freeline-95 - Flipbook - Page 208
ROBIN DIX
n ext to me and upended as i t g o t to th e c l o u d . T h e f l o a t wa s
g e tting knocked around a s th e f i s h fe d, an d t h e f l o a t l o o ke d
l i ke I was trotting on a rive r. It d i p p e d a n d s li d f ro m v i e w. I h i t
i t , and the rod took on a fi gh ti n g c urve . T he fi s h t r i ed to m a ke
t h e sanctuary of the snags , a n d p i ng ! T h e t i p f l e w b a c k a s t h e
l i ne parted. I didn’t know wh at to s ay. I lo o ke d a t t h e l i n e a n d
a s ked Andy what breaking s tra i n i t wa s. “ 8 lb ,” h e s a i d . O M G ! I
d i dn’t know what to say. I wa lke d b a c k to my sw i m in s i l e n c e .
He ll – all that prep work a nd I l o s t i t . A cu p o f c o f fe e a n d a
s moke saw me thinking s tra i gh t , an d I we n t b a c k d ow n an d
to pped up the bait with a n o t he r fe w h an d f u l s . I t h e n s e t u p
my float rod with 15 lb Bre n t . M y c o n f i d e n c e wa s b ack , an d I
h o ped that the fish would a l s o re tu r n .
A couple of hours later, I e dg e d a lo n g t h e p a t h , s to p p i n g
s h ort by t he last bush, an d t he wa te r wa s s t i l l cl ou d ed u p .
Ha rdly daring to breathe, I l o o ke d d ow n to my l e f t , a n d a f i s h
d r ifted past quite deep dow n . I s l owly reve rs e d a n d p i cke d u p
my rod and net , nothing le f t to c h an c e . O n my b el ly, I i n c h e d
t h e rod over the ban k. No l i n e wa s to u c hi n g t h e wa te r; a fe w
t i gers followed the float in , a n d I lay i n wa i t .
A vortex appeared by the f l o a t , an d i t s h o t u n d er. As I s t ru c k
i n to the fish, I jumped st ra i gh t i n to t he la ke i n f ro n t o f t h e
s n ag tree. I was then able to p lay t he f i s h i n re l a t ive sa fe t y
( a part from an island). Ch ri s a n d A n dy h e a rd t h e s p l a s h i n g
a n d passed me the net . T h e f i s h ro l le d , a n d I s aw a l e a t h e r
f l ank. Now mentally, I was g o i n g ove r wh i c h f i s h i t wa s … “ I t ’ s
n o t the bronze; it’s not the b i g gi rl , a n d I ho p e i t ’ s t h e mys te ry
l e ather only caught once by D e re k St ri t to n i n ’ 84 .”
I t was a lovely looking f i sh , an d i t wa s my f i rs t r i g c au gh t
c a rp when it lived over the ro a d i n t he M a tc h L a ke . To s ay I wa s
FREELINE 72
