freeline-99 - Flipbook - Page 170
BOBBY COOTE
T h ere were two guys stan d i n g o ut s i d e th e b ro l ly sys te m w i t h
ro ds already in the drink, f i s h i n g . I wa s j us t s h o cke d . I s a i d ,
“ Hello, lads,” and I wi ll neve r fo rg e t th i s de e p S c o u s e a c c e n t
i n the middle of London.
“Hello, lad. What are yo u d o i n g h ere ? ” I s a i d , “ Ye a h , I ’ m
f i s hing… I’ve been baiting a sp o t a l i t tl e f u r t h er d ow n .”
At first , I didn’t really fe el t he i r wa rm th ; I fe l t l i ke I wa s
f i s hing their lake and tre sp as s i n g o n t h ei r t u rf . To b e fa i r,
t h ey had been there a few s ea s o n s w i t ho ut s e e i n g a nyo n e, as
t h ey were telling me, so I k i n d o f u n d er s to o d why t h ey h a d
t h eir backs up. I asked th e m i f t hey ha d c a u gh t a ny t h i n g , a s
yo u do, and both were like , “ N ah , ma te ,” b u t i n th e c o rn er o f
my eye, hanging over the ra i li n g s wa s a we t s l i n g . G o o d o l d
c a rp anglers… I love them… d i f fe re n t b re ed o f h u m a n. N ow m e
j u st being my friendly o ld s e lf , I ju s t sa i d , “ We l l, g o o d l u c k ,
l a ds” and trotted off down th e b a n k to my sp o t .
I had already clipped u p my ro d s th e d ay b e fo re a t h o me
to the distance I was fish i n g . T h i s i s a s tyle o f my f i s h i n g –
s n atch and grab, I always l i ke to ca l l i t . W h en eve r I b a i t s p o t s
o r fish places I’m not sup p o s e d to b e , eve ry t h i n g is p re p a re d
a t home even down to th e d i s t an c e I wo u l d b e f i s h i n g . I ’ m
a lways happy with one fish, l eave a n d re -b a it fo r an o t h er d ay.
I t ’ s just my approach.
Now at this lake I could n’ t re al ly b e s ta n d i n g t h e re i n t h e
c l osed season with a marke r ro d fe el i n g a ro u n d o n th e b o t to m
fo r features, as the place is b a i l i f fe d by t h e M e t ro p o l i ta n Po l i c e ,
a n d trying to explain to t h em th a t I ’ m n o t a c tu a l ly f i s h i n g
d u ring the closed season ju s t i s n’ t wo r t h t he h a s s le . S o I k n e w
t h e distance I would be fish i n g … I a lways u s e a g o lf s c o p e l a s e r,
a s I play golf as well, and I a lways u s e t hi s t ru s ty m e t h o d s o
FREELINE 46
