freeline93 - Flipbook - Page 173
JOHN ANDERSON
I was still connected, and a f te r a fe w mi n u te s o f he av y l u n g es ,
i t surfaced for the first ti m e. M y h ea r t wa s i n my m o u t h as I
s aw some frayed lin e som e 3 0 o r s o fe et f ro m t h e b u s i n e s s
e n d. A few turns of that li n e a ro u n d th e s p o o l , a n d i t wa s i n
t h e net . I could see it was b i g a s I g en t ly wa d e d b ac k , t ry i n g
n o t to get too excited. I pu t i t i n t he re ta i n i n g s l i n g a n d c a l l e d
T i m… “Mate, I’ve not weigh ed i t , b u t I t hi n k I ’ ve go t my f i r s t
4 0 . Please come down!”
He was less than half an h o u r, an d eve r y t h i n g wa s re a dy. O n to
t h e scales it went , and even th o u gh I kn e w i t wa s bi g , I wa s s t i l l
s h ocked to see that needle s et t le a t 4 6 l b 1 2 o z ! B u zzi n g wa s
a n understatement of cours e. T i m, th e p o o r o l d s o d , s u f fe re d
t h e obligatory man hug. Th i s f i sh ha d n o t b e e n s e e n fo r n e a rly
t wo-and-a-half years too, an d b e i n g a n e w fo r ty fo r t h e l a ke
m ade it even more s pecial. I we n t h o m e t h a t d ay t h i n k i n g t h a t
i f I didn’t catch again this s e a so n, i t wo u ld n’ t ma t te r.
I t’s mad to think that afte r m o re t ha n 4 0 ye a rs o f d re a mi n g ,
n o t giving up and most im p o r t an t ly o f a ll no t l o s i n g s i gh t o f
s i mply enjoying why we d o f i s h , eve n tu a lly my d re a m ca m e
t rue. However, the magic o f th i s p a s si o n ate pa s t i me w i l l n eve r
ever cease to amaze me, a s b e fo re t he s e as o n e n d e d t h i s ye a r
when the fish grouped up a n d s p aw n ed , wo u l d yo u b el i eve ,
a mongst several big f ish, I h ad t wo m o re 4 0 s ? !
Now at 50 years young, reflecting on those past years, another
40 years is of course very unlikely. It makes it all the more
important for us all to chase our dreams. I’m fortunate to be
able to write and share my lucky experiences with others who
also love this amazing life of fishing, and whatever time is left,
I’m fairly certain nothing will change for me. I sincerely wish for
everyone reading this to continue fulfilling their dreams too.
FR E ELINE 47
