freeline102 - Flipbook - Page 174
ASH GEDEN
re leased back into the dep th s o f t he O l d Fa t h e r, I fe tc h e d t h e
c radle from up the bank a n d c a re f ul ly s e c u re d t h e ul t i m ate
p r ize I have ever had the h o n o r o f c atc hi ng f ro m t hi s a m a z i n g
r iver of dreams, safe and re ady fo r t he s h o r t wa l k u p t h e b a n k
to where t he camera was. S he wa s a P B a l ri gh t ; I d i d n’ t eve n
h ave to get the scales out to k n ow t h a t , b ut by u s in g t h e n et
p o le and spreader block a s a we i gh i n g c ro o k fo r a b so l u te
a c curacy, for the reco rd, t h e n ee d le s et t le d o n 4 4lb 1 4o z , th e
c ream of the crop and th e a b s o l ute p i n n a c l e o f my Tha m e s
c a rping. She was such a m a je s ti c cre at u re , s o we l l b e h ave d
o n the bank, and after chec k i n g th e f i s h ove r fo r d a m a g e w i t h
s o me treatment applied to wh ere t he r i g ha d d o n e i ts j o b , I
c radled her in my arms a c l i cke d away wi t h th e re m o te . T h i s i s
why I fish the Thames! Th i s i s wh at i t ’ s al l a b o u t ! W i t h s h o t s
a n d film quickly complete d, I t h an ke d h e r fo r t h e m e mo ri e s
a n d wished her farewell as s h e wa dd l e d o f f ove r t h e m a rg i n a l
s h elf and down into those m a g i ca l d e p t hs … n eve r to b e s e e n
a gain? I wondered…
I t was one of those days th a t n eve r s ee m e d to s t a r t . T h e
s k y was moody and v isi bi li t y wa s ha z y, a n d i n my t ra n c e l i ke
s t ate, I fel t lost in that lit t le b u bb l e , c o m p l e te ly b l ow n away
a n d quite frankly in sho ck . I d i d n’ t k n ow wh a t to do w i t h
myself, but I didn’t care re al ly. I fe lt h i gh a s a k i te , a n d I j u s t
s a t there dazed on the b ed c h ai r st a r i n g o u t ove r t h e ro d s
s u cking in the accolade as I c am e to te r ms w i t h t h e re a l i s a t i o n
o f what I had just achieved. By n ow th e p ho n e wa s ab s o lu te ly
p i nging, having let a han d f u l o f c lo se m a te s k n ow th e n e ws
a n d dropped Dynamite Ba i t s HQ a m e ss a g e. Wo rd wa s g et t i n g
ro und and traveling like w i ld f i re . I t wa s n ow aro u n d 13 : 30 ,
t h e rods were still out th ere p r i m e a n d h ad re m ai n e d s i l e n t
FREELINE 52
