freeline-96 - Flipbook - Page 249
JACK THOMPSON
I n the next couple of days , I re ce ive d a bi t o f i n fo r ma t i o n t h a t
was to change my plan o n t hi s l a ke fo r go o d . I t wa s a b o u t to
o p en in the next month as a ve r y s m a ll sy n d i c ate , a n d I k n e w
my chances of getting a ti cke t wa s ex t re me ly s l i m. L i ke I ’ ve
s a id before, I don’t guest l ake s t h at are b e i n g ru n a s f i s h e d
waters, so I was going to ma ke t h e la s t t r i p my l a s t , a s I d i d n’ t
want to be associated with p o a c hi n g a sy n d i c ate a n d wa n te d
to give myself plenty of sp a c e by th e t i me i t o p e n e d .
T h e day after I caught th e t hi r ty, I wa s b a c k a t i t . I wa s n’ t
to know t his last session wa s g o i n g to b e s o b ri l l ian t a n d
re warding and be everythi n g we c ar p a n gl ers d re a m of . A ga i n ,
I turned up at first light , sl i p p i ng i n q u i et ly to th e b a n ke r
s p ot . I got the mixers goi ng o u t s ha r p i s h an d t h ey s e e m ed to
b e quite slow coming for wa rd o n t ha t m o rn i n g . W h en m o re
f i s h turned up in the spot , th i n g s he a te d u p , a n d th ey s t a rte d
to compete for the food. Wa tc hi ng p at i e n tly, I c o u l d s e e t h e re
wasn’t anything massive in th e sw i m a n d wa n te d to wa i t i t o u t
fo r something decent to tu r n u p .
About an hour had passed fe ed i n g t h e sw i m wh e n o u t o f t h e
b l ue, a fish that looked the s i z e o f a wh al e a rr ive d i n t h e sw i m
b e neath my feet . Again, I lowe re d a s low s i n k i n g b i t o f b re a d
o n to its nose, and it waste d n o t i me i n t a ki n g t h e b a i t . W h en
I hooked it , it went like a t ra i n he a di ng d ow n d e e p towa rd s a
s u nken tree, I tried to put as m u ch p re ss u re o n a s p o s s i b l e b u t
t h e fish was becoming uns to p p ab l e, an d I c ou l d fe e l i t g e t t i n g
f u rther and further aroun d t h e t re e. I j us t h u n g o n fo r d e a r
l i fe and prayed the line wo u ld n’ t p ar t wh en s u d d e n ly t h e f i s h
c a me to a halt . I reeled dow n a s fa st as I c o u l d , pu mp i n g th e
ro d hard, and then I mana g ed to g e t th e f i s h mov i n g. I re a l ly
t h ought there wasn’t a ch a n c e o f g e tt i n g t h i s f i s h o u t , b u t
FR E E LINE 10 5
