freeline-98 - Flipbook - Page 214
LEE GRIFFIN
BILL
RICHARD
PHILLIPS
SKIDMORE
t h at we were told about swe etc o r n as a b ai t fo r c a r p . T h e fe w
l a ds who fished Copley ’s h a d be e n ca tc hi n g l o ts o f f i s h o n
c o rn that year, mostly dou b le s , b u t w i t h t h e o d d 2 0- p o u n d e r
t h rown in… 20-pounder!!! He gave u s a t i n to t ry…
Our diet for the whole n i n e d ays co n si s te d o f s p a m, e g g s ,
to matoes, Cornflakes, tea b a gs , M a r ve l mi l k a n d l a ke wa te r, a n d
b e cause of the tins of tom ato e s , we h a d a c a n o p e n e r to o p e n
t h e corn. Drifting around th a t a f te r n o o n , we fo u n d s o m e n i c e
g ravel bars just out from o u r n ew p i tc h w i th i n c a s t i n g ra n g e ,
a round 30 yards out , as th e b i g g es t l ea d s we h a d i n t h o s e d ays
were 1oz, and we never t h o u gh t o f dro p p i n g t h e h o o k b a i t s
f rom the boat! However, we d i d s c at te r a fe w h a n d f ul s o f t h e
g o lden grains on the bars f ro m th e b o at re ady fo r t h e even i n g .
I t was now September 1 2 t h !
The following morning, j u st a s J i m h a d g o n e p a s t to fe e d t h e
p i gs, the old Heron splutte re d i n to li fe a n d ke p t o n s p l u t te ri n g
even when I had lifted the ro d a n d h o o ke d i n to a fa s t m ov i n g
f i s h. I gave the buzzer a ge nt l e k i ck to s to p i t s q u awk i n g . T h e
s i lver paper was jammed in th e b u tt r i n g , an d I g e nt ly u n fo l d e d
i t and it fell to the floor. S o o n t ho u gh , t h e f is h h a d r u n o u t o f
s team and was no match fo r t he 1 7 lb B S l i n e we we re u s i n g an d
was scooped up in our ove r s i ze d wo o d e n c o n s t ru c te d l a n d i n g
n e t … a bloody great tench! S t i ll , i t h ad t h e he a rt ra c i n g fo r a b i t .
Ye ars before, a tench of 9l b 1 o z f ro m E g g et t ’ s h e l d t h e B r i t i s h
re cord, and this fish I had i n t h e n et wa s b ig . H oweve r, b ac k
i n the day, when you were c a r p i n g , a ll o t h er s p e c i e s we re ju s t
u n hooked and released; they we re c la s s ed a s a l u c k y c a p t u re .
Ch ris and I have speculate d ove r t he i n te r ve n i n g ye a rs h ow
b i g that tench was. It migh t eve n h ave b e e n t h e s am e o n e t h a t
h a d held the record in 1 96 3 , b u t we s ha l l n eve r k n ow.
FREELINE 92
