freeline-98 - Flipbook - Page 188
LEE GRIFFIN
BILL
DICK
PAUL
PHILLIPS
WILKINSON
GAYNER
So we co me to the seaso n o f 1 9 9 9 , a n d I arr ive d at th e l a ke
o n June 15 th around midday. T h e o n ly o t h er a n gl e r o n wa s B i g
P h il. I was all gunned up to f i s h th e D ea d Tre e o r G e r t i e’ s .
W hilst I unloaded the van a n d go t my t a ck l e o n to t h e b a rrow,
t h e excitement that I was b a c k i n Wo rm leyb u r y a f te r t h e t h re e m onth closed season was u nre al . I c an re me m b e r p u s h i n g t h e
b a rrow through the path l ea d i n g th ro u gh th e rh o d o d e n d ro n s
a n d onto the House Bank a nd s to p p i n g fo r a m o m e n t j u s t to
t a ke the lake in. I started wa lk i n g towa rd s G e rt i e ’ s a n d p a rke d
t h e barrow up and walke d d ow n to t he D e a d Tre e , b u t t h e
f i s h just weren’t there. I we n t b a c k to G e r t i e ’ s , lo o k i n g i n t h e
a b undance of pads, and I n o t i c ed a c o up le o f f i s h j u s t s i t t i n g
t h ere. Then, crash… one we n t a i rb o r n e . I q u i c k ly wal ke d
towards the Bench swim, a n d o n e h a d cra sh e d o u t i n t h e f ro n t
o f the Field Gap swim, a sw i m wh ere A la n D ow n i e b an ke d t h e
e l usive Long Common, the o n ly ca p t u re I kn ow o f th i s f i s h .
I walked around the lake an d c l i mb e d a tre e ove rl o o k i ng t h e
m ain set of pads. I couldn’ t b e li eve i t – p re t t y m u c h a l l th e
A- listers were present in th e p ad s , a c o u p l e o f t h e m r i p p i n g
away at the bottom, so that wa s s e t tl ed ! T he t wo sw i m s I h a d
b e en baiting were blown o u t i n favo u r o f fi s h i n g th e B e n ch
Swim. It was better fishin g th e Pa ds a n d G a p f ro m t h e B en c h
swim due to better presen t at i o n o f t he r i g s a n d l i ne l ay.
Back at the swim, I got se t up a n d ro d s r i g g e d u p wi t h h i n g e d
s t uff rigs with running l ea d s o n a n E S P l e a d c o re l ea d er. I
d o nned my chest waders a n d we n t a ro u n d t h e o th e r s i d e to
b a it up the three spots. B i g P hi l t ur n e d u p a n d we n t i n t h e
f i e ld under the trees, as fi s h we re i n t ha t a re a to o .
Later that evening, the ro d s we n t o u t aro u n d 21 . 0 0 , a s we
were allowed to get our ro d s o u t b e fo re da rk . I ’ d p u t a t l e as t
FREELINE 66
