Free Line 108 — September 2026 - Flipbook - Page 106
EXCLUSIVE
s u r f a c e, t h e a f t e r n o o n l i g h t
c a u g h t h e r s i d e. M y j a w h i t
t h e f l o o r.
I r e c o g n i z e d h e r i n s t a n t l y.
I t w a s h e r. “ P l e a s e d o n ’t p o p
o u t . P l e a s e d o n ’t l o s e t h i s
o n e,” I r e p e a t e d l i k e a m a n t r a .
The agonizing tension only
evaporated when she gave
one final roll, right over the
her onto the unhooking mat,
t h e s h e e r, m a j e s t i c b e a u t y
of the fish took my breath
a w a y. E v e r y s i n g l e s c a l e
was
flawless—a
textbook
specimen,
a
prehistoricl o o k i n g c r e a t u r e, a n d a n
absolute unit of a carp.
My good friend Thomas
Riches was on the bank with
d r a w s t r i n g a n d i n t o t h e s a f e t y m e, a n d h o n e s t l y, I t h i n k
of the mesh.
he was just as buzzing as I
Front Cover Material: Lifting was. Seeing her safely on the
BigCarp 104
