freeline93 - Flipbook - Page 162
JOHN ANDERSON
p l aying tricks with your eye s i n t h e ni gh t wh i l s t h o p i ng fo r
o n e of your Mitchell 3 00 s to s t art ch u rn i n g , ly i n g i n s i d e a
b o ttle bank-shaped bivv y, wra p p e d a ro u n d a b ro l ly po l e a n d
f reezing your tits off in a p o lye ste r s le e p i n g b ag o n o n e o f
t h ose blue garden sun lo un g e rs ! How ti m e s h ave c h an g e d ! I
s t i ll reflec t on those days w i t h my o l d ma n b e i n g s o m e o f t h e
b e st parts of my life.
Years went by, and coun tl e ss h o u r s we re s p e n t as t h e f i s h
g o t bigger through the 8 0 s un t i l c a me my f i r s t d o u b l e . T h en
I caught my first twenty at B ro a d la n d s L a ke , b a c k in t h e d ay
when Mark Simmonds had sl i gh tly mo re h a i r a n d m i gh t h ave
even been fractionally bet te r l o o k i n g! B ac k o n t h e I s l an d , a n d
i n 1988 Hale Common Farm o p en e d two ve r y o l d l a ke s o f a b o u t
a n acre each for fishing. W i th c a r p f i s h i n g s t i l l b e i n g q u i te
p o or at the time, a few of u s wo rke d h a rd th ere ove r t h e ye a rs ,
w i nkling out the smaller c a r p , mov i ng t he m to t h e to p l a ke
fo r day ticket fishin g, keep i n g t he b i gg e r o n e s i n t h e l owe r
l a ke and introducing some yo u n g f i s h. I s p e nt m o s t o f my d ays
t h ere for several years, an d wh en I l o o k at t h e l o gb o o k , i t ’ s
a mazing to see how far thi n gs h ave d eve lo p e d .
Around that time, a good f ri e n d o f o u r s , I an L e e , fo r me d t h e
I . O.W Carp Society Group, wh i c h I h ave g re at m e mo ri e s o f w i t h
t a lks from some legendary a n gl ers . We f i s h e d a t Ho r s e s h o e
L a ke for t he charity fishi ng . G o o d st u f f wa s h a p p e ni n g a n d
t h ings were on the up wi t h t he Is l an d ca r p s c e n e! Howeve r,
fo r me, through 199 4, ot h er t hi n g s we re b re w i n g , a nd t h e
o n ly thing that’s ever stop p ed m e f i s h i n g h a p p e n ed b i g s t yl e ,
which took me by storm! M y ro d s we re re p la c e d a t wee ke n d s
w i th a record box and my h e ad p h o n e s , a n d p l ay i n g t u n es a n d
d a ncing till sunrise ever y we eke n d ha d c o n s u m ed m e fo r
FREELINE 36
