o
h e was going to pack up an d g o an d g e t h i s b e d c h ai r a n d o t h e r
b i ts while I went off to get my st u f f .
We met up back on my sp o t s o me t i me a l i t tl e l a te r to g e t t h e
ro ds out . This was a bad i d e a a t f i r s t , b e a r i n g i n m i n d I o n ly
ever fished one rod in the s q u are an d D an ny wa s g o in g to f i s h
t h e deeper water by the T o n t he je t ty. I t wa s a n i gh t m a re f ro m
t h en on, as from about 1 0 p m o nwa rd s wh en we g o t t h e ro d s
o u t till like 2am in the mo rn i n g , we h a d la n d e d i n t h e re g i o n
o f 17 to 18 bream. It was re le n t le s s – d o u b l e t a ke s , t h e l o t ,
a n d by 2am, I had just had e n o u gh , an d I h ad s a i d to D a n n , “ I ’ m
b ringing the rods in, and I w i ll t r y to g et a fe w h o u r s ’ s l e e p .”
T h is never really happens, a s i t’ s i n th e mi d d l e o f L o n d o n , a n d
yo u have to keep your wit s a b o u t yo u , b u t I ’ d n o rm al ly s t a rt
f i s hing from about 4 am at f i rs t li gh t , s o t h e p l an wa s to p u t
t h e rods back out again at 4 a m, s o t h at ’ s wh a t we d i d .
From 4am, at first light , t i ll ab o ut 8 a m , we n eve r s aw a s i n gl e
f i s h, not even a bream. It ha d go ne c o mp le te ly d e a d . I s a i d to
D a nny that maybe all the c o m mo t i o n th ro u gh t h e n i ght w i t h
t h e bream had kept the car p o u t o f t he re t ha t m o r n i n g . S o a t
FR E ELINE 6 3
