freeline-98 - Flipbook - Page 156
LEE GRIFFIN
BILL
PHILLIPS
h a t , and in the days of neve r us i n g a to rc h wh i l e fi s h i n g , eve n
t h e simplest of tasks was d i f f i c u lt . Eve n t h e a rt o f t y i n g h o o ks
a f ter threading the bait up th e li n e w i t h a n e e d l e h a d to b e
m astered.
I did not catch any carp fo r wh at s e em e d a n a g e i n s p i te o f
d o ing at least three nights a we ek . W ha t I d i d d o wa s to l e a rn
a n d start to get a connecti o n wi t h t h e p l ac e . I b a i te d s te a d i ly
w i th corn tight to the marg i n s , wh i c h p ro d u c e d s evera l te n c h
a n d two carp lost in snags. A fe w cru s ts s c a tte re d i n t h e ma rg i n
l i l ies late evening would a lm o s t a lways re su l t i n a v i s i t f ro m
c l ooping c arp at some po i n t i n t he n i gh t . T h e b i g th i n g t h a t
b e came obvious was that n o o n e e ls e se e me d to f i s h n i gh t s –
n o t once had I seen ano th e r an gl er at n i gh t a n d o n ly t h e o d d
o n e in passing when leavi ng – ab s o l u te h eave n .
1 4 t h August ‘75, I arrived at t h e p o n d e arly i n t h e even i n g , a n d
a s usual, I had the place to mys el f . T h e we a t h e r wa s wa rm ,
ve ry still, overcast and felt s to r my. I c re p t ro u n d to my sw i m ,
f u ll of anticipation, with 1 0 f t Ha rdy R / W gl as s ro d s t a c k l e d u p
w i th 18lb line on Michell 3 0 0 re el s al l re ady to go. Ho m e ma d e
b u zzers on bank sticks were s te al t hi ly p u sh e d i n a fe w fe e t b ac k
f rom the bank. The first ro d , b a i te d wi t h c o rn o n a ¼ o z l i n k
l e ger, was set with only ab o u t t h re e fe et o f t h e ro d p ro t ru d i n g
over the water, no cast , ju s t o p e n th e ba i l a rm to l e t t h e b ai t
d rop. An indicator cylinde r wa s s e t o n a n e e d l e w i th th e b a i l
o p en, and a handful of cor n wa s p ut a ro u n d t h e h o o k b ai t a n d
a few crusts in the margin al we ed . T h e s ec o n d ro d wa s ba i te d
w i th crust and set on the re st re ady to d ro p wh e n a c l o o p e r
c a me around in the night . I lay i n a n ex- army s l ee pi n g b a g o n
t h e ground beside the ro d s to awa i t eve n ts wh i l e t he e e ri e
d a rkness started to wrap i t s el f a ro u n d me .
FREELINE 34
