freeline-98 - Flipbook - Page 212
LEE GRIFFIN
BILL
RICHARD
PHILLIPS
SKIDMORE
Brought to prominence i n t h e 6 0 s by B i l l Ke a l , E g g et t’ s
s e emed the ideal venue. I t wo u ld b e t h e f i rs t g ravel p i t we
h a d fished, and if old Clar i s s a th e va n co u l d m a ke i t d ow n
t h ere, we might be in with a ch a n ce o f c a tc hi n g T h e E l e p h an t ,
a f ish named by Jack’s fri e n d D ave Ca r te r wh e n h e s aw i t i n
t h e snag trees a few years e arl i er. I t mu s t b e ve ry h ard fo r t h e
yo ungsters of today to ima g i ne h ow exc i t i n g i t u s e d to b e b a c k
t h en. Nowadays the lakes a re al l m a p p e d o u t , t h e f is h s to c ks
a re well known (so many w ra p s to t hi s o r t ha t s p o t) a n d sw i m s
m ade to measure for the la te st b iv v i e s etc e tc .
We set off on Septembe r 8 t h . T h e re as o n fo r t h i s wa s o u r
n i ne-day stint would co in ci de w i t h S ep te m b er 13 th , t h e d ay
Walker caught the reco rd i n 1 9 5 2 … S ure ly a g o o d o m en ?
The journey down was a n i gh tm a re . We we re p u l l e d ove r
by the Cambridge poli ce o n t he A 1 4 fo r g o i n g to o fa s t i n
m onsoon-like conditions. I a ls o g o t a t i cke t fo r a b a l d ty re ,
a n d old Clarissa leaked like a s i eve . S t i ll , i t d i d n’ t d a m p e n o u r
e n thusiasm as we pulled i nto J i m E gg e t t’ s d r ive way, a n d a l l we
c o uld think about was mo n ste r c ar p . J i m wa s a l i t t l e u n e asy
a t first ab out giving us p e r mi s s i o n to f i s h. He ’ d h a d tro u b l e
f rom “young yobs” before , a s h e p ut i t . Ji m wa s a n o l d m a n
b a ck then, or he looked it to u s . H e d i d n’ t n e e d t he m o n ey a n d
was on the verge of telling u s we c o u ld n’ t f i s h wh en fo r s o me
re ason I just pulled Bill Ke al ’s a n d J a ck Hi l to n’ s n am e s o u t i n
o u r conversation. Jim’s att i t ud e ch a n ge d , a nd h e re l e n te d . He
even gave us a boat to tra n sp o rt o u r g e ar ro u n d t h e l a ke fo r
t h e nine days. We had th e l ake to o ur s e lve s , a n d s u re ly t h e
E l ephant had no chance?
We loaded the mountain o f g ea r i n t h e b o a t , s ai d o ur fa re we l l
to Clarissa and set off acro s s to t h e Hi l to n S n a g s fo r a l o o k .
FREELINE 90
