freeline93 - Flipbook - Page 160
JOHN ANDERSON
c a me, a ¾lb bream, then a n o t he r, t he n a c h ub .
I remember the bailiff a rr iv i ng l a te r t h a t m o rn i n g , a n d
t a lking of big fish, we’d a l re ady s ee n c a r p t h a t l oo ke d h u g e
to me. I sat glued to my flo a t a ll d ay i n th e h o p e o f a m o n s te r.
I was hooked from that m o m en t , a n d D a d re a l i s e d i t to o , a s
when it was time to go ho m e e leve n h o u r s l a te r, s h o c ke d t h a t
I l asted as long as I did, I s t i ll d i d n’ t wa n t to le ave !
I remember countless eve n i n gs f li c k i n g t h ro u gh b o o ks by t h e
g reats like Jim Gibbinson, J ac k Hi l to n , Pe te r M o h a n to n a me
a few, not forgetting Richa rd Wa lke r’ s St i l lwa te r A n gl i n g a n d
t h at huge Redmire commo n – a n a n gl er, b o o k a n d a f i s h t h a t
we all know has been mo re i n f l u en t i a l o n c ar p f i s h in g b a c k
t h en than anything else. Wo u ld I eve r ca tc h a h u g e 4 0l b c a rp
l i ke that?
From there on, wherever we we n t , t i m e wa s f i l l e d w i t h t h a t
excitement that only we an gl ers ca n d es c r i b e . I re m em b e r t h a t
excitement the night before , le av i ng th e h o u s e b e fore d aw n i n a
l o aded car to Pippin gford, B u rgh f i e ld , L o n gm o o r o r a ny wh e re
h e took me, then that qu i e t wa lk ro u n d an d l e a rn i n g t h o s e
watercraft skills feeling li ke yo u always ha d t h a t c h a n c e o f a
b i g fish… To me, there jus t a re n’ t m a ny fe el i n g s a s g o o d , s t i l l
to day. By the age of nine, af te r n u me ro u s tr i p s c atc h i n g te n c h
to 3lbs and carp to 4lbs, li ke my d a d, I wa s o b s e s s e d w i t h t h e
s p ecimen side of fishing.
Later that year, we move d f ro m L o n d o n to t h e I s l e o f W i gh t ,
u n beknown to us that carp f i s h i n g wa s p re tt y m u c h n o n ex i s te n t
b a ck then. Most anglers we re g e n e ra lly i n a bo a t o r o n t h e b e ac h
s o mewhere, but it didn’t s to p u s s e arc hi ng fo r th e m . A f te r a
fe w years of exhausting m o s t s tre tc he s o f a l o c a l rive r a n d
s everal lakes catching cou n t le s s wi l d i es to 5l b , as e n joya b l e
FREELINE 34
