freeline102 - Flipbook - Page 162
ASH GEDEN
t h e stretch, give it a break a n d g e t o n s o m e o t h e r g ro u p s o f
c a rp elsewhere. Doing you r h o me wo rk o n t h i s d a u n t i ng rive r
i s key; I had been doing p l en t y o f t ha t as s ta n d a rd , a n d I wa s
d o uble keen in making up fo r my l ate s t a r t to t h i s s e a s o n by
i nvesting a lot of extra ho ur s d u r i n g th e ve ry e a rly m o rn i n g s
b e fore work and during t h e m i d d le o f t h e n i gh t s p ent ju s t
walking the river banks qu i e tly wh i ls t wa tc h i n g a n d l i s te n i n g
to the water. In the dayli gh t h o u r s, I l i ke to a c t ive ly s e a rc h
t h em out as much as I can , a s v i s u a l si gh ti n g s g ive me m o re
o f an idea of what I’m actu a lly f i s h i n g fo r i n t h e s tre tc h at th e
t i me, but over the last cou p l e o f ye ars , I h ave i n cl u d e d n i gh t
re cces a lot more, as duri n g t h e ho urs o f d a rk n e s s , th ey c a n
s t i ll be located just as easi ly a t t i m es ; yo u ’ve o nly g o t to h e a r
o n e give itself away!
I t was whilst I was out o n o n e o f t h es e ea rly h o u rs o f t h e
m orning walks a couple o f we eks p r i o r to c a tc h i n g my f i rs t
T h ames 40 from the othe r a re a th a t I s to p p e d i n a n are a o f
t h e river where I wanted to wa tc h th e wa te r wh e re it b o t t l e
n e cks a bit . I could hear th e g e es e s q u a b bl e a n d t h ra s h a ro u n d
fo r bank space on a smal l b e ac hy a re a i n t h e h a l f li gh t o n
t h e other side of the river, a nd I h ad j u s t t u rn e d to wa l k o f f ,
t h inking to myself that I’m no t g o i n g to h e a r o r s ee a ny t h i n g
h e re with that noisy lot ca u s i n g a c o m mo t i o n . I t was a t t h a t
m oment I heard a differe n t k i n d o f t h ra sh o f wa te r c o mi n g
f rom a lot closer in . I qui c k ly tu rn e d ro u n d to s e e t h e wa te r
d i sturbed about 30 yards o ut , an d I s to o d t h e re wa tc h i n g th e
water for a few more minute s b e fo re t h ere wa s an o t h e r t h ra s h
a s a silhouette broke the s urfa ce a c o u p l e o f ya rd s to t h e l e f t .
I ended up watching the are a l i ke a hawk fo r ove r two h o u r s ,
r i ght up until it was fully li gh t , a n d I c o u n te d ove r 1 2 s h ows
FREELINE 40
