freeline-99 - Flipbook - Page 189
DICK GAYNER
BOBBY
COOTE
t h at I had lost the previ o us a u tu m n . T h i s f is h i s a n a n i m al –
p roper heart-in-mouth wi th t h e l o n g r u n s towa rd s t he s n a g s
a n d powering through we ed b e d s u n t i l s h e wa s mi n e . S h e
l o oked inc redible – big, sc aly f la n ks a n d a re a l o l d wa rr i o r.
That summer, I went on to c a tc h a l ove ly c o mm o n t h at my
m ates Mark and Ray had b o t h c au gh t , s o we c a l l e d thi s c h u n k y
f i s h the Friendly Common b e t we en u s . I f i s h e d ri gh t t h ro u gh
t h e winter that year, only ma n ag i n g a s ma ll c o mm o n i n J a n u ary
u p until the traditio nal c lo s e s ea s o n i n M a rc h . T h e l ake i s
4 0 acres, and fishing is re st r i c te d to o n e ba n k , wh i c h m a ke s
m oving on to them at cer ta i n ti me s i mp o ss i b l e . Yo u ca n’ t ca tc h
what’s not in front of you . T hi s n ow b ri n g s u s u p to a l o t o f
p rep work we went on to p u t i n ri gh t t hro u gh t h e c l o s e s e a s o n
w i th the common being my ma i n fo c u s n ow.
Throughout the close seas o n , my m a te M a rk a n d I we re g e t t i n g
to the big boating lake ever y o th e r d ay to give i t b i g h i ts o f b a i t
o n an open water spot I ha d ca u gh t t h e la ke ’s awe s o m e B i g L i n
f rom the previous summer. Pa r t o f o ur b i g ba i t - u p s i n t h e o p e n
water had us flicking the G o P ro ove r t h e sp ot eve ry n ow an d
t h en out of curiosity to se e h ow mu c h o f th e b a i t wa s b e i n g
e a ten and how fast . On rev i ew i n g o u r fo o t a g e ove r a b ee r by
t h e side of the lake, we we re s ho cke d to s e e o n e o f o n ly t h re e
m i rrors in the lake come in f ro n t o f t h e c a me ra fe ed i n g on t h e
s p ot . You can even hear bo t h o u r Sp o mb s c ra s h i n g a b ove a n d
watch the bait fall, but the u n p re ss u re d f i s h d i d n’ t h ave a c a re
i n the world in the deep o p e n wa te r s p o t . T h at fo o ta g e gave
u s a massive boost , and as Ju n e 1 6 t h fa st ap p ro a c h e d , th e s p o t
was rocking, and the bait wa s c o m p le te ly g o n e by th e n ex t
d ay. They definitely ho med i n o n t h e so un d o f t h e b a i t i n g u p .
J une 15 t h came, an d M ark m a de h i s way to my p l a c e w i t h h i s
FR E ELINE 6 5
