freeline-99 - Flipbook - Page 213
CRAIG
STEVE
DICK McEVOY
GAYNER
BRIGGS
I s houldn’t have, but I cli mb e d ove r t h e fe n ce i n to t h e ma r i n a
to have a q uick scout about to s e e i f I co u l d s e e a ny t h i n g o f a ny
i n terest . My first impressi o n wa s o n e o f d i s a p p o i n tm e n t . T h e
m arina was only very sma ll w i t h ab o ut s i x b a rg e s m oo re d u p
a n d that made it full! It wa s j us t l i ke a b i g ro u n d tu rn i n g p o i n t
o f f the main canal. I made my way to t he wa te r’ s e d g e a n d I
f roze in disbelief. My eye s b u l g ed a n d we re o u t o n s t a l ks …
T h ere basking next to on e o f t h e b o a t s wa s a c ar p of e p i c
p roportions. It must have we i gh ed i n exc es s o f 3 5l bs e a s i ly ! I t
was a thic kset black mirro r th a t j u st hu n g t h e re m ot i o n l e s s ,
w i thout a care in the worl d! Fro m t he c o rn e r o f my eye i t wa s
j o i ned by two smaller com mo n s . A ll we re i n exc e s s o f 2 0 l b ,
b u t the big black mirror dwa rfe d t h em . T h e c o m mo n s we re
l i ght in colour. I was feve r i s h w i t h exc i te m en t , a n d I n e a rly
wet myself when a huge ba t tl e -s c ar re d c o m m o n m ad e i t s way
t h rough the gap of the m ar i n a an d o u t i n to t h e m a i n ca n a l !
T h e common was well in exc es s o f 3 0 lb s , an d I j u s t c o u l d n’ t
b e lieve what I was seeing! T h e s e we re e a s i ly t h e b ig g e s t c an a l
c a rp I had ever seen by so me c o n s i d e ra b le m a rg i n ! Su d d e n ly
I heard someone shout , “O i ! Wh a t are yo u u p to ? ” A s I l o o ke d
a round, the marina secur i t y gu a rd wa s m ak i n g h i s way ove r.
I q uickly hopped back ove r th e fe n ce a nd m a d e my way o f f u p
t h e towpath… but I knew I ’ d b e b a c k!
Over the next few weeks I c o ul d n’ t g et th o s e f i s h o u t my
m i nd. They occupied every th o u gh t , s o a fe w we e ks la te r I
fo und myself on the towp at h o p p o s i te t he m a ri n a . I f i s h ed
t h ree overnighters wi thou t s o m uc h a s a g ud g e o n fa rt i n g , b u t
a t night I could hear them c ra sh i n g i n th e m a ri n a op p o s i te .
Yo u couldn’t cast far enough i n to t h e ma r i n a , a s the re wa s a
b ridge that went over the e n t ra n ce , j u st h i gh en o u gh for t h e
FR E ELINE 89
