freeline-97 - Flipbook - Page 189
MIKE BRIDGES
i n the early hours, and I’d li s te n ed to t h em b o s h i ng o u t n o t
to o far away from my area, wh i c h wa s b as i c a l ly g iv in g m e t h e
c o nfidence to carry on wit h t h i s e n du ra n ce te s t … I wa s s o ake d
a n d exhausted, having no t s l ep t .
Once it got light , I had n o c h o i c e b u t to m ove , a s i t wa s
i m possible, and I require d s h el te r a wi n d b re a k . W i t h s o m e
h e lp from Reg next doo r, th e d ec i s i o n wa s m a d e to try a n d
m ove my brolly between u s b o th . If i t c o ll a p s e d , I ’ d s i m p ly
p a ck up and head home, b ut i f we we re s u c c e s s f u l t h e n I ’ d
s t i ck it out given the weat h er c o n d i t i o n s . A s l u c k wo u l d h ave
i t , we were able to move my bro l ly nex t to s o me t re e s , wh i c h
a c ted as an effective wind bre ak . How i t d i d n’ t c o l la p s e I w i l l
n ever know, but it certai nly wo u ld have b e e n a n i mp o s s i b l e
t a sk on my own.
I decided to leave the rigs in p l ace, a s t hey were in a n d a m on g st
a l ot of bait , and I was mo re t ha n h a p py to ke e p a ny m o re
d i sturbance to a minimum. T h at eve n i n g I h a d t h e p riv i l e g e o f
w i tnessing my target fish an d d o i ng th e p i c t u re s . Th e re h a d
b e en more fish out too, an d I j us t ke p t my f i n g e rs cro s s e d i t
would be my turn, albeit o n ly s i x n i gh ts i n to my ca m p a i g n .
B e fore get ting in my sleep i n g b ac k , I p o p p e d n ex t do o r to s e e
Re g. I thanked him again b u t cl e arly s t ate d I fe l t s o m et h i n g
b i g was going to happen. T h e at mo sp he re wa s e l e c tr ic , a n d
t h e bright ness of the moo n wa s i n cre di b le . I f Ca rl s b erg d i d
“ b ig fish weather”, this wa s i t .
At 3am, I was awoken by my ri gh t ha n d ro d a b s o l u te ly m e l t i n g
o f f. Upon picking it up, I i m m ed i a te ly k n ew I wa s a t t ac h ed
to something special that c e rt ai n ly d i d n’ t wa n t to m a ke my
a c quaintance; it was li ke l atc hi ng o n to an ex p re s s t ra i n . A f te r
a hard 30-minute battle, Re g f ro m n ex t d o o r f i n a l ly s c o o p e d
FR E ELINE 77
